NetStumbler 0.4 Helper

goldfndr · 01-02-2007

Attached is an HTML Application intended for running different (or multiple) configurations of NetStumbler. For example, if sometimes you wimp out with a D-Link and a DigiTraveler GPS, and other times you are allowed the privilege of a supported ORiNOCO and a SiRFstar III-based USB or Bluetooth GPS.

Instructions: Simply rename it to ns04helper.hta (or nearly any other name ending with .hta) and double click it. Configure NetStumbler as desired, then use the Helper to Capture it. Configure differently, and Capture again. Then Load at any time.

There is (as of the initial offering) one configuration item: the number of Profiles to keep. Change as needed. One could argue that the icon location (4th line) is also somewhat configurable - I just hardcoded the path to where netstumbler.exe is stored by default.

Configuration settings are stored in the registry as siblings of the normal NetStumbler settings, but with the configuration number as a prefix. In the initial release, it's only storing Device, Script, and GPS info, but more could be added.

Currently, it only executes NetStumbler.exe, but other possibilities could be added (e.g. XPort3 or GPSGate or MapPoint or Roadnav). If you'd find that useful, please post a sample GUI mockup.

Send feedback, and enjoy!
Newsflash: see last post! (I'll edit this later.)

ben_b · 03-26-2007

Nice script! Do you think it could remember "New document starts scanning" and "Reconfigure card automatically" settings?

goldfndr · 06-02-2007

At long last, I have what I think is a stable update of this helper. It adds the following features:

"New document starts scanning" and "Reconfigure card automatically", per request.
Shortens the names of your network devices -- instead of showing "Intel(R) Pro/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection", it shows a cleaner "Intel(R) PRO/3945ABG". Also cuts out "USB" and "Adapter".
For anything in the folder where NetStumbler is installed, the path is shortened to "<NS>". Again, easier to read.
There are two georeferencing possiblities:
- If you have HarddiskOgg and Wizmo, this will add a GeoReferencing button.
- If you have Audacity and AutoHotKey, you can use my Georef.ahk script and that will add a GeoReferencing button.
If a GeoReferencing button is visible, and at least one active script has UseDiGLE=true, a table will be displayed showing coordinates. If there's movement, the table will be green with yellow letters. If still, the table will be red with black letters.
There are a couple of caveats based on method:
- Audacity won't take a filename to save, so it's a bit slow to stop. And it uses the full GPS coordinates from the registry as populated by UseDiGLE (or equivalent), so the filenames will be variable length.
- HarddiskOgg has a long startup time -- on my laptop, it seems about one second. So, after you press the button, be sure to wait one second for the recording to start.
Both buttons will mute the sound, so even if you have four or five devices playing MIDI going along with some music on a media player, all will be silenced to ensure a clean recording. An external microphone and a neutered ball mouse may be preferable.
What is this for? So that, along with contributing tracks to OpenStreetMap (or elsewhere), you can also use your laptop as a sound recorder to note what the nodes are -- a few seconds will be recorded, and the recording's filename will include the GPS coordinates. Note that looking at a laptop's display may be illegal in some jurisdictions. If there's a more appropriate term than georeferencing, please post it.
Accelerator keys have been added -- look for the underlines and use Alt.
Buttons have been rearranged for utility. If you've started NetStumbler, you can shrink the window and still have access to the important stuff.
The default icon is now the NetStumbler uninstaller (uninst.exe), to make it more obvious in the task bar. If you don't have NetStumbler installed in the default location, that icon won't appear, but feel free to edit it -- sadly, HTAs don't seem to offer an ability to dynamically change their icon's location (the HTA:APPLICATION's ICON attribute).
If an action button is pressed, the button will be disabled for a short time to prevent conflicts (e.g. NetStumbler uses the time down to seconds for a filename).

That's all I can think of, but there might be more.

For the next version, I'm hoping to retain the name of the EXE and NS it uses, so that if it crashes, it can resume with the same .NS file.

06-02-2007	#3 (permalink)
goldfndr Knight Tooth Puller Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Bellevue, WA, USA Posts: 182	At long last, I have what I think is a stable update of this helper. It adds the following features: "New document starts scanning" and "Reconfigure card automatically", per request. Shortens the names of your network devices -- instead of showing "Intel(R) Pro/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection", it shows a cleaner "Intel(R) PRO/3945ABG". Also cuts out "USB" and "Adapter". For anything in the folder where NetStumbler is installed, the path is shortened to "<NS>". Again, easier to read. There are two georeferencing possiblities: If you have HarddiskOgg and Wizmo, this will add a GeoReferencing button. If you have Audacity and AutoHotKey, you can use my Georef.ahk script and that will add a GeoReferencing button. If a GeoReferencing button is visible, and at least one active script has UseDiGLE=true, a table will be displayed showing coordinates. If there's movement, the table will be green with yellow letters. If still, the table will be red with black letters. There are a couple of caveats based on method: Audacity won't take a filename to save, so it's a bit slow to stop. And it uses the full GPS coordinates from the registry as populated by UseDiGLE (or equivalent), so the filenames will be variable length. HarddiskOgg has a long startup time -- on my laptop, it seems about one second. So, after you press the button, be sure to wait one second for the recording to start. Both buttons will mute the sound, so even if you have four or five devices playing MIDI going along with some music on a media player, all will be silenced to ensure a clean recording. An external microphone and a neutered ball mouse may be preferable. What is this for? So that, along with contributing tracks to OpenStreetMap (or elsewhere), you can also use your laptop as a sound recorder to note what the nodes are -- a few seconds will be recorded, and the recording's filename will include the GPS coordinates. Note that looking at a laptop's display may be illegal in some jurisdictions. If there's a more appropriate term than georeferencing, please post it. Accelerator keys have been added -- look for the underlines and use Alt. Buttons have been rearranged for utility. If you've started NetStumbler, you can shrink the window and still have access to the important stuff. The default icon is now the NetStumbler uninstaller (uninst.exe), to make it more obvious in the task bar. If you don't have NetStumbler installed in the default location, that icon won't appear, but feel free to edit it -- sadly, HTAs don't seem to offer an ability to dynamically change their icon's location (the HTA:APPLICATION's ICON attribute). If an action button is pressed, the button will be disabled for a short time to prevent conflicts (e.g. NetStumbler uses the time down to seconds for a filename). That's all I can think of, but there might be more. For the next version, I'm hoping to retain the name of the EXE and NS it uses, so that if it crashes, it can resume with the same .NS file. __________________ For quickest response, catch me on IRC: #wigle Last edited by goldfndr : 06-02-2007 at 03:31 AM. Reason: Cleanup

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03-26-2007	#2 (permalink)
ben_b Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 5	Nice script! Do you think it could remember "New document starts scanning" and "Reconfigure card automatically" settings?