commander - Pescados Software

About "commander"
commander could be understood as a plugin for your mail client, which will read some special messages containing orders and will return a result to the sender in another email. I find it useful, eg, when I'm on hollidays and suddenly I need some info from my desk. I look for a computer, send an email to commander, and get back that document I need or an address in my address book, or info about something I keep in a database. I also use it as Info Center, where users in a network or company can request info or execute actions simply sending emails to a mail address (eg, create a PDF given a document, or add an entry to a TODO list).

commander should be used and setup by particulars or system administrators who need some kind of automated functions via email in a remote machine. While some times you can connect to the remote machine via FTP, ssh or whatever, and also I could setup commander as a standalone semi-mail-client, I've found more easy for the medium end-user get his/her things done writing a simple email, and waiting for the answer some seconds later (depending on the task). On the "admin" side (the folk who installs commander), it's also very easy the setup, as it uses the user's regular environment and (s)he won't have extra applications lurking for RAM nor depending on the next OS update.

- "commander" is a compiled applescript.
- You can use "commander" only from a rule/filter in your email client.
- "commander" supports Mail and Entourage.
- "commander" will read the subject of incoming messages, looking for "commander?...".
- If it finds the correct syntax, it will execute a "module" (an order) with the proper "parameters" (instructions).
- If the module is executed correctly, it will send back the sender of the message the requested info.
- "commander" is extensible. You can add more modules and create your own.
- "commander" acts as an information center. It receives orders by mail and returns results immediatelly.
- "commander" is a safe tool. Read more in the "Security" section below.

Requirements
commander requires OS-X and a compatible mail client (Mail, Entourage, Mailsmith, PowerMail).
commander's modules may require additional software. See its help and/or documentation.
commander's modules which require "attachments" as input will only work with Mail versions 2 or higher.

Security issues
I think there are not security issues. commander will execute orders coming from user-defined email addresses and/or domains. So, if "hacker23@hotmail.com" is not in the list of authorized users (as defined thru the "commander Manager" companion app), commander will simply ignore the email.

The same applies to replies. commander will send back the requested output to the authorized user (the one in the "from" field of the received email, which matches an authorized user in the list). So, even if a hacker puts an authorized user as the "from" field in the attacking email, the information will be sent only to such authorized user, so the hacker doesn't have access to such info in any form.

"What if the hacker sends 100 offending mails using an authorized user as "from" field, and asking to send back a huge file? Such thing would collapse my machine!". True. But without commander being installed, you can have also a rule which prints incoming emails (eg, 100 mails x 25 pages each), or whatever. So, if you suffer an attack, you suffer an attack. If you're spammed, you're spammed, with or without commander. It's left to you the decission of installing this tool.

Appart from this, as a recommended rule, you can rename or trash installed modules. For example, there is a module called "computer" which is able to make sleep, restart or shutdown your machine. Simply rename it to "LittleRedRidingHood" and nobody will be able to shutdown your machine using an authorized email address.

Install "commander"

There are three steps:
- run "Install commander " included in this distribution and follow its instructions.
- run the "commander Manager" included in this distribution, which configures "commander" and its modules.
- Install "commander.scpt" in your email client.
Install new modules manually:
- Move the module inside "~/Library/Application Support/commander/modules".
- Move the module help file inside "~/Library/Application Support/commander/modules help".
Install new modules automatically:
- Use the "modules" tab of the "commander Manager" application.

Some modules require you to configure its settings, or they won't work. When you install a new module, use allways "commander Manager " to configure it.
Remember that you must configure your mail client to run commander:
Mail
Entourage


What are these "modules"?
Modules are synonim of "commands accepted and understood by commander". You can create or download a module called "sendMeInfo" (which already exists) and place it into your modules folder (see "Install more modules"), which adds a new capability to commander: you provide a search string, and it will send you back all it finds in a local database (an address book, for example).
Possibilities are infinite, since you can design your own modules (if you know AppleScript), to create and send you back a PDF from a Quark/InDesign document, restart a web server or shutdown the computer.
You can write your own modules (see "Create your own modules" below) or hire somebody to write them for you (eg, take a look to MacScripter's AppleScript Developers section at <http://www.macscripter.net/developers/>).

Get more modules
Actually, you can get more modules at <http://homepage.mac.com/julifos/soft/commander/modules/>. You can also fire "commander Manager", where you can connect to the server, auto-download and auto-install new available modules.

Create your own modules
You must know AppleScript. Read "Modules Developer guide.txt" in the commander's "extras" folder.

License, bugs, history, etc.
"commander" is freeware. Use it at your own risk, etc.
"commander" is also open-source. If you modify/improve it, let me know.
Feedback to <julifos@mac.com>.

commander 1.1, march 24, 2006
- Various improvements.
- Add-on of "commander Manager".
- Now only for Mail and Entourage (removed MailSmith and PowerMail support).
- Updated docs.
- Most probably, the last release of this thing.

commander 1.0, november 25, 2003
- First public release.