I was asked somewhere about what to do with an extra phone. I mentioned that I use one as a launch pad for running scripts on my main computer using a homebrewed solution. I was asked to share it. But, it is entertwined in another project of mine. So, I've pulled it out, refactored, and added a QR code to connect the phone. Now, anyone can use my system. But, I can't remember where and who asked me to do this. I hope he finds this.
This little project has two parts: an Expressjs server and the Svelte based
UI. The server is in the Server directory and the user interface is in the
UI directory. Once you download this project and install nodejs, go to each directory and
run the command:
npm installOnce all the dependencies are installed, come back to the root directory and run:
mask LaunchServerYou have to have mask installed for this to work. Or, open the maskfile.md
and run the commands under the LaunchServer H2 heading. The LaunchServer script in the
maskfile.md will first compile the UI files and then launch the nodejs Express server on
port 3000.
When launched on the main computer, open your browser to http://localhost:3000 in
your web browser. This will show all the script launching buttons and a button in the top right
corner that says Show QR Code. Using your phone or tablet, scan the QR code that
appears when you press the button, and launch it in the browser for that device. You
will have the same page loaded,
but without the Show QR Code button. Your tablet or smart phone has to be
on the same subnet in order to work.
This project isn't really complete, but it is functional. It is used to create buttons on a web page that executes scripts on the main computer. I use it all the time to launch scripts for adjusting window positions using hammerspoon, launching Alfred workfows, and anything else I need to do. I then load it onto my tablet or smart phone and keep it beside my computer. It makes a very convient way to launch scripts that I use a lot.
In order to use the scripts I've programmed already, you will need to have Hammerspoon and Alfred with my Hammerspoon workflow and Taskpaper Todo workflow found here.
In order to customize the buttons, you need to edit the ScriptList structure
in the main.js file in the UI. That structure contains the contents of the
button and the information needed to lauch scripts. I left a few to give you
an example of how I use it.
Even though my examples will only work on a Mac, you can use this on any system that supports nodejs. Let me know how you make use of this system.
This is part of a larger project of mine. Therefore, as I upgrade it there, I'll be upgrading here as well. Currently it needs:
- Graphic customizer instead of manualling changing the program
- Saving and retreiving the defaults from a file
- Make the UI pretty