[SOLVED] Script: update your skydome hourly

[chewearn]

I run my desktop with compiz fusion cube set at 100% transparency. I put a nice picture as the skydome, which serve as the wallpaper in this set-up.

However, I got tired of looking at the same old desktop background all the time, and I'm too lazy to change it, so I wrote a bash script that update the skydome hourly.

Tweak the first part of the script to match your pictures and files location.

#!/bin/bash

# -------- Set the following variables to your own config ----------------

# Note: filenames must be 00, 01, ..., 12; 00 is midnight, 12 is noon
FILEEXT=.jpg
FILEPATH=$HOME/arts/skydome/

# ------------------------------------------------------------------------


GCONFPATH=/apps/compiz/plugins/cube/screen0/options/skydome_image

sleep 30

while [ 1 ]; do
    HOUR=`date +"%H"`

    # convert 24 hours time to "hours to/from noon"
    if [ $HOUR -gt '12' ]; then
        HOUR1=$[24-$HOUR]
        if [ $HOUR1 -lt '10' ]; then
            HOUR1=0$HOUR1
        fi
    else
        HOUR1=$HOUR
    fi

    gconftool-2 -s -t string $GCONFPATH $FILEPATH$HOUR1$FILEEXT

    # sleep until next hour
    while [ 1 ]; do
        MIN=$[60-$[`date +"%M"`]]m
        HOUR1=`date +"%H"`
        if [ $HOUR -ne $HOUR1 ]; then
            break;
        fi

        sleep $MIN
    done
done

Here is a set of pictures:
http://chew4097.googlepages.com/home

Note:
The original pictures are png, but googlepages converted it to jpg.
It's not ground breaking, but I'm not an artist either.

If you find bug please tell me.
If you created your own set of pictures, I would love to download them.

.

[dustoulis]

Hello there. I was searching throughout google for a plugin or something that would change automatically the skydome. Obviously you were trying the same thing and therefore u created the script. Unfortunatelly im a newbie on Linux and i would really apreciate a guide on how i can make this script work for me, cause i have no idea. And which value i need to change to make it change in different period of time?

Thnx.

[chewearn]

hi dustoulis
Mmm, has it been two years since I wrote this script? How time flies.

When I wrote this script I have very limited knowledge of Linux. The timing for changing the skydome is hardcoded and I used "sleep" command to set the interval. That's not a good solution as it turned out. A better solution is to use built-in Linux anacron function (anacron is this is similar to the Scheduler in Windows).

By default, anacron is accessed from the command line. But a GUI is available to be installed separately, called the "gnome-schedule". You can find this application via the Synaptic Package Manager. Using gnome-schedule, it should be self-explanatory how to set-up to run a recurring task.

As to the task itself, you will still need a script (but should be simpler that the one I had previously, because there is no need to fiddle with the timing). Here is a sample, bearing in mind I hacked this out in 10 minutes without testing.

#!/bin/bash

# -------- Set the following variables to your own config ----------------

# Note: filenames must be 00, 01, ..., 12; 00 is midnight, 12 is noon
FILEEXT=.jpg
FILEPATH=$HOME/arts/skydome/

# ------------------------------------------------------------------------

GCONFPATH=/apps/compiz/plugins/cube/screen0/options/skydome_image

HOUR=`date +"%H"`

# convert 24 hours time to "hours to/from noon"
if [ $HOUR -gt '12' ]; then
    HOUR1=$[24-$HOUR]
    if [ $HOUR1 -lt '10' ]; then
            HOUR1=0$HOUR1
    fi
else
    HOUR1=$HOUR
fi

gconftool-2 -s -t string $GCONFPATH $FILEPATH$HOUR1$FILEEXT

Copy/paste the script to a text file, save the file somewhere out of the way (e.g. "$HOME/bin"). Set the executable bit for the file, then set the task to run recurrently.

[r0g]

Hi, sorry to revive a long dead thread but it helped me in writing the following script that lets you...

1) Step forwards and backwards through your skydome folder (next/last)
2) Set a random skydome
3) Set the latest image
4) Delete an image from the skydome folder and replace it with the next one.

Hope someone finds this useful,

Cheers,

Roger

#!/usr/bin/python
# newsky.py - skydome image manager/changer for compiz cube under gnome
# v0.1, (c)2012 Roger Heathcote, GPL2 licensed, bugs etc to opensource@technicalbloke.com
# Usage newsky.py [latest(default)|next|last|random|kill]

# Edit these settings to suit...

skydome_folder = "/home/yourname/pictures/skydomes"
patterns = ["*.jpeg", "*.jpg", "*.png"]
mode = "latest"

# Don't edit below this line unless you really know what you are doing!...

import os, sys, code, glob, string, random, subprocess

current_image = None

# If argument is specified set mode to that
if sys.argv[1:2]:
    mode = sys.argv[1]

# Grab lsit of picture file names from skydome folder
pictures = []
for pattern in patterns:
    pictures = pictures + glob.glob( skydome_folder + os.sep + pattern )

if mode == "latest":
    current_image = max( (os.stat(x)[9], x) for x in pictures )[1]

if mode == "random":
    current_image = random.choice( pictures )

# Note next and prev are in OS order, not sorted by date. Kill removes current file and loads the next one.
if mode == "next" or mode == "prev" or mode == "kill":

    # Retreive current image file path from gconf
    if "check_output" in dir( subprocess ): # new in 2.7
        current_image = subprocess.check_output(["gconftool-2", "-g", "/apps/compiz/plugins/cube/screen0/options/skydome_image"]).strip()
    else: # for 2.6 and older - yuck!
        current_image = subprocess.Popen(["gconftool-2", "-g", "/apps/compiz/plugins/cube/screen0/options/skydome_image"], stdout=subprocess.PIPE)
        current_image = current_image.communicate()[0].strip()

    # Process argument
    try:
        idx = pictures.index( current_image )
        if mode == "kill":
            os.remove( current_image )
            mode = "next"
        if mode == "next":
            idx = idx + 1
            if idx >= len( pictures ): idx = 0
        if mode == "prev":
            idx = idx - 1
            if idx < 0: idx = len( pictures ) - 1
        current_image = pictures[idx]
    except IndexError:
        print "Current pic not in skydomes folder, not changing:", current_image

# Change image or fail
if current_image:
    subprocess.Popen(["gconftool-2", "-s", "-t", "string", "/apps/compiz/plugins/cube/screen0/options/skydome_image" , current_image])
else:
    print "Fail. Valid options are: latest, random, next, prev, kill"

[nothingspecial]

Old thread.

Closed.