Taskware

A modern GNOME/GTK app that unifies cron and systemd timers into a user-friendly, Ubuntu-first Task Scheduler with natural language scheduling, logging, and monitoring.

Status

MVP scaffold: runnable GTK4 + libadwaita window with tabs for User/System jobs and backend stubs.

Requirements (Ubuntu 22.04 LTS)

Install system packages:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y python3-gi gir1.2-gtk-4.0 gir1.2-adw-1

Optional (dev tooling):

sudo apt install -y python3-venv python3-pip

Setup

From the repository root:

# (Optional) create venv
python3 -m venv .venv
. .venv/bin/activate

# Install project (no extra deps required)
pip install -e .

Optional (for AI helper window sizing)

Chromium or a Chromium-based browser is recommended so the AI helper window can open at a specific size/position reliably:

# One option on Ubuntu
sudo snap install chromium

Firefox works too, but some Wayland sessions ignore window size/position hints.

Run

# Either via entrypoint
taskware

# Or module-style
python -m taskware

Desktop launcher (GNOME Applications menu)

To add Taskware to your Applications menu with a desktop entry, use the provided helper script:

bash scripts/install_desktop.sh

What this does:

• Creates a user-local launcher script at ~/.local/bin/taskware-launch that sets PYTHONPATH=src and runs python3 -m taskware.
• Installs a desktop entry at ~/.local/share/applications/taskware.desktop so you can launch Taskware from the Activities/Applications menu.
• Refreshes the desktop database with update-desktop-database if available.

After installation, search for "Taskware" in your app launcher.

Uninstall (manual):

rm -f ~/.local/bin/taskware-launch
rm -f ~/.local/share/applications/taskware.desktop
update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications 2>/dev/null || true

Project Structure

src/
  taskware/
    app.py
    __main__.py
    windows/
      main_window.py
      add_job_dialog.py
      salt_settings_dialog.py
    backend/
      __init__.py
      cron.py
      salt_exporter.py

Features

• Natural-language scheduling with fallback parsing for times like "noon", "midnight", and compact AM/PM inputs (e.g., 5p, 7:15a).
• Weekday phrases including combined days (e.g., "every monday, wednesday and thursday") and biweekly ("every other tuesday").
• Schedule builder keeps UI and cron in sync and supports a time window for every minute / every N minutes / hourly modes.
• AI button next to the Command field opens a small external browser window to a cron command generator.
• Discreet Settings (gear icon) includes a Salt Integration dialog to export Taskware jobs as Salt states (SLS).

AI Assistant

• Click the "AI" button on the Add Job dialog (next to the Command field).
  • If Chromium/Chrome/Brave is installed, Taskware opens a small app-style window (~686×765) near the right edge.
  • If only Firefox is present, Taskware requests a smaller sized window. Some Wayland setups may ignore these size/position hints.
  • The page cannot be embedded due to site security policies; it opens in the system browser by design.

Troubleshooting (AI window sizing)

• If Firefox opens full size or centered on Wayland, install Chromium for reliable sizing:
  • sudo snap install chromium

Salt Integration (Optional)

• Open the gear icon in the main window to access Salt Integration settings.
• You can configure master URL/auth and generate SLS files for your current user jobs to a directory you choose.
• Exported SLS uses cron.present. Biweekly jobs include a lightweight wrapper script and a weekly cron entry.
• Future options may include push via salt-api, salt-ssh, or GitFS.

Next Steps (Roadmap excerpt)

• Push-to-Salt flows via salt-api or salt-ssh (apply/remove, dry-run/test mode).
• Calendar/timeline view and job details with logs.
• Systemd timers via D-Bus and polkit flows.

License

GPL-3.0-or-later