Flash Screen

Question

Flash Screen

I am looking to replicate the flash screen alert option as found in the System Prefs > Universal Access "Hearing" pane but can't figure it out. I did find a script that will press the keyboard combo to invert the colors and back...

tell application "System Events" to repeat 2 times
key code 28 using {command down, control down, option down}
delay 0
end repeat

...but that's not the effect I'm looking for. Any ideas? I did also find a cocoa command called FlashMenuBar ( http://cocoadev.com/index.pl?FlashScreen ) but I'm not sure if this is something that can be called via Applescript.

Any ideas? I don't want to UI script the pref pane to click the flash screen button. I'd like it to be a standalone app.

Thanks,
Matt

Powerbook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Posted on Jan 25, 2007 10:10 AM

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Answer 1

kel

Level 3

850 points

Jan 25, 2007 1:22 PM in response to Matt Binkowski

Hi Matt,

Open your user Library:Sounds: folder and create a new folder in there and name it flashscreen.aiff. Open System Preferences and select that folder as your alert sound. Now 'beep 1' will flash the screen.

gl,

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Answer 2

Jan 25, 2007 1:50 PM in response to kel

Hi kel,

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I'm not looking to generate an error to trigger the flash screen effect. I want to set the flash off via AppleScript.

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Answer 3

Hiroto

Level 5

7,467 points

Jan 26, 2007 7:51 AM in response to Matt Binkowski

Hello

Try something like this.
Not tested, though.

Cheers
H

-- SCRIPT
do shell script ("perl -e 'use Mac::Menus; FlashMenuBar(0); FlashMenuBar(0);'")
-- END OF SCRIPT

Mac OS 9.1.x

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Answer 4

Jan 26, 2007 10:36 AM in response to Hiroto

I tried it but it doesn't work. Can you explain the script?

This is the error when run:

Can't locate Mac/Menus.pm in @INC (@INC contains: /System/Library/Perl/5.8.6/darwin-thread-multi-2level /System/Library/Perl/5.8.6 /Library/Perl/5.8.6/darwin-thread-multi-2level /Library/Perl/5.8.6 /Library/Perl /Network/Library/Perl/5.8.6/darwin-thread-multi-2level /Network/Library/Perl/5.8.6 /Network/Library/Perl /System/Library/Perl/Extras/5.8.6/darwin-thread-multi-2level /System/Library/Perl/Extras/5.8.6 /Library/Perl/5.8.1 .) at -e line 1.
BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at -e line 1.

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Answer 5

Cyclosaurus

Level 6

12,915 points

Jan 26, 2007 8:13 PM in response to Matt Binkowski

The other alternative is getting 'Salling Clicker' from:
http://www.salling.com/
Within 'Salling Clicker' (package contents) is a app call 'SEC Helper', 'SEC Helper' can flash a message on the screen (very nonintrusive), you can specify the message and the duration of the display.

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Answer 6

Hiroto

Level 5

7,467 points

Jan 26, 2007 8:25 PM in response to Matt Binkowski

Oops.

The error message means Perl compilation failed because the specified Perl module Mac::Menus could not be found...
The posted Perl code works fine with MacPerl 5.6.1r2 under OS9.1. However, it seems it won't work under OSX.

(The Perl code simply invokes MacOS's Toolbox function 'FlashMenuBar(0)' twice in sequence, as explained in:
Toolbox Essentials >...> FlashMenuBar

or in Carbon Menu Manager Reference (pp. 52-53 of pdf):
MenuManager/menu_managerref.pdf
Menu_Manager/index.html
)

---
As far as I've searched briefly, this route via Perl (currently) won't lead you to the goal under OSX. Although there exists a Mac::Carbon module in CPAN, Menu Manager routines seem not implemented (yet).

cf.
perlmacosx.1.html
perlmacos.1.html

http://www.cpan.org/
http://search.cpan.org/modlist/OperatingSystemInterfaces/Mac
http://search.cpan.org/~cnandor/Mac-Carbon-0.77/Carbon.pm

Sorry for my wrong pointer.
Hiroto

Mac OS 9.1.x

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Answer 7

Hiroto

Level 5

7,467 points

Jan 26, 2007 9:40 PM in response to Hiroto

Hello,

You may try something like this also.
(Not tested either, for I don't use OSX for myself. But similar scripts work just fine under OS9.)

Good luck,
H

-- SCRIPT1
set volume output muted true
beep 1
set volume output muted false
-- END OF SCRIPT1

-- SCRIPT2
set _m to output muted of (get volume settings)
set volume output muted true
beep 1
--set volume output muted false
set volume output muted _m -- restore the original
-- END OF SCRIPT2

Mac OS 9.1.x

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