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@luelista
Last active November 24, 2019 05:02
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Use the recent "Astronomy Picture of the Day" by NASA as your desktop wallpaper (Python script for Mac OS X, should be easy do adapt for Linux or Windows)
#!/usr/bin/python
# Downloads the current "Astronomy Picture of the Day" from nasa.gov and sets as wallpaper
#
# Installation steps:
# - store this file somewhere and take note of the path
# - change WALLPAPER_DIR to some folder in your home directory
# and create the folder
# - make it executable:
# chmod a+x /path/to/change_wallpaper
# - follow instructions given in the .plist file to make it run daily
FEED_URL = "http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/"
WALLPAPER_DIR = "/Users/mw/Pictures/Wallpapers/APOD"
import subprocess, re, datetime
from urllib import urlopen, urlretrieve
import os.path, os
def main():
xml = urlopen(FEED_URL).read()
m = re.search(r"a href=\"(image/.*?)\"", xml)
#m = re.search(r"img src=\"(.*?)\"", xml)
first_img = FEED_URL + m.group(1)
name = re.sub(r"^.*/", "", first_img)
filename = "%s/%s-%s" % (WALLPAPER_DIR, str(datetime.date.today()), name)
print "Image URL: ", first_img
print "Filename: ", name
print "Target file: ", filename
if os.path.isfile(filename):
print "File already exists."
else:
print "Downloading..."
urlretrieve(first_img, filename)
set_desktop_background(filename)
SCRIPT = """/usr/bin/osascript -s o<<END
tell application "Finder"
set desktop picture to POSIX file "%s"
end tell
END"""
def set_desktop_background(filename):
print "Changing wallpaper..."
#subprocess.Popen(SCRIPT%filename, shell=True)
subprocess.check_call(SCRIPT%filename, shell=True)
main()
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC -//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN
http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd >
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>Label</key>
<string>io.weller.max.changewallpaper</string>
<!--
store this file in ~/Library/LaunchAgents/
edit the path to change_wallpaper below
-->
<key>Program</key>
<string>/path/to/change_wallpaper</string>
<key>RunAtLoad</key>
<true/>
<key>StartCalendarInterval</key>
<dict>
<key>Hour</key>
<integer>3</integer>
<key>Minute</key>
<integer>15</integer>
</dict>
</dict>
</plist>
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