Updates Conky when you have messages on Scratch.mit.edu

ScratchMessages.py

#!/usr/bin/python
import requests as rq  ##  used to access URL's in Python
"""========================================================"""
##  ScratchMessages.py
##  Updates Conky when you have messages on Scratch.mit.edu
##
##  by Doyousketch2
##  Oct 30, 2016
##
##  GNU GPLv3 - https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html
"""========================================================"""
##  Place ScratchMessages.py script in your Conky config dir.
##  ~/.config/conky/
##
##  make sure you can run it:
##  chmod +x ScratchMessages.py
##
##  Add the next line to your ~/.config/conky/conky.conf
##
##  ${execpi 1200 python ~/.config/conky/ScratchMessages.py}
##
"""========================================================"""
##  And place it under the part that says:  conky.text = [[
##
##  Script updates every 1200 sec's.
##  Divide by 60 to get mins, so 20 mins.
"""========================================================"""
##  If you don't have PIP:
##  sudo apt-get install pip
##
##  If you don't have the REQUESTS module, depending on OS:
##
##  sudo pip install requests
##  python -m pip install requests
##  py -m pip install requests
##
"""========================================================"""
##  Customize announcement, if you want to,
##  and set your user name(s) here.

ANNOUNCE = 'New Scratch Messages!'

Color1 = '#25aff4'  ##  Announcement (blue)
Color2 = '#f8a839'  ##  Number of messages (orange)
Color3 = '#aaa'     ##  Name (grey)

##  Font effect for number of messages
BOLD = '${font :style=Bold:pixelsize=14}'

USERNAME = 'Put_Your_Scratch_Username_Here'

##  ONLY IF you have multiple accounts, like me + my kid, for example...
##  Delete the single USERNAME line above,
##  and use this alternate method, instead:

##USERNAME = ('Account_1', 'Account_2', 'Account_3')

##  IF you end up using that method,
##  Be sure to remove the ## in front,
##  so Python knows that you are using it,
##  and it's not just another comment.
##
##  You can change the number of accounts.
##
##  Just wrap each account with quotes ''
##  seperate 'em with a comma ,
##  and be sure the entire list is surrounded by (parenthesis)
##
"""========================================================"""
##  Don't edit below this line.
"""========================================================"""

messageRecieved = 0  ##  haven't recieved a message yet.

##  put color codes in a format Conky can decode.
C1 = '${color ' + Color1 + '}'
C2 = '${color ' + Color2 + '}'
C3 = '${color ' + Color3 + '}'

def CheckIt(NAME):  ##  simple function to check server.

  global messageRecieved  ##  use the variable we specified earler.

  ##  Call the message URL with specified name
  Response = rq .get('https://api.scratch.mit.edu/users/' +NAME +'/messages/count')

  ##  Expect a response like:   {"count":0}
  ##  Convert this from json string to python dictionary.
  Dict = Response .json()

  ##  get the number-value associated with the 'count' key.
  NumberOfMessages = Dict['count']

  ##  Only print output if we've actually recieved messages.
  ##  Makes it easier to see at a glance; no info when all's clear.
  if NumberOfMessages > 0:

    if messageRecieved == 0:  ##  if this is the first time through,
      print(C1 +ANNOUNCE)  ##  then announce that we have new mail (blue)
      messageRecieved = 1  ##  (only print announcement once)

    ##  Concatenate the results, so we get:
    ##  (bold + orange + number + reset font size + grey + name)
    print(BOLD +C2 +str(NumberOfMessages) + '${font}  ' +C3 +NAME)
    ##  str(Number) just converts the number to a string
    ##  so it sees the whole message as text, when piecing it together.


"""========================================================"""
##  function defined.  ok, go.

if type(USERNAME) == tuple:  ##  If we have a few usernames,
  for name in USERNAME:  ##  iterate through those names.
    CheckIt(name)

else:  ##  if there's only one name,
  CheckIt(USERNAME)  ##  then we only need to check it once.

"""========================================================"""
	
if messageRecieved == 1:  ##  if we got a message,
  print('')  ##  print a blank line after, so it's easy to read in Conky.

I made this Python script on Debian,
so those are Linux instructions.

I don't even know if they have Conky for Windows,
So you're 'prolly out of luck if you're on that system.

Also, my Conky config looks like this:

conky.config = {
	alignment = 'top_right',
	background = false,
	border_outer_margin = 5,
	border_width = 1,
	cpu_avg_samples = 2,
	default_color = white,
	default_outline_color = '#555',
	default_shade_color = 'black',
	draw_borders = false,
	draw_graph_borders = true,
	draw_outline = false,
	draw_shades = true,
	double_buffer = false,
	extra_newline = false,
	font = 'DejaVu Sans Mono:size=10',
	gap_x = 35,
	gap_y = 25,
	no_buffers = true,
	out_to_console = false,
	out_to_stderr = false,
	own_window = true,
	own_window_class = 'Conky',
	own_window_transparent = true,
	own_window_type = 'dock',
	own_window_hints = 'below',
	short_units = true,
	stippled_borders = 0,
	update_interval = 3,
	uppercase = false,
	use_xft = true,
	use_spacer = 'none',
	show_graph_scale = false,
	show_graph_range = false,
}

conky.text = [[
${execpi 1200 python ~/.config/conky/ScratchMessages.py}
${color grey}CPU : $freq_g GHz
$color $cpu% ${cpubar 4}
${color grey}RAM : $mem / $memmax
$color $memperc% ${membar 4}
${color grey}Swap : $swap / $swapmax
$color $swapperc% ${swapbar 4}
${color grey}File systems:
${color #888} /    ${color grey}${fs_used /} / ${fs_size /}
$color ${fs_bar 6 /}
${color #888} /home  ${color grey}${fs_used /home} / ${fs_size /home}
$color ${fs_bar 6 /home}
${color grey}  CPU% Name               MEM%
${color #eee}${top cpu 1} ${top name 1} ${top mem 1}
${color #ccc}${top cpu 2} ${top name 2} ${top mem 2}
${color #aaa}${top cpu 3} ${top name 3} ${top mem 3}
${color #888}${top cpu 4} ${top name 4} ${top mem 4}
]]