Script to print notes on your desktop

walltext.py

#!/usr/bin/env python3

# Thanks to Jacob Vlijim for the original script, for more info please refer to the source
# Source: https://askubuntu.com/questions/556723/make-a-text-file-my-automatically-updated-background
# Edited by Ichirou2910 for personal needs

# Update 8 Feb 2020:
#	- You can use tab, define your tab so it will replace the "TAB" you enter
#	- Remove strip() when reading from file to be able to use tab

import subprocess
import os
import time

curr_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__))
curr_wall = curr_dir+"/"+"wallpaper.jpg"
notes = curr_dir+"/"+"notes.txt"

#-- CUSTOM PARAMETERS
shell = "/bin/zsh"              # your shell binary path, I use zsh

font = "Comic-Sans-MS-Bold"     # execute convert -list font for possible font choices
text_color = "black"            # text color
size = "45"                     # text size (real size depends on the scale factor of your wallpaper)
tab = "    "                    # Imagemagick doesn't accept \t so just define it yourself
borderX = 300                   # x offset
borderY = 350                   # y offset
columns = 1                     # (max) number of columns
n_lines = 10                    # (max) number of lines per column
set_bg_cmd = "feh --bg-scale "  # your command to change background goes here, but without the path to image
#--

def run_command(cmd):
    subprocess.call([shell, "-c", cmd])

def get_value(cmd):
    return subprocess.check_output([shell, "-c", cmd]).decode("utf-8").strip()

def read_text(file):
    with open(file) as src:
        return [l.replace('\t', tab) for l in src.readlines()]

def slice_lines(lines, n_lines, columns):
    markers = [i for i in range(len(lines)) if i % n_lines == 0]
    last = len(lines); markers = markers+[last] if markers[-1] != last else markers
    textblocks = [lines[markers[i]:markers[i+1]] for i in range(len(markers)-1)]
    filled_blocks = len(textblocks)
    if filled_blocks < columns:
        for n in range(columns - filled_blocks):
            textblocks.insert(len(textblocks), [])
    for i in range(columns):
        textblocks[i] = ("").join(textblocks[i])
    return textblocks[:columns]

def create_section(psize, text, layer):
    run_command("convert -background none"+\
                       " -fill "+text_color+\
                       " -border "+str(borderX)+"x"+str(borderY)+\
                       " -bordercolor none"+\
                       " -pointsize "+size+\
                       " -size "+psize+\
                       " -font "+font+\
                       " caption:"+'"'+text+'" '+layer)

def combine_sections(layers):
    run_command("convert "+image_1+" "+image_2+" "+"+append "+span_image)
    pass

def set_overlay():
    boxes = slice_lines(read_text(notes), n_lines, columns)
    resolution = get_value('identify -format "%wx%h" '+curr_wall).split("x")
    w = str(int(int(resolution[0])/columns)-2*borderX)
    h = str(int(resolution[1])-2*borderY)
    layers = []
    for i in range(len(boxes)):
        layer = curr_dir+"/"+"layer_"+str(i+1)+".png"
        create_section(w+"x"+h, boxes[i], layer)
        layers.append(layer)
    run_command("convert "+(" ").join(layers)+" "+"+append "+curr_dir+"/"+"layer_span.png")
    wall_img = curr_dir+"/"+"walltext.jpg"
    run_command("convert "+curr_wall+" "+curr_dir+"/"+"layer_span.png"+" -background None -layers merge "+wall_img)

    run_command(set_bg_cmd+wall_img)
    for img in [img for img in os.listdir(curr_dir) if img.startswith("layer_")]:
        os.remove(curr_dir+"/"+img)

while True:
    text_1 = read_text(notes)
    time.sleep(5)
    text_2 = read_text(notes)
    if text_2 != text_1:
        set_overlay()