Add API method for showing OS notifications; integrate with jobs

[jmcphers]

Today, if you're running some code in RStudio that might take a while, there's no good mechanism for getting notified when it's done. There are a variety of R packages that can help, but the only truly cross-platform solution emits a simple beep, which isn't much help if you're away from your desk.

RStudio's API could add a method that would show a simple text notification, to be optionally used at the end of a long task. With the appropriate backends, it could show:

• Desktop notifications on MacOS, using NSUserNotification or UserNotifications
• Toast notifications on Windows
• Freedesktop notifications on Linux
• Web Notifications API on RStudio Server

You could call this API at the end of your R Script to show a custom notification on completion. Optionally, we'd also show you an auto-generated notification:

1. When the IDE does not have focus, and an R command that took more than N seconds has finished executing
2. When a background job (in the Jobs pane) that took more than N seconds has finished
3. When indicated beforehand (gesture TBD) that a notification should be shown after completing the background job or R command about to be executed

Other interesting resources:

• Notifications from R; blog post discussing approaches in 2014 (beepr, gmailr, rpushbullet)
• Send OS X notification when done; gist by @hrbrmstr
• Snorenotify; multi-platform Qt notification system

[jmcphers]

Also worth thinking about: the console's global progress bar (which summarizes the progress of all currently running background jobs) could be mirrored in the dock/taskbar. We're not using Electron, but this summarizes the idea well:

https://electronjs.org/docs/tutorial/progress-bar

[jimhester]

FWIW https://github.com/gaborcsardi/notifier is cross platform and works well on macOS at least, it is what I have used since it was released.

[jimhester]

FWIW https://github.com/gaborcsardi/notifier is cross platform and works well on macOS at least, it is what I have used since it was released.

[clayzermk1]

As someone who is new to R, it would be great to get a desktop notification when execution of a block finishes.

[rjake]

I just want the window to flash when it's done and to have the option in the API. This behavior is part of my SQL IDE and helps immensely. I can make a separate issue if you prefer. Could be nice to choose:

• windows notification
• flash 3 times
• flash indefinitely
• beep

Update: Chiming back in to say utils::winDialog() is another option that might help others: winDialog(message = "all done")

[gtritchie]

Taking this out of the Electron milestone. This isn't Electron-specific, and we aren't trying to add new features as part of the initial Electron release, just parity with the existing Desktop.