Hook 3.2 Public beta is now available for testing!
Executive Summary
Hook 3.2 introduces a new syncing option, iCloud syncing, for compatibility with the upcoming Hook companion app for iPhone and iPad. That is the main area of testing for this release.
Hot on the heals of Pinboard integration, Hook 3.2 adds significant new integration with the Instapaper bookmarking service.
Hook 3.2 also introduces other significant features, such asCopy Selection and Link, choose your own Hook folder, Open All Hooked Items and ⌃H to invoke Hook.
Please also note:
we’ve moved the Gear button back down to the status bar.
the first time you launch this version of Hook, Hook’s initialization period might be slow due to Hook updating its internal database. Please let Hook startup instead of force quitting it.
Public BETA guidelines
Before installing beta software please make sure you back up Hook data.
To give us feedback about Hook 3.2 BETA please email us at support@cogsciapps.com, “Hook 3.2 BETA” in the subject header and the build number in the message.
Thank you to everyone who gave us feedback towards this new version of Hook. I’m sure your fellow Hook users will appreciate the new functionality.
Thank you to
Frank Blome and team at ProjectWizards for multiple communications towards integration between Merlin Project and Hook, and adding an AppleScript API for linking.
Ngoc Luu developer of GoodLinks app for multiple discussions towards integration between GoodLinks and Hook, including their linking. and adding an x-callback-url API for linking.
Michael Simmons and team at Flexibits for multiple communications towards integration between Fantastical Hook, and adding an AppleScript to Fantastical API for linking.
Yes there are technical reasons, unfortunately. We’ll support more apps in the future, though. And we’ll say a bit more about it. Lots of documentation to update for Hook 3.2…
As noted in release notes, the new Copy Selection and Link feature is currently off by default. There’s a hidden preference mentioned in the release notes.
For this feature (when enabled), Hook needs to temporarily grab the clipboard when it is invoked but before it presents the contextual window. If the user uses the command, then obviously Hook puts the quote in the clipboard. Either way, when the Hook window closes, Hook drops the information from itself.
Also, enabling this feature may have a performance implication.
If you, the reader, use this feature please let us know how it goes.
Will the Hook iOS companion app be made available for testing via TestFlight and, if so, is there a way for us to sign-up to indicate interest? Thank you for all that the CogSci team does to promote efficient workflows!
Here are my outlandish thoughts. The big drawback about mem.ai is that everything happens on servers. The beauty of Hook is that it is all local. I wonder with the brilliance of your software how difficult it would be to turn Hook into an app that would replicate what Mem.ai is doing, completely locally.
This could be a super premium functionality. Needless to say, I would be willing to pay for this and I would expect others as well. We are gradually moving towards much more distributed internet (Web 3.0) where we will be working more peer-to-peer. See also: Web 3.0: The decentralised web promises to make the internet free again
So cloud based apps, unless they adapt will be under pressure. You could ride this wave I think. And companies like Mem have raised money in the millions. If only you would have some funding - you could hire some software wizards who could replicate Mem’s Spotlight functionality using what Hook already is and beyond It is after all, in essence, a linking functionality. And linking is kind of in fashion with new bidirectional note apps seeing the light of day. But your app transcends that because you can link across apps.
I am curious about what you think of this. (Mem.ai is still in beta, but I can send you an invite via your email address which may be useful for you to study the app.). They have a nice implementation of a timeline, yet it is sad that it all happens in the cloud. Which is not safe and will increasingly be more unsafe with the cyberwars heating up. There is a case here for local linking - I like to see Hook doing that for me! The future is local and distributed and Hook could really be central to all this.
I just switched this on via the Terminal and tested it using Preview and a selection I made in the pdf. I worked as expected. Very neat. It would be great if this would work also on websites etc. But I understand this is still experimental, so I will be patient. So far so good.
@haberjr - you bring up a wonderful point regarding Mem Spotlight, as I have had the same thoughts regarding the similarities between the vision of Mem and Hook’s present implementation.
We have added support for adding bookmarks automatically to GoodLinks, pending the release of GoodLinks with the API. This is similar to the integration with Pinboard SaaS and Instapaper SaaS, except of course GoodLinks is an app. The app is available on iPhone and iPad, so this is yet another way to get your web bookmarks on iPhone/iPad even before we release our own iPhone/iPad companion to Hook.
Also the latest app integrations are in this public beta. We’ve updated the release notes..
The public beta has been without incident so we expect to release Hook 3.2 officially very soon (knock on any wood that has survived the fires ravaging our province [BC).)
Per release notes, GoodLinks version 1.3.1+ required for Hook to auto-add bookmarks to it — that is the version that has an API for adding bookmarks. Thanks to Ngoc Luu for adding that to GoodLinks for Hook users.
Hook 3.2 Public Beta 3 is available. Beta 3 prevents the GoodLinks AppleScript chooser from appearing. Link and bookmarks for Apple Books now include author and year of pub.
In this version Copy Selection and Link is enabled by default for compatible apps. moreover, Hook does not read from the clipboard for this command.
Is there a way for the new Hook/GoodLinks integration to automatically add a GoodLinks tag, in a similar way to the existing Pin integration? GoodLinks has excellent Tag support.
.