tenofy - bash customizable desktop timer

Description

tenofy is a Bash script that sets a desktop notification timer with a custom duration and message. It runs silently in the background and uses notify-send to display a notification when the timer ends.

Key features

• Flexible duration format: accepts hours, minutes, and seconds (e.g., 1h 10m 50s).
• Custom notification message when the timer expires.
• Interactive prompts if arguments are not provided.
• Lightweight and runs in the background so the terminal stays free.
• Built-in help option (-h / --help).

Installation

1. Save the script as tenofy.
2. Make it executable:
   chmod +x tenofy
3. (Optional) Move it to a folder in your $PATH:
   sudo mv tenofy /usr/local/bin/
4. Ensure notify-send is installed (part of libnotify on most Linux distributions):
   sudo apt install libnotify-bin # For Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install libnotify # For Fedora
sudo pacman -S libnotify # For Arch

Usage

General format

tenofy -t <duration> -m <message>

Options

• -t <duration>: Timer duration using h, m, and/or s (e.g., 5m 30s or 1h 10m).
• -m <message>: Message to display when time is up.
• -h, --help: Show help message and exit.

If arguments are not provided, the script will ask for duration and message interactively.

Examples

1. Run with full arguments
   tenofy -t "1h 10m 50s" -m "This is the message"
2. Quick 5-minute break timer
   tenofy -t "5m" -m "Break time is over!"
3. Interactive mode (no arguments, script will prompt)
   tenofy

How it works

1. The script parses -t and -m arguments or prompts for them if missing.
2. It validates and formats the duration (ensures proper spacing between hours, minutes, seconds).
3. The timer runs in a background subshell using sleep.
4. When the timer expires, it triggers a notify-send desktop notification with the specified message.
5. Meanwhile, the script immediately returns control to the terminal so you can continue working.

Input validation

• Both duration and message are required.
• Duration must include a valid time suffix (h, m, or s).
• Invalid arguments display a usage guide.

License

Free to use, modify, and distribute.