A simple script to edit a dated file for journalling or note taking

jour.py

import sys
import time
import os
import argparse
import configparser

journal_dirname = ""
journal_cwd = ""
journal_date = ""
journal_filename = ""
journal_ext = ""
journal_editor = ""
journal_pathfmt = ""
journal_filefmt = ""

def get_args(args=None):
    """Get the program arguments"""
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Daily journal file opener')

    parser.add_argument('-i', '--inifile', default='jour.ini',
                        help='Override the default jour.ini filename')

    parser.add_argument('-s', '--suffix',
                        help="File suffix")

    parser.add_argument('filename', nargs='?',
                        help="Override the specific filename to edit")

    parser.add_argument('-p', '--pathname',
                        help="Override the path to edit")

    return parser.parse_args(args)

#
# Example jour.ini (blog.ini, work.ini, ...)
#
# [settings]
# path=C:\Source\journal
# editor=notepad
# ext=.md
# dateformat=%%Y\%%m-%%d
#
# By default, settings are read from the location of this script, so as long
# as it's in the path, there's no need to specify the ini argument to get the
# default settings.
#
def read_settings(inifile):
    global journal_dirname
    global journal_cwd
    global journal_ext
    global journal_editor
    global journal_pathfmt
    global journal_filefmt

    journal_cwd = sys.path[0]

    config = configparser.ConfigParser(interpolation=EnvInterpolation())
    config.read(os.path.join(journal_cwd, inifile))

    try:
        journal_dirname = config.get("settings", "path")
    except:
        journal_dirname = journal_cwd

    try:
        journal_editor = config.get("settings", "editor")
    except:
        journal_editor = "notepad"

    try:
        journal_pathfmt = config.get("settings", "pathformat")
    except:
        print("Unexpected error:", sys.exc_info()[0])
        journal_pathfmt = ""

    try:
        journal_filefmt = config.get("settings", "fileformat")
    except:
        print("Unexpected error:", sys.exc_info()[0])
        journal_filefmt = "%Y-%b-%d"

    try:
        journal_ext = config.get("settings", "ext")
    except:
        journal_ext = ".txt"

    if not journal_ext:
        journal_ext = ".txt"

def main():
    global journal_filename
    global journal_date
    global journal_pathfmt
    global journal_filefmt

    args = get_args()

    # Read optional settings ini file name.
    _, fileext = os.path.splitext(args.inifile)
    if fileext:
        inifile = args.inifile
    else:
        inifile = args.inifile + ".ini"

    read_settings(inifile)

    # Create a new filename of the format "2004-01-03".
    journal_path = time.strftime(journal_pathfmt, time.localtime())
    journal_file = time.strftime(journal_filefmt, time.localtime())

    journal_name = journal_file

    # Allow an optional path override.
    if args.pathname:
        journal_path = args.pathname

    # Allow an optional filename override.
    if args.filename:
        journal_name = args.filename

    # Allow an optional prefix for subjournals.
    if args.suffix:
        journal_name = journal_file + "-" + args.suffix

    journal_filename = os.path.join(journal_dirname, journal_path, journal_name + journal_ext)

    # Edit the journal entry
    os.system(journal_editor + " " + journal_filename)

class EnvInterpolation(configparser.BasicInterpolation):
    """Interpolation which expands environment variables in values."""

    def before_get(self, parser, section, option, value, defaults):
        value = super().before_get(parser, section, option, value, defaults)
        return os.path.expandvars(value)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()