Re: MAC Address Detecting Menubar App

FROM : Jordan Chark
DATE : Mon Nov 19 22:46:57 2007

Thanks for the lengthy answer. :)

To answer your first question, I'm sorta asking how to create an extra 
menu/status item which will change icons based on the presence of a 
computer detecting using Bonjour. Well, specifically, I'm looking to 
create a very simple application, which would show one icon when a 
certain computer is on the network, and show another when it's not. In 
terms of polling, Bonjour would probably be a better option. The 
computer I'm looking to detect is also a Mac, which is probably easier 
to accomplish as on PCs I was thinking some client-side software may 
be needed (unless it'd be done with Samba).

The main reason I emailed this list, is that I did plenty of reading, 
and got into that scary gotcha business, and thought maybe you guys 
could help out. Even though this has taken a bit of a different 
direction now, I'd really appreciate some guidance in relation to 
creating this app. Also, even though I am quite the n00b, don't be 
afraid to throw some terminology/code my way- I've done my fair share 
of reading/practice.

On Nov 19, 2007, at 1:26 PM, I. Savant wrote:

>> I'm fairly new to Cocoa, so I'll try not to sound like too much of a
>> n00b here, but... I'd like to build a menubar application which will
>> change icons dependent upon whether a certain MAC address is present
>> on the local network. So far, I've assembled SystemUIPlugin and
>> MenuExtraView Classes, but I'm not sure where to proceed from here.

>
>  The only thing "n00b" is the clarity of your question. The rest is
> perfectly valid. ;-)
>
>  Specifically, are you asking a) how to create a menu extra / status
> item, or b) how to detect the presence of a MAC address?
>
>  Regarding "a", there are *lots* of sources (including this list's
> archives), so if you run into trouble, ask a specific question,
> otherwise, read, read, read.
>
>  Regarding "b", I've never done this, but it seems you'd have to
> resort to 'polling' (repeatedly checking for something at regular
> intervals). Polling generates a lot of unnecessary overhead (in the
> case of a network, traffic). So ... that begs the question: what are
> you really trying to accomplish (in general)?
>
>  If you want to detect a certain computer, you might look into
> Bonjour services. If you know other computers will be running your
> software, just announce via Bonjour.
>
>  If on the other hand, you want to simply see if *any* computer
> (regardless of type, or software it's running), you're getting into
> some pretty involved stuff with a lot of "gotcha's" and sharp teeth
> for a beginner.
>
>  With that in mind, you might want to clarify your post by clearly
> stating your specific goal and specific questions you have *after*
> reading all available material you can find on the two subjects you
> raised. Come with specific questions and you'll get specific answers.
> ;-)
>
> --
> I.S.