Url for files on your harddrive

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Jeffrey Long

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Feb 13, 2006, 6:35:20 PM2/13/06
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I'm wanting to link to files on my hard drive from ical.  So that by clicking a url it would open a document on my computer.  

What is the nomenclature of the url for a file?  

I tried file:// which I think I saw on a windows computer, and that seemed to get me to the desktop. 

But when I tried file://desktop/102-TheRealVista1.mov to launch a file from my desktop and it came back with No file exists at the address.  

So, if you know the answer I need not just how to specifically surf to a file on the desktop, but what the nomenclature is for getting around to files in the user directory, or applications, or in the documents folder in the user, or to a document that is root.  

Blessings,

Jeffrey C. Long

Introducing the Pastorhacks:Productivity for Pastors google discussion group.  Join the discussion at http://groups.google.com/group/pastorhacks

The Jeffrey C. Long network of websites
Cultural Crafstman http://www.JeffreyCLong.com
Journey to Westminster and Schleitheim http://www.JeffreyCLong.com/journey
Pastorhacks: Productivity for Pastors http://www.JeffreyCLong.com/pastorhacks


Ross DeMeyere

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Feb 13, 2006, 7:20:29 PM2/13/06
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Create a text file on your desktop (or in the directory that you intend to use). Drag this file onto FireFox. This will give you the directory structure that you need.

--------------------------------------------------
Ross DeMeyere
DeMeyere Design Incorporated
http://demeyere.com/

rossMania
a photo journal - the other side of DeMeyere Design
http://rossMania.com/

Robert Lynch

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Feb 13, 2006, 7:32:13 PM2/13/06
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On 2/13/06, Jeffrey Long <ta...@jeffreyclong.com> wrote:
> I'm wanting to link to files on my hard drive from ical. So that by
> clicking a url it would open a document on my computer.

Try opening an HTML file on your hard drive. Then you should be able
to read the details you need. I'm on Windows, and to specify a file I
end up with "file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Robert%20Lynch/My%20Documents/"
etc. for files in my "My Documents" folder. Depending on what OS you
use and where your files live, you may have something similarly ugly
to deal with.

--
Robert Lynch
robert...@gmail.com
Do you procrastinate? http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheNowHabit/

Merlin Mann

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Feb 13, 2006, 7:38:58 PM2/13/06
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Depending on what you want to do there are several ways.

These all take take me to the file "foo.txt" on my desktop

UNIX: /Users/YOURUSERNAME/Desktop/foo.txt
HFS: YOURDRIVE:Users:YOURUSERNAME:Desktop:foo.txt
URL: file://localhost/Users/YOURUSERNAME/Desktop/foo.txt

In my super-scientific 10-second experiment, the third one worked swell
in iCal. :)

gang...@gmail.com

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Feb 14, 2006, 7:29:46 AM2/14/06
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macosxhints.com has this to say about this subject.

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20060113094651714&query=ical

In the comments there is a script for having it done a little more
automatically.

Merlin Mann

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Feb 14, 2006, 10:31:28 AM2/14/06
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I should have mentioned my own cheat:

Those three in my example were all copied using Path Finder, which has
a handy menu for capturing the path in the style of your choosing.
Which I love.

Jeffrey Long

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Feb 14, 2006, 12:46:56 PM2/14/06
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Thanks to everyone. 

Blessings,

Jeffrey C. Long

Introducing the Pastorhacks:Productivity for Pastors google discussion group.  Join the discussion at http://groups.google.com/group/pastorhacks

The Jeffrey C. Long network of websites
Cultural Crafstman http://www.JeffreyCLong.com
Journey to Westminster and Schleitheim http://www.JeffreyCLong.com/journey
Pastorhacks: Productivity for Pastors http://www.JeffreyCLong.com/pastorhacks


Jeffrey Long

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Feb 14, 2006, 2:04:49 PM2/14/06
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For mac users who want to take this idea to the next level, I went to quicksilver and made a text document called file://localhost/Users/USERNAVE/Desktop/toread/ and put it on the shelf.  Now when I have a document I want to set aside for reading, I put it in the toread folder.  Then I open iCal and create a new task, and in the url field, I drag the url from the shelf, and add the file name.  

tres cool.  

Thanks everyone, and especially merlin. 

Blessings,

Jeffrey C. Long

Introducing the Pastorhacks:Productivity for Pastors google discussion group.  Join the discussion at http://groups.google.com/group/pastorhacks

The Jeffrey C. Long network of websites
Cultural Crafstman http://www.JeffreyCLong.com
Journey to Westminster and Schleitheim http://www.JeffreyCLong.com/journey
Pastorhacks: Productivity for Pastors http://www.JeffreyCLong.com/pastorhacks


On Feb 14, 2006, at 8:31 AM, Merlin Mann wrote:

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