[APP IDEA] Desktop Background Scripting

nebagakidnebagakid
Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
The App would be a way to script the background picture to show information:



1. Display a stock price with a background color to correspond if the stock went up (green) or down (red).



2. Show the current iTunes song with album artwork.



3. Maybe change the desktop picture (or color) depending on the time of day.



4. Download images from a gallery and show them on the desktop.



It is sort of like Konfabulator for just the Desktop Background. It is easier, though, because there would be no need to design a GUI. Maybe it could use CSS and XML to arrange stuff? I am not a programmer, but I am an idea person, and I would love to see this idea come to life.



Is anyone else interested in this?



Comments

  • Reply 1 of 3
    nebagakidnebagakid Posts: 2,692member
    I think I have far as I can go: http://homepage.mac.com/nebagakid/Lester.tgz (1.4MB)

    I am not sure where I am going. I made a custom NSImage, NSView, and NSTextField. I was thinking that these would be the basic elements of the "modules." You can set the color and opacity of the View, and then on top of the view, you can place and arrange your images and text in anyway you want. But, I am just not able to get through it myself. Anybody have any help for me to go further? It does not run right now, it builds though. There are a lot of errors. Could some tell me where to go from here? Thanks







    IT ISN'T MUCH, I warn you. I am much more of an idea person (and a high school student) than a software engineer
  • Reply 2 of 3
    tchwojkotchwojko Posts: 139member
    Konfabulator already allows you to change widgets to be placed at the desktop level, behind everything else. The widget then pretty much is part of the background.
  • Reply 3 of 3
    nebagakidnebagakid Posts: 2,692member
    1. Konfabulator costs Mulah (not that much, but more than anyone without a credit card has on the internet)



    2. The widgets can be any size, and this is made to fill the entire desktop, make it usable. not clutter.



    3. Yes, you are right, this does mimic the functions of Konfabulator a bit, but it is also an alternative and offers different ways of getting information. (Yet, Panic's upcoming Stattoo does as well, but none of them are the same as my idea)
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