From The Tips Box: Security Vulnerabilities, Windows Library Search

Readers offer their best tips on keeping track of security holes in apps, using advance search filters in Windows 7 libraries, and an autohotkey script for cancelling operations.

About the Tips Box: Every day we receive boatloads of great reader tips in our inbox, but for various reasons — maybe they’re a bit too niche, maybe we couldn’t find a good way to present it, or maybe we just couldn’t fit it in — the tip didn’t make the front page. From the Tips Box is where we round up some of our favourites for your buffet-style consumption. Email it to tips at lifehacker.com.au.

Keep Track of Your Favourite Programs’ Security Issues

Mrjeremiahross shares a resource for keeping track of security holes in your favourite apps:

I didn’t consider this a tip until I realised that many comments on this site are the “x sucks because they are unsecure; my platform is much better”.

Every week, the US Cyber Security Alert System releases a report on recent security issues. This week’s is here.

You can sign up for the mailer and RSS here.

There’s not necessarily anything you can do about these holes, and it’s unlikely certain programs will ever be completely free of all vulnerabilities, but it’s a good resource if it’s something you’re interested in.

Get Advanced Search Filters Through Windows 7’s Libraries

Java-Princess lets us know of a few extra Libraries advantages you may not have known about:

When you’re searching in Windows 7 you might not know that if you start your search from a library folder (available in the left panel if enabled) in Windows Explorer and head over to the search box you get a whole bunch of extra search filters than the usual Date Modified and Size. These filters change depending on what you’re looking for – music, videos, documents etc. This makes searching for your stuff a lot easier.

Also, available only through the libraries is the Arrange By combo box. For example—if you go to your Pictures library you may see a screen full of folders—how the hell do you find the pic you’re looking for without checking each subfolder by opening it? Well, when a library is selected Arrange by is available in the top right of the Explorer panel as a combo box and lets you display the contents in other ways than by Folder, the default. For example selecting Day will sort, and display your pics in date order. This is cool.

Cancel a Number of Operations with the Esc Key and an AutoHotkey Script

Photo by Charles Dyer.

PrairieMoon shares another neat AutoHotkey script, turning the Esc key into a “master quit” key:

I’ve been using this ahk script as well. It wasn’t my idea. I found it at an AHK forum and changed it a tiny bit.

Hold down ESC long enough, say 2/3 of a second, and you’re out of just about anything…. windows, folders, apps, tabs, though NOT app tabs or “pinned” tabs…those ones don’t close with such a script as this. Probably there is a tweak for that however.

It worked okay in FF3-4 and Chrome (Canary build) and various folders, applications, dialogs, and most anything else that does or doesn’t allow an easy way out.

Also, take care if you have your browser tweaked to close with the last tab. You may not want to close out entirely. In FF, that can be taken care of quickly. But I haven’t yet looked for the tweak to make it stop happening in Canary.

I suppose you could opt for an outright ESC with the tap of a key, but I thought that was too abrupt and inconvenient, in folders e.g.

Last, you can trip off an audio file at the end, or not. Change message.wav to whatever. Or leave it commented out.

#NoEnv

SendMode Input

SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%

; close a folder or app or tab by holding down ESC

$esc::

settimer, click, -650 ; 0.65 seconds

WinGetTitle, Title, A

KeyDown:=A_TickCount

Keywait Esc

if (A_TickCount-KeyDown > 650)

{

If title contains Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome

send, ^w

Else

winclose, %title%

}

Else

{

send {escape}

settimer,click, off

}

Return

click:

; SoundPlay, message.wav

return

Use Old Prescription Bottles to Hold Collar Stays

Photo by Charles Williams.

Dealmaker7883 shares a quick way to organise your collar stays:

Repurpose an old prescription bottle by using it to store collar stays. I keep one bottle in my dopp kit while travelling and another in my desk drawer at work. This method of storage helps keep the stays in pairs, and from scattering throughout other belongings.