Mark,
Could you go into some detail about how you "using for my forum notes"?
Thanks
Carl
Carl,
I’m not Mark but I play one on TV. 😉 They way I use MacJournal is with OS X’s Services menu. When I’m following a thread that I want to keep for later reference, I’ll "Show All Messages" then Select All from Safari’s Edit menu. Then from Safari’s Services menu I just select "New Entry from Selection". Viola! A new entry is made in MacJournal from the thread. The really nice thing is that if you use the beta version you can choose which journal to put the entry in. Another nice thing about MacJournal is that it preserves internet links so that you can just click from the journal entry and the link will be loaded in you’re web browser. MacJournal really is a great program.
I did up a little review of MacJournal over at MacMentor <
http://forums.macmentor.org/viewtopic.php?t=2652>. Check it out for a more in depth explanation of how I use it. Then download and check out MacJournal.
Joe
Joe,
Thanks for answering the question far better than I could. Everyone who has a Mac should know about this application. However, a little OT, my ‘Services’ are grayed out. The Mac Journal shows but the options for recording are grayed out. Everything is grayed out in Services. Do I need to activate this somewhere or have I got a bug?
Mark,
You shouldn’t have to do anything to activate your Services. Are you selecting something to make the journal entry from? Once you select some text, or anything else for that matter, in Safari the MacJournal options should activate. Services are usually context (not sure if thats the terminology I want to use) sensitive, in that you have to have done something for them to become active, like selecting text from a web page in Safari.
Are you using a browser other than Safari? As of the date I wrote that review Firefox didn’t support Services and would exhibit the same behavior as you’re seeing.
As for the Taco, I’m at work posting from an infernal XP machine so I can’t be sure about this. Do you see a "Customize" icon in your MacJournal toolbar? Click that and you’ll be able to add the Taco button. If not, I think there’s a customize toolbar option under one of MacJournal’s menus. I’ll check when I get home tomorrow (today!). Dang graveyard shifts!
Joe
Joe,
I must have a bug in my OS X that is not allowing me access Services. Dang. I’m going to have to troubleshoot this somehow. Off to the Apple forums. (No, it doesn’t show up in Safari.) As for the taco, I don’t see it in the customize tools. Maybe it’s not in the new version.
Joe,
Problem solved. Not a bug. Once I highlight the text everything appears active in Services. Duh. (Got the answer with the first sentence on the subject in Missing Manual)
Joe and Mark,
I’m sure glad you guys are around. I learn a lot from both of you.
Macjournal is not showing up in my Safari Services menu whether the text is selected or not. I also am puzzled by the taco? Where exactly is it and how do I find it? I think I sucessfully downloaded Macjournal. Macjournal 2.5 shows up in the bar at the very top of the page and I can open a window called My Journal.
Sorry if I’m just dense here.
Many thanks
Carl
Good heavens, Mark! All this time and no taco?
Carl, not Joe or Mark, nor do I play them on tv, but you don’t actually launch macjournal to use services. Just leave it closed and select your text, then go to the Services menu. I don’t think it works if the MacJ is already open.
Yes Barbara, all this time and no Taco. It’s embarassing. I thought I understood computers. How could I overlook something so fundamental to my well being, to my existence?
Carl, I don’t know why you are not seeing it in services when you select some text. For me it only works when Mac Journal is open. Keep in mind, I’m using the beta version. 2.6b4. You can also just leave Mac Journal open all the time and just select, copy/paste to the Journal. Joe should be around here very soon. He may be more helpful. The Taco is available from customize at the top of the bar. You need to move the slider to find it at the bottom of the list.
For me it only works when Mac Journal is open. Keep in mind, I’m using the beta version
Huh, for me it works just fine from services whether it’s open or not. Carl, are you sure you have an up-to-date version? Versions 1.x didn’t work from Services.
EDIT I’m still using 2.1 and it works quite well to go to Safari>Services>MacJournal>New entry from selection even when macj isn’t running.
Joe and Mark and Barbara,
I have 2.5. I have the taco and I can get Simpson messages. What I don’t have is Macjournal in the services drop down menu. Please help!
Is this program anything like the Chronos "Stickybrain" program. www.chronosnet.com For some reason I can’t access that web site right now. I find it wonderful for passwords and receipts.
Thanks
Carl
Carl,
If you have the Taco that’s all that matters.
Truth be told, it’s not that important to use MJ through your services menu. It’s just one extra step without it. It’s a nice convenience though if you can get it to work. (Can you use the Mail services for sending text?) I can use it but not without MacJournal open. So it is different from how Barbara and Joe are able to use it. You might consider downloading the beta 2.6b4 and see if it behave any differently. It is puzzling though. I’ll see if I can find out more. Where’s Joe? (Probably kind of busy I’ll bet)
Hey all,
Sorry but these graveyard shifts really screw up my schedule. As soon as I was able to roll out of bed @ 2:00, I went and did some logging. We just bought some land so I’m in the process of cutting/clearing for a road and where we’ll build our house. Anyway….
As Barbara said you shouldn’t need to have MJ open in order to use the Services option. I checked to make sure this wasn’t a beta version feature by downloading version 2.5 and it worked just fine (as Barbara also noted with her 2.1 version).
Carl, you might try the beta version as Mark suggested. Don’t know why that’d make a difference but you never know. Get it here <
http://homepage.mac.com/dschimpf/dev.html>.
MacJournal is a Services aware program so it should "just work". Did you install MJ in your Applications folder? You aren’t running it from the disk image are you?
This is perplexing indeed.
Joe
I had the same problem of not having Macjournal in the Safari>Services menu after I installed Macjournal v 2.5. Then I restarted my Mac and voila! There was Macjournal listed in the services menu. Simple solution…. now if I can find that taco….
Good point Edward. Carl have you rebooted?
Joe
Joe,
I did as Edward was smart enough to figure out and it also works for me.
Thanks
Carl
I would still appreciate a comparison of Macjournal with StickyBrain <
http://www.chronosnet.com/> if anyone can do so.
Thanks
Carl
