Project: Wakefull
Description: A simple/python version of caffeine, the screensaver blocker.
Author: John Walsh
Maintainer: John Walsh
Copyright (C) 2015, John Walsh, all rights reserved.
Created: Sep 23 2015
https://sourceforge.net/projects/wakefull/
'wakeful'
unable to sleep; not sleeping; indisposed to sleep.
characterized by absence of sleep.
watchful; alert; vigilant.
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Technical Info:
the main script is written in python, for version 2 and 3
python 3 - requires: gtk3
python 2 - requires: pygtk2
the support scripts are written in bash
[requires] xdotool
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Help Needed:
See 'The Scripts' - help needed for those.
How to properly install icons in /usr/share/icons ?
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Change log:
Version: 1.3.0 - 01/03/16
added check to stop multiple instances running
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Version: 1.2.0 - 30/12/15
combined python versions 2 and 3 into a single script
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Version: 1.1.0 - 21/11/15
altered for python versions 2 and 3
better install script
active script:
more general (xdotool) by default
added: gnome-screensaver, gnome-power-manager
made scripts executable
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Version: 1.0.0 - 25/09/15
first release, supports:
xscreensaver
xfce4-power-manager
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Description:
Wakefull is a simple/python version of caffeine, the screensaver blocker.
See original:
http://www.zhornsoftware.co.uk/caffeine/
Wakefull will put a coffee cup icon in the notification area,
and you can turn it on/off with a mouse-click.
The icon changes to a full/brown cup when it is on (activated).
Wakefull is intended for OS/desktop environments (like CentOS/Xfce)
that don't have a version of caffeine easilly available.
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Installing:
Download all the project files into your own 'wakefull' directory.
Unzip if necessary.
From there, as root, run install.sh.
You may have to logout/in, and/or run Alacarte to get 'wakeful' to
appear in the start menus.
NOTE: de-select it as a startup application if you don't use it very
often and you don't want it in the notification area all the time.
=> to stop it running, as user:
$ pkill wakefull
=> to remove from system, as root:
# rm /etc/xdg/autostart/wakefull.desktop
# rm /usr/share/applications/wakefull.desktop
# rm /usr/share/icons/user/wakefull_icon_*
# rm /usr/local/bin/wakefull*
NOTE: if a user wants to have their own 'scripts', they can create
them in their own ~/.config/wakefull directory, and wakefull.py
will detect and use them.
as user:
$ mkdir ~/.config/wakefull
$ cp ./wakefull*.sh ~/.config/wakefull/.
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The Scripts:
wakefull.py is just the system tray icon and functional control (turn
it on and off). The actual work of blocking the screen/power saver is
done by the scripts:
wakefull_start.sh
wakefull_active.sh
wakefull_stop.sh
The main script is: wakefull_active.sh
The default method is to use 'xdotool' (if installed) to simulate
a key press.
Otherwise :-
In there, place any code that needs to be exectued to block your
screen/power saver.
The code should be entered such that it tests for the presence of
your screen/power saver, and only executes if present.
eg. TEST && RESET_CODE
In this way, all code for all processes can remain in the script.
NOTE: if you add code to handle a new screen/power saver, please do
send it back to me and I will include it in the project.
NOTE: gnome-screensaver, gnome-power-manager - not the most reliable?
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Development History:
Version: 1.3.0 - 01/03/16
added check to stop multiple instances running
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Version: 1.2.0
combined python versions 2 and 3 into a single script
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Version: 1.1.0
In trying to get the 'active' script to work over various distro's and
python 2 and 3, went back to using xdotool as the default general case.
Ported the python 3 changes back into the pyhon 2 version as appropriate
to keep the code as similar as possible.
Improved the install script.
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Version: 1.0.0
When first using 'xdotool' to simulate key presses to keep the screen
alive, I could not get it to be reliable.
I found that if there was any window foacus active (term, gedit),
then the keypress went into it (annoying) and did NOT count against
the screen saver timer.
If there was no window focus active (ie. focus on the background/
Desktop), then the keypress did count against the screen saver timer.
BUT - neither stopped the powersave modes, standby...
I found that 'F20' key was the least intrusive keypress to use,
if it might go into an active window.
However, by switching the window focus to the 'Desktop', then a
regular key can be used (eg. a) and there was no effect on the
current window, other than the flicker of the title bar as it lost
and re-gained the focus.
This whole process also seamed to cause problems when running as root.
The code was:
# get window ID of background
status, output = commands.getstatusoutput('xdotool search --name "^Desktop$"')
window_id_str1 = output
window_id = int(output)
window_id_str2 = str(window_id)
# verify it is legit
if window_id_str1 != window_id_str2:
print "ERROR: 'Desktop' window ID not clear ???"
exit(1)
# command to exec when active
keypress = "xdotool getwindowfocus windowfocus %s key a windowfocus" % window_id_str2,
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Given the problems with xdotool, I found other ways to block both the
screen saver and the power saver.
However, they were particular to the apps performing those tasks.
So they were kept outside of the main program by having it execute
external scripts.
This way, the scripts are easilly editable by a user.
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Icons, courtessy of:
https://openclipart.org/share
Coffee Cups
https://openclipart.org/user-cliparts/pitr
http://colouringbook.org/?s=coffee+cup+icon+pitr
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