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mdls – lists the metadata attributes for the specified file
This command has been around for twenty years and Im slightly surprised I haven't come across it before. Every day is a learning point.
Using mdls to find lat long data in an image file
- Metadata List –
% mdls filenameand look at the man pages% man mdlsto find out more.

Seems like it would be very handy in a script. I cant find any more information about it or its origins. Drop me a note if you know more about where this command originated.
Leakage of your personal information via metadata
The trouble with images, is that they can contain a lot of personally identifiable data. You shoud be very careful indeed about where you share images without sanitising or removing the metatada.
Image file can contain the precise location of the picture, and the name and even the email address of the recipient, as well as the date and time and direction that the picture was taken in. These are potentially very personal items of data that you might not wish to share. Most social media photo uploads strip meta data but you cannot be absolutely sure and should be very careful about exposing this data randomly on the Internet!
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This article is about Getting started with the Power Platform / PowerApps command line interface (CLI). You might be wondering why no code or low code tools need a CLI but worry not because theres a completely clear explanation: "The Power Platform CLI (PowerApps CLI) works for both inner loop development and outer loop development. The inner loop is for when a developer wants to work on a project and build a new feature for instance. The outer loop is to make sure that what has been built, also can be deployed to other environments." I prefer to think of this as software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) and application lifecycle management (ALM). To me theres no separation of loop. I guess it might make sense for citizen developers / makers to be considered inner loop and pro developers to be outer loop but it seems a bit artificial.
Wait, what is the Power Platform CLI (PowerApps CLI)?
Seriously though, the Power Platform CLI is a vital set of utilities designed for developers with an emphasis on both single use and scriptability.
- Power Platform CLI is a single low level integration point for VSCodium (or VS Code), for GitHub Actions and for any other services that might benefit from scripting.
- Power Platform CLI provides a proper GitHub first developer experience for the wider power platform including pages, components, connectors, solutions, packages, installers and more
- Power Platform CLI uses the command line tool PAC with a wealth of administrative capabilities previously only accessible from the Power Apps Admin web console.
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Read more: Getting started with Power Platform PowerApps CLI
You do not have to switch to macOS just to enjoy the quality feel, precision and capabilities of the Apple magic mouse, especially the current rechargeable version. I have a dedicated Windows 11 computer for client work and, I like my accessories to all be the same so I set about making the Apple Magic mouse work. In this guide, I will walk you through the process of setting up and using the Magic Mouse fully on your Windows 11 PC. So, buy yourself an Apple Magic mouse 2 in Black or white cheaper than Apple, brand new from Amazon UK, and let's dive in!
TL:DR – I wasn't a fan until I got one for my Mac, but I've slowly been won over by the feel and the cordless convenience and now I have that for Windows too.
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This article is Publishing Power Apps to clients production environments securely using GitHub with Power Platform (part 3) (2) . You'll need to have completed part 1, part 2 and part 3 before continuing. This article deals with the GitHub workflow required to deploy a Power Platform app into a production environment via GitHub thus providing a recognisable governance and software assurance methodology for your Power Platform apps.
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Read more: Use GitHub to deploy your Power Platform app (part 4)
Automate the publication of your Power Platform solution via GitHub
This article is Publish Power Apps securely via GitHub part 3. You'll need to have completed Publish Power Apps securely via GitHub (part 1) and Publish Power Apps securely via GitHub (part 2) and before continuing. This article deals with the GitHub setup and workflow required to deploy a Power Platform app via GitHub thus providing a recognisable governance and software assurance methodology for your Power Platform apps.
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Building a model-driven Power App to deploy using GitHub Actions for Power Platform
This is part 2 of Publish Power Apps securely via GitHub. You'll need to have completed Publish Power Apps securely via GitHub (part 1) before continuing.
What follows is the second part of a step by step implementation of strategy for publishing Power Apps via GitHub a simple Power App, This requires the creation of a simple Power App to deploy via GitHub.
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Settings in Azure Active directory (AAD) and Power Platform Admin Centre for GitHub
This article is Publish Power Apps securely via GitHub (part 1). You'll need to have completed it before setting up your Power App and GitHub repositories. This article deals with the rather tortuous path of settings in what used to be called Azure Active directory and Power Platform Admin Centre.
Why have Power Apps been extended to support GitHub? (a theory)
When it comes to publishing Power Apps for client environments things can get tricky quickly. To a devops oriented person, the idea of modifying unmanaged code in production and risking duplication of effort, mistakes and losing track of those modifications should be abhorrent. Although it might have seemed justifiable under pressure and while cutting teeth on one or two apps, it would quickly get out of hand and start a journey along a path to madness! Nevertheless anecdotally it seems that many enterprise Power Apps deployment environments are based on exactly these kinds of shaky foundations. What should be done about it?
Fortunately, Microsoft have started to think about Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) for Power Apps. Although I have no knowledge of the inner working of the company, it is as if a grown up Microsoft Corporate Vice President (CVP) has got the Microsoft Power Platform division executives in a room together and explained to them gently, so as not to dent their enthusiasm, that their dream of allowing apps to just sprout out of the minds of digital citizen makers and into production, ends up suffering from a lack of governance, which itself could easily result in criticism of the Power App due to weaknesses, bad design, or lack of scale. The Microsoft CVP might go on to explain with evidence and anecdotes dating back decades, that without successful reference deployments of brilliant apps, Power Platform and Power Apps won't achieve widespread adoption and thus are likely ultimately to fail or get bogged down in an organisation perhaps even tarnishing the overall Microsoft Power Platform brand.
And after a pause, the CVP might have gently reminded the audience that Microsoft bought GitHub for a reason, and that the Power Apps team ought to integrate with deeply so as to connect apps built by digital citizens from the maker community with the professional in-house IT Departments and their developers and partners worldwide so that they can be properly managed, audited, and subject to rigour about releases to the point at which they are happy to help with the management of Power Platform and of bringing Power Apps to the mainstream.
So how nice it is then to find that my mythical CVP doesn't have to bang heads together because you can now use GitHub for Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) with Power Apps and though it is late to the party and quickly evolving this is very welcome and necessary to drive successful adoption.
What follows is the first part of a step by step implementation of strategy for publishing Power Apps via GitHub a simple Power App, This requires the creation of several Microsoft Dataverse environments in Power Apps Admin and the creation of a service principal with appropriate permissions in Azure Active Directory (AAD). This will allow for the creation of much better quality assured Power Apps because the deployment process will be managed automatically, securely, and with less room for human error.
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- Intel based Mac Ventura update needed EFI firmware
- Multiple VMware virtual machines on a Mac Studio
- Is there an equivalent to Quick Look for macOS on Windows?
- Project setup in Jira
- Sprint setup in Jira
- Flutter on Intel Mac, and first app, in about 15 mins
- Kali Linux on EC2 in AWS for Pen Testing (Part 1)
- Kali Linux on EC2 in AWS for Pen Testing (Part 2)
- Kali Linux on EC2 in AWS for Pen Testing (Part 3)
- Software Assurance
- Find your Windows product key
- Lets Encrypt secure virtual hosts on Ubuntu Linux