#Automated Alert and Speech Output System based on Google Calendar

This little script reads the content of a Google Calendar and gives meeting alerts by reading the meeting subjects via text-to-speech.

This was originally built to run on a Raspberry Pi using Python 2.7 but can be equally run on either MacOs or Windows. The script is supposed to adapt automatically. I have tested it with Python 2.7 on Raspbian, with Python 3.6.4 on MacOs Mojave, and with Python 3.9.1 on Windows 10.

The scripts reads the prefs.json file to load preferences. The explanation of these preferences are here:

"status_output": if "on" the script turns verbose displaying console messages
"silence_file": required in special situations where the scripts runs on e.g. a Raspberry Pi which is connected via HDMI to a receiver
	if this is not empty, the script will append this audio file at the beginning of the sound output to
	allow some time for the channel switching delay which will cut some audio when starting to play
	The silence files are taken from: https://github.com/anars/blank-audio, Kudos & thanks @anars
"str_divider": line in ascii to have a visual speration of data
"str_initial_sound_file": sound file played on startup
"str_alert_sound": if "on" the sound in the "str_alert_sound_file" below is played before the calender text-to-speech output
"str_alert_sound_file": sound file played on alert if "str_alert_sound" above in "on"
"str_tts_sound_file": temp soundfile where the text-to-speech conversion result is stored
"str_play_sound_file": temp soundfile for mp3 play
"str_exit_chars": string of characters which will cause the script to terminate, e.g. "xXeE"
"number_events": number of calendar entries to be read head 
"refresh_timer": how often (minutes) 
"alerts": list of "alert_time" values to trigger the output of alert reminder messages

"language": the actual language to be used IMPORTANT: this is the only place which defines the actul language to be used

"locales": translation packet for the different strings / meesages in use
	"lang": identifier tag for the translation packet below - DO NOT CHANGE -
	"str_lookahead": string like "Maximum number of events in preview: "
	"str_begins": string like "begins in",
	"str_minutes": string like "minutes",
	"str_one_minute": string like "one minute",
	"str_no_event": string like "No upcoming events found",
	"str_reloaded": string like "Events reloaded at",
	"str_on": string like "on",
	"str_stints": string like "Passes: ",
	"str_iteration": string like "Minutes in pass:",
	"str_upcoming": string like "Getting the next ",
	"str_events": string like " events ..."
	"str_nodir": string like " does not exist or is not a directory",
	"str_wrongdir": string like " is the wrong directory"
	"str_signal": string like "Exiting after signal: ",
	"str_exit_msg": string like "The following keys terminate the program: "
	
	New languages can be added by adding new "locales" translation packets

A quick summary and step by step tutorial for gaining access to Google calendar can be found here: https://developers.google.com/calendar/quickstart/python

These installs might become necessary along the process:

pip install --upgrade google-api-python-client google-auth-httplib2 google-auth-oauthlib

pip install gTTS pyttsx3 playsound

pip install pydub

pip install datetime

pip install python-dateutil

pip install pathlib

Since the sound library used in python relies on ffmpeg, ffmpeg needs to be installed

pip install ffmpeg

If this does not work for some reason, ffmpeg should be installed on operating system level:

On Windows:

• Download from the .exe files in https://ffmpeg.org/download.html#build-windows, (using one of the provided links for binary builds) and put them in a directory and add the directory to the PATH

On MacOS

• Easiest way is to install it via MacPorts (sudo port install ffmpeg) or Homebrew (brew install ffmpeg), provided you have either Homebrew or Macports installed. If not, you might want to give Homebrew a first shot since it is non-intrusive and does not require sudo (/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"). Macports on the other hand can be found in https://www.macports.org/install.php. Please not that it is everyone's own responsibility what to install locally.

On Raspbian:

• sudo apt-get install ffmpeg

The CalSpeechReminder.py script can be called without parameters. In this case it expects to be invoked from within its base directory. If it is being invoked from outside its base directory (e.g. via desktop icon) the absolute or relative path to the base directory (where sound files and the prefs.json preference file are expected) can be given via command line parameter.

Usage: CalSpeechReminder.py [-d | --dir <base directory>]

or

Usage: CalSpeechReminder.py [-h | --help]

printing some help output

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While the script is designed to run on Linux, MacOs, and Windows, as mentioned above, I use it on a Raspberry Pi. Thus, here's an example for Raspbian on how to put it as an icon on the desktop (the cal.png) icon is included:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=CalSpeech
Type=Application
Exec=/usr/bin/python /home/pi/CalSpeechReminder/CalSpeechReminder.py -d /home/pi/CalSpeechReminder
Icon=/home/pi/CalSpeechReminder/cal.png
Comment=Spoken Calendar Reminders
Terminal=true
X-KeepTerminal=true
StartupNotify=true