When you're working in front of a computer, it's easy to get so immersed in the content on your screen that you lose track of time and forget to take breaks. To solve this problem, I created diagonator, a tool that reminds you to take breaks by drawing diagonal lines across your entire screen:

Installation

Install diagonator-server using cargo:

git clone https://github.com/yaxollum/diagonator.git
cd diagonator
cargo install --path .

Usage

Run diagonator-server to start the server.

This will create a configuration file with the default options. See the Configuration section for specifics on configuration.

Logging

diagonator-server does not write to a log file. It prints all messages to its standard error (stderr). You can log the server's stderr using diagonator-server-with-logger.py, which prefixes each line with a timestamp before logging it to a file of your choice. Run diagonator-server-with-logger.py by specifying the log file's location as a command-line argument.

Concepts

diagonator-server has 3 possible states and 3 concepts that determine which state it is in.

The 3 states are:

1. Unlocked - diagonator is not running. You can use your computer as usual.
2. Locked - diagonator is running. You cannot unlock the timer to enter the Unlocked state.
3. Unlockable - diagonator is running. You can unlock the timer to instantly enter the Unlocked state.

The 3 concepts are:

1. Break Timer - By default, the timer gives you a 25-minute work period during which the server is Unlocked, followed by a 5-minute break during which the server is Locked. After the break, the server enters the Unlockable state, where you can instantly unlock the timer to start another work period.
2. Requirements - A requirement is a task that you have to complete by a certain time before you can continue using your computer. For example, suppose you were to set a requirement called "brush teeth" that has to be completed by 20:00. At 20:00, if the server sees that "brush teeth" has already been completed, then nothing happens. Otherwise, the server is Locked until you complete "brush teeth".
3. Locked Time Ranges - A locked time range is a time interval during which the server is always Locked. For example, if you wanted to always go to bed at 23:00 and wake up at 7:00, then you could set two separate locked time intervals: one from 23:00 to the end of the day (24:00), the other from the start of the day (0:00) to 7:00.

Configuration

The file path of the configuration file is printed in the first line of the server's output. The configuration file uses the TOML format. After you edit the configuration, restart the server to apply your changes.

Some tips to consider when customizing your configuration:

• Set diagonator_path to the path to your diagonator executable.

• Use diagonator_args to pass command-line arguments to diagonator. Specify each argument as a separate string in the list. For example, the command diagonator --top-margin 50 would correspond to diagonator_args = ["--top-margin", "50"].

• Use 24-hour clock strings with the format "HH:MM" (e.g. "16:30") to specify clock times.

• If you don't want any requirements, remove all the entries that start with [[requirements]].

• If you don't want any locked time ranges, remove all the entries that start with [[locked_time_ranges]].

• If you want a locked time range to start at the beginning of the day (0:00), omit the start field.

• If you want a locked time range to last until the end of the day (24:00), omit the end field.

Clients

diagonator-server listens on a UNIX domain socket. The socket path is specified as socket_path in the configuration file.

The clients folder contains some example clients that demonstrate how to connect to the server and send various requests to it.

Requests and responses use the JSON format. Each request/response is restricted to a single line (no newlines allowed in the middle). This allows the client and server to determine the end of each message. After a client connects to the server, it can send multiple requests (see the i3bar client for an example of this).

The available requests are:

• UnlockTimer - Unlock the break timer
• LockTimer - Lock the break timer
• GetInfo - Get information on the status of the server: the current state, when the current state will change, the reason for the current state, a list of requirements, and a list of locked time ranges
• CompleteRequirement - Mark a requirement as completed by specifying its ID
• AddRequirement - Add a one-time requirement by specifying its name and completion deadline