shell script to randomize files in directory

[NiLuJe]

KUAL/the Kindlet framework *might* be killing child processes on exit, can't remember right now.

Try starting you script over ssh (making sure it's correctly backgrounded).

[Eradicatore]

Hi, thanks for the reply. Sorry, for not getting back earlier. So I had already done this from ssh, but today I re-verified. I was logging into the kindle with ssh, I started the python script directly like this:

./ssloop.py &

And then I saw it update the screen a few times. Then, I exited my ssh login, and I unplugged USB. I saw 3 more screen updates (1 per minute) and then nothing. I would log back in with ssh, and typed:

ps -ef | grep ssloop

and the process is gone. I wondered if "screen" was available but it's not there. Not sure if that would help anyway. Is there any way from /var/logs to see who kills given processes?

[NiLuJe]

No, but you can always go the old-fashioned way: riddle it with printfs, wrap it in something that pipes stderr & stdout to somewhere, and see where it dies.

[Eradicatore]

Yea, good point. AKA brute force.

I did verify that it will run fine for 20 minutes if I leave it plugged in and ssh logged in. So my only fear with a bunch of printf's and pipes is that it's getting killed abruptly on the way to suspend/deep sleep so it won't really log much.

So I'm wondering if something needs to go in /etc/upstart, or I need to use something like start-stop-daemon for it to not be killed in low power. That's all that I can think of that peterson's "onlinescreensaver" does (other than mine is python). I haven't actually tried the one from peterson. Do you NiLuJe know if it really works?

I mean it seems logical. Kindle would want to kill anything and everything it didn't know about when suspending. Maybe there is some other way to kick off a script with a RTC event happens? What I don't even know right now, since my process is dying, is if the RTC is really waking the kindle back up from suspend or not.

[Eradicatore]

Ok, I got it. I had a mistake in my logic. I thought it would just give two states. "active" or "screenSaver". With logging I found out easily that I was stopping on purpose, because the state wasn't "screenSaver" anymore. I did this originally to give an easy way to stop the quote rotations. The user just had to hit the wake button. But I failed to realize that there are two non-"active" states I want to let to run.

I'll post my "final" python here. I now want to make the simple adjustments to not do the rotation at night stave more power. Again, similar to Peterson's app, but since I don't have any online grabbing to do, I dumbed it all down into one simple python script.

Justin

[Eradicatore]

Here's the working one without the update to avoid changes at night (when nobody is there to see it in the office):

#!/usr/bin/python
import time;
import glob;
import random;
import subprocess;

def mainLoop ():
   # first make sure the screen saver is showing
   state = subprocess.check_output(['lipc-get-prop', 'com.lab126.powerd', 'state']).rstrip();
   while (state == "active"):
      subprocess.call(['lipc-set-prop', 'com.lab126.powerd', 'powerButton', '1']);
      time.sleep(1);
      state = subprocess.check_output(['lipc-get-prop', 'com.lab126.powerd', 'state']);

   last = "";
   while 1 == 1:
      state = subprocess.check_output(['lipc-get-prop', 'com.lab126.powerd', 'state']).rstrip();
      if (state ==  "active"):
          # User wants to stop, so they pressed "wake" button
          # maybe rm .lock file here?
          break;

      file = random.choice(glob.glob('/mnt/us/extensions/quoteRotation/bin/png/*.png'));
      # should add check for empty list of png's here
      while file == last:
          file = random.choice(glob.glob('/mnt/us/extensions/quoteRotation/bin/png/*.png'));

      last = file;
      tstring = time.strftime("%H:%M:%S")
      subprocess.call(['eips','-f','-g',file]);
      sleepForMin(60);

def getCurrTimeInSec ():
   "This function returns current time in seconds"
   return int(subprocess.check_output(['date','+%s']).rstrip())

def sleepForMin (mins):
   "this function will use the RTC to wake back up after so many minutes"
   endTime = str(getCurrTimeInSec() + (mins * 20));

   # disable/reset current alarm
   subprocess.call("echo 0 > /sys/class/rtc/rtc0/wakealarm", shell=True)

   # set new alarm
   subprocess.call("echo {} > /sys/class/rtc/rtc0/wakealarm".format(endTime), shell=True)

   alarmContents = (subprocess.check_output(['cat','/sys/class/rtc/rtc0/wakealarm']).rstrip())

                                                                                              
   if (endTime == alarmContents):                                                             
      while getCurrTimeInSec() < int(endTime):                                                
         remainingWait = int(endTime) - getCurrTimeInSec()                                    
         if (remainingWait > 0):                                                              
            # wait for device to suspend or to resume - this covers the sleep period during which the
            # time counting does not work reliably                                                   
            subprocess.check_output("lipc-wait-event -s {} com.lab126.powerd resuming || true".format(str(remainingWait)), shell=True)
   else:                                                                                                                              
      print "failed compare"                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                      
   # not sure whether this is required                                                                                                
   #subprocess.check_output("lipc-set-prop com.lab126.powerd -i deferSuspend 1", shell=True)                                          
   return                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                      
mainLoop()

[NiLuJe]

Ha!

[knc1]

Is there really 20 Kindle-Seconds in a Kindle-Minute?

(There is, or at least there was, in long distance telephone switches, but in Kindles?)

[Eradicatore]

LOL, I'm busy. Who has time to actually wait a minute for anything these days.

[Eradicatore]

Figured I would share this version. Eventually I should put it all on github, with all the png's I've made so far with quotes from Carlin, Lennon, Wilde, Ford, Berra, and others.

I added:
- low batt warning, shows a png at 7% or less and waits for charger insert
- only update from 8am to 5pm
- added logging so I could just be sure of the update timing

#!/usr/bin/python
import time;
import glob;
import random;
import subprocess;

def mainLoop ():
   fo = open("/mnt/us/extensions/quoteRotation/bin/log.txt", "a")
   fo.write("\n=== starting new rotation ===\n");

   # first make sure the screen saver is showing
   state = subprocess.check_output(['lipc-get-prop', 'com.lab126.powerd', 'state']).rstrip();
   while (state == "active"):
      subprocess.call(['lipc-set-prop', 'com.lab126.powerd', 'powerButton', '1']);
      time.sleep(1);
      state = subprocess.check_output(['lipc-get-prop', 'com.lab126.powerd', 'state']);

   last = "";

   while 1 == 1:
      # User wants to stop, so they pressed "wake" button
      state = subprocess.check_output(['lipc-get-prop', 'com.lab126.powerd', 'state']).rstrip();
      if (state ==  "active"):
          # maybe rm .lock file here?
          break;

      # Check if we should show low battery warning
      blevel = int(subprocess.check_output(['lipc-get-prop', 'com.lab126.powerd', 'battLevel']).rstrip());
      if (blevel < 8):
         subprocess.call(['eips','-f','-g','/mnt/us/extensions/quoteRotation/bin/png/lowBatt.png']);
         # Seems dangerous, but wait here for a charging event without a -s timeout.
         subprocess.check_output("lipc-wait-event com.lab126.powerd charging", shell=True)

      # 1 for charging, 0 if not 
      #cstate =  int(subprocess.check_output(['lipc-get-prop', 'com.lab126.powerd', 'isCharging']).rstrip());

      file = random.choice(glob.glob('/mnt/us/extensions/quoteRotation/bin/png/*.png'));
      # should add check for empty list of png's here
      while file == last:
          file = random.choice(glob.glob('/mnt/us/extensions/quoteRotation/bin/png/*.png'));
          
      last = file;
          
      tstring = time.strftime("%H:%M:%S")
      mstring = int(time.strftime("%M")) 
      hstring = int(time.strftime("%H")) #24Hour
                  
      # want to sleep from 5pm to 8am
      if (hstring < 8):
         sleepTimeMin = (60 - mstring) + ((7 - hstring) * 60)
      elif (hstring > 16):
         sleepTimeMin = ((60 - mstring) + ((23 - hstring) * 60)) + (8 * 60)
      else:
         sleepTimeMin = 60
         
      fo.write ("{}: sleep for {} minutes => screensaver path: {}\n".format(tstring,sleepTimeMin,file));
      fo.flush();
                     
      subprocess.call(['eips','-f','-g',file]);
      sleepForMin(sleepTimeMin);
                                                                      

def getCurrTimeInSec ():
   "This function returns current time in seconds"
   return int(subprocess.check_output(['date','+%s']).rstrip())

def sleepForMin (mins):
   "this function will use the RTC to wake back up after so many minutes"
   endTime = str(getCurrTimeInSec() + (mins * 60)); 
   
   # disable/reset current alarm
   subprocess.call("echo 0 > /sys/class/rtc/rtc0/wakealarm", shell=True)
   
   # set new alarm
   subprocess.call("echo {} > /sys/class/rtc/rtc0/wakealarm".format(endTime), shell=True)
   
   alarmContents = (subprocess.check_output(['cat','/sys/class/rtc/rtc0/wakealarm']).rstrip())
   
   if (endTime == alarmContents):
      while getCurrTimeInSec() < int(endTime):
         remainingWait = int(endTime) - getCurrTimeInSec()
         if (remainingWait > 0):
            # wait for device to suspend or to resume - this covers the sleep period during which the
            # time counting does not work reliably
            subprocess.check_output("lipc-wait-event -s {} com.lab126.powerd resuming || true".format(str(remainingWait)), shell=True)
   else:
      print "failed compare"

   # not sure whether this is required
   #subprocess.check_output("lipc-set-prop com.lab126.powerd -i deferSuspend 1", shell=True)
   return

mainLoop()

[Eradicatore]

OK. Here is the finished product for my office wall. Thanks for everyone's help!!!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0h56jrz6sl...2002.08.15.jpg