Sandboxing, and opening [label](file://...) urls?

WriteRoom
1

If, in WriteRoom 4.0 Preview (415), I try to open ( ⌘:right_arrow_curving_left: ) a markdown link to a local file:// url, I get two message alert boxes.

  • Finder icon: The application “WriteRoom” does not have permission to open “01_Intro.indd”.
  • Transparent box: The link “file:///Users/…/01_Intro.indd” couldn’t be opened. No application is available to open it

I can open the same link in Bike 2 (Preview) 311 as long as an enclosing folder has been added to the Settings > Sandbox Extended Sandbox Folders list.

Might there be any way of securing permission to follow local file links, to files within particular folders, from WriteRoom 4.0 ?

2

In the meanwhile, FWIW, I find that I can open either:

  1. the nearest markdown [label](url) string to the text cursor (if the cursor is collapsed), or
  2. all urls in all lines containing the selection (if the selection is extended)

by assigning ⌘:right_arrow_curving_left: to the following Keyboard Maestro macro, which uses:

  • The writeroom CLI (WriteRoom > Install Command Line Tool...)
  • jaq to process json from the CLI with the jq language
  • xargs to pass any harvested urls to the command line’s open command.

Open URL(s) in selected WriteRoom 4.0 Preview (415) line(s).kmmacros.zip (2.1 KB)

Expand disclosure triangle to view script source 
{
  $KMVAR_local_WRCLI get document -o json
  $KMVAR_local_WRCLI get selection -o json
} | $KMVAR_local_JAQ -r -s '
  .[0].text as $doc |
  .[1].start as $start |
  .[1].end as $end |
  
  ($doc[0:$start] | rindex("\n") // -1) + 1 as $line_start |
  ($doc[$end:] | index("\n") // length) as $rem |
  ($end + $rem) as $line_end |
  
  $doc[$line_start:$line_end] as $block |
  
  if $start == $end then
    ($start - $line_start) as $cursor |
    $block | [match("\\[[^\\]]*\\]\\(([^)]+)\\)"; "g")] |
    if length > 0 then
      map(
        .offset as $o | 
        (.offset + .length) as $e |
        (
          if $cursor >= $o and $cursor < $e then 0
          elif $cursor < $o then $o - $cursor
          else $cursor - ($e - 1) end
        ) as $dist |
        {url: .captures[0].string, dist: $dist}
      ) | sort_by(.dist)[0].url
    else
      empty
    end
  else
    $block | [match("\\[[^\\]]*\\]\\(([^)]+)\\)"; "g")][] | .captures[0].string
  end
'  | xargs open

Slightly Rube Goldberg or Heath Robinson approach, which sometimes means I have just missed a much simpler permission switch :slight_smile:

1 Like
3

I will looking to fixing the multiple alert boxes first, clearly that can be improved. I’m less sure about Bike’s extend sandbox solution at this stage… it would work, but seems a hack.

I think maybe the long term “clean” solution is a multi-file workspace. Then WriteRoom opens the containing folder and links within workspace open automatically. Of course problem is that isn’t going to get implemented for a while.

1 Like
4

Latest release fixes this up I think. It reveals the file in the finder when it can’t open it directly. For direct open your Keyboard Maestro solution is still needed, but this is at least a much better experience then before I think.

1 Like
5

Thank you – and quick response !

One tiny edge detail – not sure if it’s by design, or just an off-by-one index issue:

  • If the cursor is selecting the final ) of a markdown link string, the contained url is opened as expected, but
  • if the cursor is selecting the initial [, then the opening doesn’t happen – the cursor first needs to be moved one more position to the right.
6

PS I’ve updated (above) the Keyboard Maestro macro for direct opening in an application.

It now aims to open, in the relevant application, either:

  1. the url of the nearest markdown [label](url) string to the text cursor (if the cursor is collapsed), or
  2. all urls in all lines containing any part of the selection (if the selection is extended).