How to search in external apps like Yojimbo?

[ministry]

Hi,

I use LaunchBar also to search for files, etc on my disk but I can't search in metadata of other applications like Yojimbo. Especially this app I would like to search in. I can do it with Spotlight but I prefer LaunchBar.

Does someone knows how to do this?

Thanks!
Ministry

[beerich]

Yojimbo is driven by a simple sql database called SQLite. There's no way of reaching into apps like that because their tables are encrypted.

[egrieco]

Yojimbo is driven by a simple sql database called SQLite. There's no way of reaching into apps like that because their tables are encrypted.

That doesn't sound quite right.

Yojimbo makes use of Apple's Core Data API ( http://developer.apple.com/business/mac ... jimbo.html ). Individual items can be encrypted within Yojimbo but the data store on disk is not encrypted. You do, however, need the schema for that app to be able to read its data store.

More info about Core Data:
http://developer.apple.com/macosx/coredata.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Core_Data

[beerich]

The encryption is before the file level. If you have a schema, that is one thing, but all you see if encrypted text inside SQLite.

[joshuakaufman]

I've been wondering this forever as well. And I don't buy that there's no way of reaching into Yojimbo; Quicksilver somehow managed to do it, so Launchbar should be able to do it as well, right?

[beerich]

Perhaps, if LB has all the necessary security information, schema, SQL structure, to get into the database as a normal client. SQLite has a remedial security layer, so it would have to adopt Yojimbo's account and behave like Yojimbo.

[ludwigschubert]

I've sent an extensive Feature Request to Objective Development about this.
I can get pretty close with the tools that come with LaunchBar, but ultimately we need Objective Development's assistance on this.
I get all the Yojimbo entries in my index, but they don't display the correct name; we can only leave that to Objective Development.

I'll write here again when I get an answer.
Meanwhile we could think about exiting ways to integrate Yojimbo; the better ideas we can present, the more likely it is for Objective Development to spent their valuable development time on such a feature.

We should also consider moving this discussion over to the main forum, as this no longer deals with "LaunchBar Search Templates".

regards,
Ludwig

EDIT: To explain a little: Objective Development does not need to read Yojimbos SQL Database, as Yojimbo exports third-party-readable copies of everything. Even Spotlight uses those. You can find them at ~/Library/Caches/Metadata/com.barebones.yojimbo .

[beerich]

OK, but that would be a security risk on the Yojimbo side, as encrypted records are encrypted for a reason. The quick ability to just export, also means it's an export, and that LB would only see the export. As with all databases, data decays over time, and you'd have to export relevant records before LB could scan them.

The optimal thing would have Yojimbo provide a gateway for LB to see into records, including encrypted ones. This would provide not only a live database (scanning sensitive to file mod dates), but also get around encryption which only Yojimbo would house the key.

[ludwigschubert]

OK, but that would be a security risk on the Yojimbo side, as encrypted records are encrypted for a reason. The quick ability to just export, also means it's an export, and that LB would only see the export. As with all databases, data decays over time, and you'd have to export relevant records before LB could scan them.

You don't have to do it. Yojimbo does it automatically, so Spotlight can index Yojimbo's database. It's a feature of yojimbo. It's not a "security risk" as these "exports" are only aliases into Yojimbo. Maybe I should have chosen my words more careful.

The optimal thing would have Yojimbo provide a gateway for LB to see into records, including encrypted ones. This would provide not only a live database (scanning sensitive to file mod dates), but also get around encryption which only Yojimbo would house the key.

That's exactly what it does. Only, as of now, LaunchBar doesn't read it the right way, so we can't see the names of the items.

Please go and have a look at ~/Library/Caches/Metadata/com.barebones.yojimbo as I suggested. You'll understand then.

[beerich]

No that's not exactly what it does. I just tested mine. My encrypted entries are just that, and remain in the database. That is the reason WHY they are encrypted. Do you not understand encryption?

Why would Yojimbo export encrypted records into plain view? That doesn't make sense at all. Encryption is for keeping items hidden behind security. Automatically exporting that encrypted data into plain view, regardless of location, is just killing the whole reason it's encrypted to begin with.

So...in order to see these records in LB, you'll have to decrypt the records, and only Yojimbo has the key.

[ludwigschubert]

Oh Dear.
Let's drop the word "export". That was bad wording by me.

Yojimbo provides aliases to it's database items, which contain the items name and tags and some other metadata.
For me it would be enough to search these Yojimbo items by name and tag.
LaunchBar could to this, if it read the metadata in those aliases.

Then one could find an entry in LaunchBar and open it via pressing enter.
It would launch Yojimbo and open the item. If it was encrypted, then Yojimbo would prompt you for the password.

You are right, in order to see (=read) the encrypted entries you have to decrypt them. But the names and tags are accesible by third party applications as I described.

I think that sufficient integration would be the ability to search Yojimbo entries by name and tags. Then open them in Yojimbo.

If there's any unclear in my explanation I'm happy to further elaborate it.
But please let's try to find actual value and ideas in this forum, not tell each other what concepts we supposedly don't understand.

[beerich]

Yes, but not the encrypted data fields. They are conveniently left out in the XML. Other records show all information.

Names and tags are only part of the information. That's where the limitation comes in.

[ludwigschubert]

OK, now we're talking

But as far as I know Yojimbo itself doesn't search the contents of the encrypted items due to this limitation. (Just tried it)

[beerich]

It should, as it's fair game. It should just add the search into its own procedure using the key, and add them to the hitlist.

[beerich]

Actually that might be an oversight...they might have chosen not to do this as it would have revealed records with certain information, creating somewhat of a boolean response to secure records. You could flush out credit card numbers using this system.