How to dump your Skype database to a text file for easy searching

I had a problem recently trying to search the Skype instant messeage history. Searching for a historical chat can be done in Skype by pressing CTRL-F, but only if you know the person(s) that were involved on that chat. You cannot search the chat history globally.

The solution is to dump out the skype database into a TXT file for easy searching with notepad.

1. Download SQLite command shell at http://www.sqlite.org/download.html. (I downloaded http://www.sqlite.org/sqlite-shell-win32-x86-3070400.zip)
2. Extract sqllite3.exe to a place on your path, or somewhere you can run it easily from.
3. Open a DOS command prompt.
4. Change the folder to C:\Users\[pc user name]\AppData\Roaming\Skype\[skype user name]
5. There you should find main.db database.
6. Type the following (in bold):
• sqlite3 main.db
• sqlite> .output c:\skype_chat.txt
• sqlite> .dump
• sqlite> .quit

You can now start Notepad and open file c:\skype_chat.txt to search through.

How to create a Gource graphical repository movie

Download Gource from https://code.google.com/p/gource/ extract to C:\gource-0.28.win32
Download FFMPEG from http://www.videohelp.com/tools/ffmpeg extract to c:\ffmpeg

If using SVN also download the following:

1. svn-gource.py from https://code.google.com/p/gource/wiki/SVN extract to c:\python31
2. Python from http://www.python.org/download/ I used v3.1.3. extract to c:\python31

In a DOS command prompt type:

1. c:
2. cd C:\Data Files\Projects (Use your own SVN repository location)
3. svn log -r {2011-01-01}:{2010-01-01} --verbose --xml > c:\code-trunk.log
4. cd C:\gource-0.28.win32
5. The follow is only required if using SVN: c:\python31\python svn-gource.py --filter-dirs c:\code-trunk.log > c:\code-trunk-gource.log
6. gource --log-format custom c:\code-trunk-gource.log -1600x1040 --date-format "%d %B %y" --seconds-per-day 0.5 -a 0.1 --highlight-all-users --stop-at-end --disable-progress --output-ppm-stream c:\code-trunk.ppm --camera-mode overview --bloom-intensity 0.1 --output-framerate 25 --max-files 2000 --hide filenames,mouse -i 20
7. cd c:\ffmpeg\bin
8. ffmpeg -y -b 9000K -r 25 -f image2pipe -vcodec ppm -i c:\code-trunk.ppm -vcodec mpeg1video -s 1600x1040 c:\code-trunk.mpg
9. ffmpeg -vcodec copy -acodec copy -i C:\some-cool-music.mp3 -i c:\code-trunk.mpg c:\code-trunk-audio.mpg

The last step is optional, it adds an audio music to your gource video.
In step 3 above, if you remove the -r {2011-01-01}:{2010-01-01} it will export your whole repository. I just wanted last years.

Enjoy.