Completing the series on Caboodle 1.2, here's information from the updated Caboodle User Guide, describing the new Security preferences:

The Preferences window is displayed via the CaboodlePreferences... menu item. This is the Security page. It includes options for the encryption features.

Default password: This password is one that can be offered in the encryption and decryption sheets, if there isn't a password in the keychain for the entry, or a previously-entered password. It is therefore mainly useful when you launch Caboodle, if you don't store passwords in the keychain. This default password is also stored in the keychain, to keep it safe. There is no default password initially.

The following checkboxes are grouped by encrypting and decrypting, so you can have different behaviors for each if you prefer. These are evaluated in this order, so a keychain password takes priority over a previously entered one or the default password:

Offer the password saved in the keychain for this entry, if any: If this checkbox is selected, Caboodle will look in the keychain for a password previously used for this entry. If there is one, it will be offered in the encryption/decryption sheet. This is on by default.

Offer the password previously entered for any entry, if any: If selected, Caboodle will offer whatever password you most recently used for any entry. For example, if you encrypt an entry then select another entry and ask to encrypt it too, Caboodle will offer the same password as a suggestion. You can of course type another one if you wish. This defaults to on.

Offer the default password: This checkbox indicates that you want to be offered the default password, as entered above, if there isn't a password in the keychain or a previously entered password. This defaults to on.

Continuing the theme of using Caboodle User Guide pages as blog posts, here's the updated info about the encryption feature, which was significantly enhanced in version 1.2:

The Encrypt Entry sheet. This sheet slides out from the main editor window when you choose the FileEncrypt Entry... menu item, or the Encrypt toolbar button. This operation is only available when one entry is selected.

Enter a password or phrase to use to encrypt the entry, and enter it again to confirm that you typed it correctly. The password will not be shown. Make sure that you remember the password — there is no way to access your entry if you forget it!

You can check the Remember this password in my keychain box to have Caboodle store the entered password in your keychain. If it is in the keychain, and the keychain is unlocked, the password will be offered automatically when you come to view or decrypt the entry.

A default password can be offered from one of three sources: an existing keychain item (e.g. from when this entry was previously encrypted; from the most recently entered password for any entry (so you can easily use the same password for several entries); or a default password, as set in the Security preferences. If none of those is available, the fields are blank. Regardless, you can of course type a new password whenever desired.

Once an entry is encrypted, it displays with a lock instead of the content, and the menu item and toolbar button change to Decrypt:

When you choose the FileDecrypt Entry... menu item or the Decrypt toolbar button, the following sheet is displayed:

Here you have two options:

• You can click View to temporarily decrypt the entry for read-only viewing, while leaving it encrypted on disk. It will remain visible until you quit Caboodle.
• Or you can click Decrypt to fully decrypt it, so it can be edited. If you decrypt it, you'll have to encrypt it again after editing if you want to keep it encrypted on disk.

Simply enter the correct password (again it won't be shown), click View or Decrypt, and the entry will be re-displayed as it was before encryption. If you don't enter the correct password, it will give you three more attempts, though you can always cancel and re-try if necessary.

As with the encryption sheet, you can save the entered password in the keychain, and it offers a password from one of the three sources: keychain, previous entry, or default password. It only offers a password if it is correct, so you can just click a button without entering anything if one is offered.

If just viewing the entry, the icon will remain as a lock, the fields will be disabled, and a reminder will appear on the dates line:

I wrote the following for a new page of the Caboodle User Guide, but since nobody reads such guides :) I thought I'd post it to the Dejal Blog, too.

Caboodle is a versatile application, and a handy place for storing text, pictures, PDFs, and other kinds of documents.

The most obvious way to get stuff into Caboodle is to type text or paste content into an entry. Simply click the New Sibling toolbar button (or choose it from the File menu) to add a new entry a the same level as the selected one (or the top level if no selection), or the New Child option to create the new entry within the selected one. Read about the main Caboodle window for more information.

You can also drag documents into an entry. Create an entry as above, then press Tab to switch to another application or the Finder and begin dragging the document (e.g. an image from a web browser, or PDF from the Finder). While the mouse button is still held down, press Tab again to switch back to Caboodle, and drag into the text area. You then have a choice: you can copy the document into Caboodle, simply by releasing the mouse, or alias the original into Caboodle by holding the Control key while releasing the mouse button — the mouse pointer will change from a plus symbol to an alias symbol.

That sounds hard, but is actually really easy once you try it. But easy as that is, wouldn't it be nice if there were an even easier way to get stuff into Caboodle? You're in luck: we're not done yet!

Caboodle supports the Services menu, which is included in the application menu of most modern applications. Simply select some text in pretty much any application then choose the ServicesCaboodleAdd Entry with Selection command. Caboodle will be launched if it isn't already running, a new entry will be added, and the text will be inserted in that entry. What's more, the Subject will be set to the first few words of the first line of text. If the selected entry has child entries when using this function, the new entry will be a child of that one, otherwise it will be a sibling.

(It's worth pointing out here that there's a second command in the Services menu: Selection From Entry. This command does the reverse of the above: it inserts the text from the current entry in Caboodle into another application at the current selection.)

But wait, there's more. You can even drag text or images onto the Caboodle application icon in the Dock to quickly add them in the same way as for the Services feature.

Finally, if you need to get lots of data into Caboodle, you can import it.

Caboodle, my handy app to store and organize snippets of text, images, PDFs, and other information, has been updated to version 1.2.

This release has a focus on the encryption features, with several significant and much-requested enhancements.

Perhaps the most significant of those is the addition of an option to view an encrypted entry without decrypting it on disk. When displaying the decryption sheet, you now have a choice between fully decrypting as before, or viewing the entry without decrypting it on disk. It is decrypted as a read-only view, so you can see the text etc until you quit Caboodle — no need to re-encrypt when you're done.

Other welcome enhancements are support for saving passwords in the keychain, and the ability to have Caboodle offer the most recently entered password and/or a default password. Great time-savers, that make using the encryption features much easier.

This release also enhances the Services menu functions and when dropping text or images on Caboodle's Dock icon. Now it sets the Subject field based on the first line of text, and makes better decisions on where to add the entries.

No doubt many long-time users will be pleased to hear that this version also fixes a long-standing search indexing issue, too.

It also includes several other improvements and fixes; check out the release notes for full details.

One thing worth pointing out, for the 1% of people still on Mac OS X 10.3.9 (Panther): Caboodle now requires 10.4 (Tiger) as a minimum. So those people need to remain with version 1.1.4 until they're ready to upgrade their OS. (I've put a link to that version on the Caboodle product page, just in case.)

Download Caboodle 1.2 now!

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What's more, Caboodle, my handy app to keep snippets of text, images, PDFs, etc organized, and Narrator, my fun app to speak text in multiple voices, are also still available via MacUpdate Promo special deals, for a limited time:

• 33% off Simon Basic
• 30% off Caboodle
• 30% off Narrator

Caboodle has been updated with some much-requested new features!

• Added a View button to the decryption sheet. If clicked, the entry is temporarily decrypted and displayed read-only until you quit, but remains encrypted on disk, so the next time you use Caboodle it will still be encrypted. To edit the entry or keep it decrypted, click the Decrypt button instead.
• Added a checkbox to the encryption and decryption sheets to enable saving the entered password in the keychain. The state of the checkbox is remembered automatically.
• Added a new Security preference page, where you can specify a default password to use for encrypting and decrypting entries, and options of whether to use that, the keychain, the previously-entered password, or nothing when encrypting and decrypting. The default password is stored in the keychain, for security.
• When displaying the encryption sheet, if there is a password for this entry in the keychain (i.e. it had previously been encrypted and the password saved), it is defaulted into the password fields. Otherwise if you've previously entered a password or any entry, it is offered instead. Otherwise if there is a default password specified in the preferences, it is suggested. The source of the password is indicated below the fields. These are all dependent on the preferences. You can of course replace the suggestion with a new password, if desired.
• Similarly when decrypting, it will pre-populate with the keychain, last-entered, or default password, if available and valid. It only offers the password if it is correct, so you can just click the View or Decrypt buttons without typing anything.
• Using the ServicesCaboodleAdd Entry with Selection command, or dropping text on Caboodle's Dock icon, will now set the Subject to the first few words of the first line of text. Also improved the entry creation decision: if the selected entry has child entries when using these functions, the new entry will be a child of that one, otherwise it will be a sibling.
• Now correctly indexes new text, instead of requiring a re-launch before it is available for searches.
• Fixed a crasher when adding a new entry if displaying the search results.
• Fixed a crasher when using the New Sibling button with no selection.
• Fixed an issue with the Preferences window, where edits might not be saved when quitting with the window still open (specifically when an edit is still active).
• Fixed a cosmetic bug with the Check for Updates feature when using a general release and wanting only general releases, and a beta release is available.
• Updated the built-in Kagi purchasing tool to the latest version, which fixes some issues with Leopard.
• Caboodle now requires Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or later.

Download Caboodle 1.2b1 now!

The Mac Bundle Box collection of 15 great applications is now available!

The bundle includes my own Caboodle and Narrator, plus 13 more excellent applications from other independent developers, for the low price of $49.95 total. Save hundreds of dollars over the cost of buying them separately! My two apps are together worth $35, so If there are even just one or two other apps in the bundle that you want, you'll be saving lots of money.

Visit the Mac Bundle Box site to take advantage of this great deal, while it lasts!

Coming on August 1st:

A bundle of 15 great applications, including my own Caboodle and Narrator, for only $49.95 total.

Get a sneak peek at the contents via Chris Pirillo:

Visit the Mac Bundle Box site to sign up to be notified when it's available, or come back in a couple of days!

Caboodle is my handy snippet keeping app: as a blogger wrote recently: "Lean, clean, snippet machine to store information on your Mac."

One of the essential features of any snippet keeper is getting information into it, and Caboodle has a number of options, including direct entry, imports, and a handy Services menu command. This sub-menu is found within the application menu of modern Mac apps, and includes useful operations you can perform on selected text using external applications.

If you want to add some text to Caboodle from a web browser, word processor, text editor, or just about anywhere, you can simply select the desired text and choose Services Caboodle Add Entry with Selection. Caboodle will be launched, if necessary, and the selected text will be added to a new entry.

If you do this a lot, you might find it more convenient to assign a keyboard equivalent to the command. To do so, follow these simple steps to add the equivalent of your choice to the Add Entry with Selection command:

1. Open the Keyboard & Mouse system preferences.
2. Go to the Keyboard Shortcuts tab.
3. Click the "+" below the list.
4. Select Application: All Applications.
5. Type Menu Title Add Entry with Selection (exact wording and case is important).
6. Press Keyboard Shortcut Cmd-Option-Ctrl-C (or a shortcut of your choosing).
7. Click Add.
8. Launch a new application that supports Services.
9. Select some text, press Cmd-Option-Ctrl-C, and it appears as a new entry in Caboodle.

Note: the new keyboard shortcut won't show up in applications that are already running until after you quit and re-launch them.

Caboodle version 1.1.4 is now available.

This release includes some important bug fixes and improvements:

• The state of the Check Spelling While Typing menu item is now remembered across launches, so you can turn it off if you don't want it.
• Fixed a bug where new child entries might not inherit a newly added icon or custom fields.
• Fixed a bug with exporting, where a "/" in an entry Subject could cause the export to not work as expected.
• Updated the built-in Kagi purchasing tool to the latest version, which fixes some issues with Leopard.
• Switched the distribution method to ZIP archives instead of disk images, as it's simpler for everyone. Feedback welcome!

Download now!