Prayer Times Audio Player

Automated system for playing Adhan (prayer call) at scheduled times. Reads prayer schedules from Excel files and manages audio playback with configurable margins and settings.

Project Structure

├── schedule/                               # Directory for schedule files
│   └── schedule_[month][year].{xlsx,json}
├── sounds/                                 # Audio files directory
│   ├── adhan.mp3                           # Main prayer call audio
│   └── beep.mp3                            # Test audio file
├── logs/                                   # Log files directory
│   └── play.log                            # Activity log
├── utils/                                  # Configuration files
│   ├── config.json                          # Margin settings
│   ├── volume.txt                          # Volume settings
│   ├── skip.txt                            # Prayer skip settings
│   └── service.prayer_example              # Systemd service template
└── prayertimes.py                          # Main application file

Dependencies

Python Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

Required packages:

• sounddevice
• soundfile
• pandas
• Other dependencies as listed in requirements.txt

Configuration

Margin Settings (utils/config.json)

Configure how early the adhan should play before scheduled time.

{
    "global_margin": 5,     # Applied to all prayers unless overridden
    "prayer_margins": {
        "01-Fajr": 10,      # 10 minutes before Fajr
        "02-Dhuhr": 5,      # 5 minutes before Dhuhr
        "03-Asr": 5,        # 5 minutes before Asr
        "04-Maghrib": 5,    # 5 minutes before Maghrib
        "05-Isha": 5        # 5 minutes before Isha
    }
}

Volume Settings (utils/volume.txt)

Control volume levels for normal and test modes:

execution:8    # Normal mode volume (0-10)
dryrun:2       # Test mode volume (0-10)

Skip Settings (utils/skip.txt)

Skip specific prayers using numbers 1-5:

1,5    # Skip Fajr(1) and Isha(5)

Prayer numbers:

1. 01-Fajr
2. 02-Dhuhr
3. 03-Asr
4. 04-Maghrib
5. 05-Isha

Schedule Files

Excel Format (schedule_[month][year].xlsx)

• Contains both Azan and Jamaat times
• Uses multi-level headers
• Columns:
  • Azan Times: Fajr, Sunrise, Dhuhr, Asr (Shafi/Hanafi), Maghrib, Isha
  • Jamaat Times: Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha

JSON Format (schedule_[month][year].json)

• Automatically generated from Excel file
• Contains both azan and jamaat times
• Used for faster subsequent reads

Features

Audio Playback

• Configurable volume levels for normal and test modes
• Prevents duplicate playback within 60 seconds
• Supports prayer-specific skip settings
• Uses different audio files for test and normal modes

Schedule Management

• Automatic conversion of Excel schedules to JSON
• Support for both Azan and Jamaat times
• Organized by day with proper numerical ordering
• Automatic current month schedule loading

Logging

• Detailed logging in logs/play.log
• Console and file logging
• Includes timestamps and prayer names
• Logs successful plays and errors

Usage

Test Mode

python prayertimes.py --dryrun

Features:

• Uses beep.mp3 instead of adhan.mp3
• Lower volume by default
• Tests schedule parsing
• Verifies audio system

Normal Operation

python prayertimes.py

Service Setup

The application can be run as a systemd service. Follow these steps:

1. Create a virtual environment and install dependencies:

python3 -m venv .env
source .env/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Copy and customize the service template:

cp utils/service.prayer_example utils/service.prayer

3. Edit utils/service.prayer and replace the placeholders:

• <your-username>: Your system username
• <your-user-id>: Your user ID (usually 1000 for first user)
• Update paths to match your installation directory

4. Check your audio device:

# List available audio sinks
pactl list short sinks

# Test audio output (optional)
paplay --device=<sink-name> sounds/beep.mp3

5. The service is configured to automatically detect and use the Jieli Technology audio device. If you're using a different audio device, modify the ExecStartPre commands in service.prayer to match your audio device name:

ExecStartPre=/bin/bash -c 'SINK_NAME=$(pactl list short sinks | grep "Your_Device_Name" | cut -f2) && pactl set-default-sink "$SINK_NAME"'
ExecStartPre=/bin/bash -c 'SINK_NAME=$(pactl list short sinks | grep "Your_Device_Name" | cut -f2) && pactl set-sink-volume "$SINK_NAME" 100%'

6. Install and start the service:

# Copy service file
sudo cp utils/service.prayer /etc/systemd/system/prayer.service

# Enable and start service
sudo systemctl enable prayer
sudo systemctl start prayer

7. Monitor service status:

# Check service status
sudo systemctl status prayer

# View service logs
journalctl -u prayer

# View detailed logs
tail -f logs/play.log

Note: The service.prayer file is excluded from git to prevent committing system-specific settings. Each installation should maintain its own local copy based on the service.prayer_example template.

Development

The application is structured into several classes:

• Config: Handles configuration loading and management
• AudioPlayer: Manages audio playback and volume control
• PrayerScheduleManager: Handles schedule file parsing and management
• PrayerService: Main service coordinating all components

Each component is designed to be modular and maintainable, with proper error handling and logging throughout the application.