Morning Terminal Script

I build this project as a fun way to display the tasks I need to do for the day every morning. The script generates a nice ASCI monthly calendar with the number of tasks due/done, highlights important days, and provides a motivational message at the end. If you want to use this project, you'll first need to set up a PostgreSQL database that stores your tasks with the schema found in this README. I use n8n to automate pulling my tasks from the Google Tasks API every 20 seconds and save them to the PostgreSQL database. At some point, I'll write a blog post about how I set up n8n to do this. :)

Check it out on Github here: https://github.com/LucasFerguson/morning-terminal-script

Dark+ Demo in Windows TerminalRetro Demo in Windows Terminal

Overview of Features

• Monthly Calendar: Displays tasks for the entire month in a horizontal calendar format.
• Task Highlights:
  • Yellow for days with exactly 3 tasks.
  • Red for days with more than 5 tasks.
• Superscript Dates: Dates are displayed in superscript format (e.g., ⁵, ²).
• PostgreSQL Integration: Fetches tasks from a PostgreSQL database.
• Scheduled Execution: Automatically runs every morning on system startup using Windows Task Scheduler.
• Environment Configuration: Customize environment variables (e.g., database connection settings) using env.js.

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

1. Node.js: Make sure you have Node.js installed on your system. You can download it from Node.js official website.
2. PostgreSQL Database: Ensure you have access to a PostgreSQL database. The schema for the tasks table is provided below.
3. Windows PowerShell: Ensure PowerShell is available on your system (default on most Windows installations).
4. Windows Task Scheduler: This is used to schedule the script to run daily at startup.

Installation

1. Clone or download this repository to your local machine:

git clone <repository-url>
cd morning-terminal-script

1. Install dependencies:

npm install chalk figlet pg

1. Configure environment variables:
   • Edit the env.js file to include your PostgreSQL database credentials and other configurations:
2. Set up the PostgreSQL database (schema provided below).

Database Schema

This project uses a PostgreSQL database to store tasks. The schema for the tasks table is as follows:

CREATE TABLE tasks (
    kind TEXT,
    id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
    etag TEXT,
    title TEXT,
    updated TIMESTAMP,
    status TEXT,
    due TIMESTAMP,
    tasklist_title TEXT
);

Each task has the following fields:

• kind: Type of task (e.g., 'tasks#task').
• id: Unique identifier for the task.
• etag: Entity tag for versioning.
• title: Title of the task.
• updated: Timestamp of when the task was last updated.
• status: Status of the task (e.g., 'needsAction' or 'completed').
• due: Due date of the task.
• tasklist_title: Title of the task list (e.g., 'My Tasks').

Running the Script Manually

To test the script manually, run the following command in your terminal:

node morning-script.js

Automating the Script with Windows Task Scheduler

The project includes a PowerShell script (create-task.ps1) that creates a scheduled task in Windows Task Scheduler to run the script daily at startup.

Steps:

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.
2. Navigate to the project directory:

cd morning-terminal-script

1. Run the PowerShell script to create the scheduled task:

.\create-task.ps1

1. Verify that the task has been created:

• Open Windows Task Scheduler.
• Look for a task named MorningTerminalScript (or the name specified in create-task.ps1).

1. The script will now run automatically every day at startup.

Project Structure

...\morning-terminal-script\
│
├── generated_text_elements/      # Directory for generated text files (if applicable)
├── .gitignore                    # Git ignore file
├── create-task.ps1               # PowerShell script to create a scheduled task
├── env copy.js                   # Example environment configuration file
├── env.js                        # Environment configuration file (customizable)
├── morning-script.js             # Main JavaScript script for generating the calendar and fetching tasks from DB
├── package-lock.json             # Auto-generated file for npm dependencies
├── package.json                  # Node.js project configuration file
├── README.md                     # Project documentation (this file)
├── run.bat                       # Batch file to execute run2.bat the script via Task Scheduler
├── run2.bat                      # Calls morning-script.js

Example Output

Dark+ Demo in Windows TerminalRetro Demo in Windows Terminal

Troubleshooting

• If the script does not run as expected:
  • Ensure that Node.js is installed and added to your system's PATH.
  • Check if create-task.ps1 was executed with Administrator privileges.
  • Verify that all required dependencies are installed using npm install.
• To debug issues with Task Scheduler:
  • Open Task Scheduler and review history/logs for your scheduled task.
  • Ensure that run.bat points to the correct path for node.exe and morning-script.js.