Introduction

Focus is a command-line productivity tool for improved task workflows.

Why Focus?

For developers, Focus aims to help fight distractions while you work; less distractions means more focus. Currently, Focus targets Unix-like operating systems, such as Linux or Mac OSX.

Features

Open Applications

Launch applications needed for your task.

Close Applications

Quit unnecessary applications when starting your task.

Block Applications

Continuously quit unnecessary applications if they are launched during a task.

Block Websites

Block distracting websites, such as Hacker News, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

Run Commands

Execute arbitrary shell commands useful for your task.

Play Sounds

Play a sound after your task timer runs out or whenever you end the task. You can also play a sound when starting tasks, in case you want to get your groove on.

Notifications

Show a popup system notification message when a task is started or has ended, either by you completing the task or the timer running out.

Update IM Status

Update the account status for your favorite instant messenger (IM) applications while you work. Focus supports Pidgin, Empathy, and Skype on Linux and Adium and Skype on Mac OSX.

Track Your Time

Keep tabs on how long you work on tasks per day. Focus will record your time automatically and present your time as a simple report.

If these features won't do it for you, Focus boasts a simple, yet powerful plugin system. More on this later.

Installation

$ sudo pip install focus

or from source:

$ sudo python setup.py install

Python Libraries

The following Python libraries are required to run Focus; though pip should handle taking care of installing them if not available.

• psutil >= 0.4.1
• argparse (Python <2.7)
• dbus (Linux only)

Optional External Dependencies

• Linux:

  mpg123, play, or aplay [WAV only] (to play sounds)

• Mac OSX:

  terminal-notifier or growlnotify (to show notifications)

Usage

Create Task

$ focus make task_name [--skip-edit]

or, clone from existing task:

$ focus make task_name other_task [--skip-edit]

This command opens the task configuration file using the shell's default editor ($EDITOR), unless the --skip-edit flag is provided. After the editor exits, the configuration file is validated and will prompt for retry if validation fails.

Start Task

$ focus on task_name

This starts the provided task, running any initial settings as indicated in the task's configuration file.

End Task

$ focus end

This ends the current task, running any ending settings as indicated in the task's configuration file.

Note: this command is only available when a task is active.

Edit Task

$ focus edit task_name [--skip-edit]

Like the make command, this command opens the task configuration file using the shell's default editor ($EDITOR). After the editor exits, the configuration file is validated and will prompt for retry if validation fails.

List Tasks

$ focus list [-v] [--verbose]

This will scan for existing tasks with valid configuration files and print the names of the tasks found. Specify the -v or --verbose flag to also print setting information for each task's configuration file. Invalid tasks are marked in red, while the active task is marked in green.

View Task

$ focus view [task_name]

This prints the setting information from the task's configuration file. If no task name is provided, the active task will be shown.

Rename Task

$ focus rename old_task_name new_task_name

This commands gives the provided task a new name.

Delete Task

$ focus destroy task_name [-f] [--force]

This commands removes the provided task after prompting for confirmation. Specify the -f or --force flag to skip confirmation.

Show Remaining Time for Active Task

$ focus left [-s] [--short]

This commands prints the amount of time remaining, in minutes, for the active task. Specify the -s or --short flag to print just the number of minutes.

Note: this command is only available if the active task has defined the duration option.

Show Available Usage Statistics

$ focus stat [start]

This commands prints the daily task usage summaries, broken out per task, for every day from the starting period through the current day.

The starting period supports the following values

today, t
yesterday, y
{n}d, {n}day, {n} day, {n}days, {n} days, {n} day ago, {n} days ago
w, wk, week, last week
{n}w, {n}wk, {n}week, {n}weeks, {n} week ago, {n} weeks ago

where {n} is replaced with a number (e.g. 1d for 1 day ago to today). If no starting period is provided, then today will be used.

Task Configuration

Each task is described by its associated configuration file. When a new task is created, the default task configuration file will be used.

The task configuration file is composed of a number of either non-block or block options. Each value for an option may be quoted with either single or double quote, or may be unquoted if spaces and quotes are escaped.

Examples:

# option => value 1, value2, value 3, value 4, value\ 5
option "value 1", value2, 'value 3', value\ 4, value\\ 5;

# option => a 'b', a 'b', a \ b, a \ b, a \ b, a \\ b, 'abc' - "d"
option 'a \'b\'', a\ \'b\', "a \\ b", "a \ b",
        a\ \\ b, a\ \\\ b, "'abc' - \"d\"";

Applications

The apps block allows for options to run, close, or block applications. Each option supports multiple values and can be repeated as multiple option definitions.

The run option supports an arbitrary shell command, an application name, or the path to an executable script. Arguments and shell redirection are also possible. This option will be initiated when starting a task.

The close option supports an arbitrary shell command, an application name, or the path to an executable script. Unlike run, shell redirection is not supported and all arguments provided are considered as part of the command/application name provided (e.g. "Google Chrome" not "Google" with "Chrome" argument). This option will be initiated when starting on a task.

The block option behaves exactly like close, except that it runs continously while the task is active (approximately once a second).

The run and close options also support the "end_" prefix which will instead be activated when a task is manually ended.

For example:

apps {
    run /path/to/file;       # run app at task start
    close /path/to/file;     # close app at task start
    end_run /path/to/file;   # run app at task end (manual)
    end_close /path/to/file; # close app at task end (manual)

    # See Task Timer below..
    timer_run /path/to/file;   # run app at task end (timer elapsed)
    timer_close /path/to/file; # close app at task end (timer elapsed)
}

Task Timer

The duration option will automatically end the task after the specified number of minutes. This option supports only a single value > 0 and the option cannot be defined more than once.

This also enables the left command when running the focus program to view remaining task time.

Additionally, any options that support the "end_" prefix will also support the "timer_" prefix. They function similar to "end_" prefixed options, except they are only activated after the task timer has elapsed.

For example:

apps {
    timer_run /path/to/file;   # run app at task end (timer elapsed)
    timer_close /path/to/file; # close app at task end (timer elapsed)
}

Blocking Websites

The block option under the sites block allows for blocking website domains while the task is active. Each option supports one or more domain values. The option may be redefined multiple times.

For example:

sites {
    block google.com, twitter.com;
    block youtube.com, "othersite.com";
}

Under the hood, Focus updates the system HOSTS file (/etc/hosts) with mappings of the provided domains to the local machine. Because of this, you will have to provide an entry for each relevant subdomain as well if necessary. As a result, this strategy won't scale when blocking a site with numerous subdomains. Perhaps, another solution like a local DNS server would be more appropriate (e.g. dnsmasq).

As a convenience, any domains configured will also map the following subdomains: m, www, mobile.

For example:

google.com => google.com, www.google.com, m.google.com, mobile.google.com

Playing Sounds

The play options for the sounds block support the path to a sound file that is playable on your system via available external binaries (mpg123, play, and aplay [WAV only]). Only a single value is supported for each option, and each type of option cannot be defined more than once. Make sure your preferred binary is installed and works correctly by manually running your sound file through the program.

For example:

sounds {
    play /path/to/file;        # play sound file at task start
    end_play /path/to/file;    # play sound file at task end (manual)
    timer_play /path/to/file;  # play sound file at task end (timer elapsed)
}

Notifications

The show options for the notify block support a single message that will be shown as a system notification. Only a single value is supported for each option, and each type of option cannot be defined more than once.

On Linux/Unix, the feature functions via the DBUS IPC bus. On Mac OSX, external binaries (terminal-notifier and growlnotify) will be used when available; otherwise, a fallback alert dialog will be shown. If using Mac OSX, make sure your preferred binary is installed and works correctly, unless the fallback method is desired.

For example:

notify {
    show "message here";        # notify at task start
    end_show "message here";    # notify at task end (manual)
    timer_show "message here";  # notify at task end (timer elapsed)
}

Updating IM Status

The im block allows for options to update the status information for a number of running instant messenger applications.

The status_msg option supports defining a name that can be referenced when specifying the status, end_status and timer_status options. The option takes two arguments: the first being the identifier name, and the second, the value for the status message. The option can be defined more than once to define multiple status messages to use.

For example:

im {
    status_msg message_name, value;
    status_msg brb, brb;
    status_msg brb2, be\ right\ back;
    status_msg omg, "oh em gee";
    status_msg working, "definitely busy here..";
}

The status option is activated at the start of a task, and it accepts either the new status, or both the new status and new status message as arguments.

For the status argument, the following values are available:

'online'    - Online/Available
'away'      - Away
'long_away' - Extended Away
'busy'      - Busy
'hidden'    - Hidden/Invisible

For the optional message argument, a string value may be provided. To reference an existing status_msg option definition, simply provide the status_msg name prefixed with ":" (e.g. :working, :brb, :omg). The status option also supports the "end_" and "timer_" prefixes which will instead be activated when a task is manually ended or after the timer elapses, respectively.

For example:

im {
    status_msg working, "definitely busy here...";
    status busy, :working;       # change status at task start

    #status away;
    #status busy, really\ busy;
    #status busy, "don't bother";
    end_status online;          # change status at task end (manual)
    timer_status online;        # change status at task end (timer elapsed)

    status_msg play, "reading some twitters";
    #status away, :play;
}

Plugin System

Focus provides a simple and flexible plugin system to extend the core functionality. In fact, plugins are used internally for everything.

Installing Plugins

After running the focus command, the .focus directory is created in your home directory ($HOME or ~). Under that lives a plugins subdirectory, where you can drop your .py python plugin files. If they are valid, the plugins will automatically become available when running focus. For command plugins, running focus will print a help banner with the installed commands, which will include your plugins.

Remember, if the plugin is available only for active tasks, the appropriate task must be active to see your plugin show up.

Command Plugins

Command plugins define the commands that are available for the Focus binary (e.g. on, make, etc.). These can be available always, only for tasks that define certain options, or only for active tasks.

The command class attribute identifies the plugin as a command plugin and specifies the actual command name to register with the plugin.

Note: The command name should be unique.

The plugin should define the execute() method for running the command. The env argument represents the environment and the args argument is the result of parsing the command-line arguments using the ArgumentParser object.

Method Definition:

def execute(self, env, args):
    env.io.write('Verbose: {0}'.format(args.verbose))

To simply print an error message, use the env.io.error() method. If you need to also return a specific error code along with printing an error message raise a FocusError exception from the focus.errors module:

from focus.errors import FocusError

def execute(self, env, args):
    # env.io.error('Oh noes!')  # just prints and returns exit code 0
    raise FocusError('message here', code=123)

If the plugin needs to define any command-line arguments, it should define the setup_parser() method. The parser argument is an instance of argparse.ArgumentParser and should be updated as necessary to add arguments.

Method Definition:

def setup_parser(self, parser):
    parser.add_argument('-v', '--verbose', action='store_true')

Plugin Example:

from focus.plugin import Plugin

class Foo(Plugin):
   """ Description of plugin, used when generating help message.
       """
   name = "FooPlugin"         # Name of plugin, must be unique
   version = "1.0"            # Plugin version
   target_version = ">=0.1"   # Target Focus version, (<, <=, ==, >=, >)
   command = "bar"            # Command name

   def setup_parser(self, parser):
       parser.add_argument('-v', '--verbose', action='store_true')

   def execute(self, env, args):
       env.io.write('Verbose: {0}'.format(args.verbose))
       #env.io.error('Oh noes!')
       #env.io.success('Woot')

       # resp = env.io.prompt('Are you distracted? (y/n)')
       # stdin_data = env.io.read()

Task Event Plugins

Task event plugins are only available for active tasks. They can be registered to run at the start of the task, during the task loop (every second), at the end of a task, or some combination therein. These plugins will be run within a daemon process when the task starts.

The events class attribute identifies the plugin as a task event plugin and specifies the events of the task that should be registered: task_start, task_run, task_end.

The plugin should define the on_taskstart(), on_taskrun(), or on_taskend() methods corresponding to the values provided for the events attribute. The task argument represents the active task, which includes name, duration (minutes), and a few methods such as start() and stop().

Method Definition:

def on_taskstart(self, task):
    pass

Plugin Example:

from focus.plugin import Plugin

class Foo(Plugin):
   """ Description of plugin.
       """
   name = "FooPlugin"         # Name of plugin, must be unique
   version = "1.0"            # Plugin version
   target_version = ">=0.1"   # Target Focus version, (<, <=, ==, >=, >)
   events = ['task_start', 'task_run', 'task_end']

   def on_taskstart(self, task):
       pass

   def on_taskrun(self, task):
       pass

   def on_taskend(self, task):
       pass

Plugin Options

Two attributes exist to allow plugins to only be loaded for active tasks:

1. options

   Set the options class attribute. This defines the options that, if provided in a task configuration file, will trigger the load of this plugin. Options are either non-block (e.g. duration) or block (e.g. apps => { run, close, block }, sites => { block }, etc.). When this attribute is set, the plugin should define the parse_option() method in order to parse the values set in a task configuration file. See example below.

   Note: these options should be unique.

   Plugin Snippet:

   from focus.plugin import Plugin
   
   class Foo(Plugin):
       ...
       options = [
           # duration (non-block option)
           {
               'name': 'duration',
               'allow_duplicates': False  # disallow duplicate definitions
           },
   
           # apps.run, apps.close (block options)
           {
               'block': 'apps',
               'options': [
                   {
                       'name': 'run',
                       'allow_duplicates': True  # the default
                   },
                   { 'name': 'close' }
               ]
           }
       ]
   

   Task Configuration Example:

   task {
       duration 30;
   
       apps {
           run firefox, chromium, /path/to/file, /path/to/other\ file;
           run "/path/to/file arg1 arg2", helloworld\ -a\ b;
           close adium;
       }
   }
   

   Method Definition:

   def parse_option(self, option, block_name, *values):
       # raise ValueError exception with a message to reject the provided
       # value. this will propagate up to the cli when loading a task
   

   Here, the option and block_name names for the currently parsed option are provided. block_name will be None when parsing non-block options. values holds one or more values associated with the provided option.

2. task_only

   Set the task_only class attribute, so the plugin will be available for any task once started.

   Plugin Snippet:

   class Foo(Plugin):
       ...
       task_only = True
       ...
   

Root Access

If a plugin needs root access, it should define the needs_root attribute. When set, this installs a run_root() method on the plugin class, which accepts an arbitrary command string and returns a boolean for success or failure. Internally, Focus uses the sudo command to temporarily escalate privileges.

Plugin Snippet:

from focus.plugin import Plugin

class Foo(Plugin):
    ...
    command = 'foo'
    events = ['task_start']
    needs_root = True

    def execute(self, env, args):
        self.run_root('whoami >> /tmp/whoami_focus.log')

    def on_taskstart(self, task):
        self.run_root('whoami >> /tmp/whoami_focus2.log')