Emacs: tmr version 0.3.0

2022-05-17

TMR is an Emacs package that provides facilities for setting timers using a convenient notation. Below are the release notes.

Sources:

• Package name (GNU ELPA): tmr
• Official manual: https://protesilaos.com/emacs/tmr
• Git repo on SourceHut: https://git.sr.ht/~protesilaos/tmr
  • Mirrors:
    • GitHub: https://github.com/protesilaos/tmr
    • GitLab: https://gitlab.com/protesilaos/tmr
• Mailing list: https://lists.sr.ht/~protesilaos/tmr

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Version 0.3.0 on 2022-05-17

The gist of TMR’s May Release is that TMR is Maintained Rigorously—but enough with The Mostly Recursive acronyms!

• This is the first version for which we produce a change log. The short story of previous releases: I (Protesilaos) was using and developing TMR (pronounced as “timer” or “T-M-R”) as part of my personal setup for more than a year until I eventually contributed it to GNU ELPA.

• What was once tmr.el is now split up into purpose-specific files: tmr.el (core functionality), tmr-tabulated.el (grid view), tmr-sound.el (audible notifications), and tmr-notification.el (desktop notifications).

• The tmr-with-description command creates a new timer while always asking for a description. Whereas the standard tmr command prompts for a description only when invoked with a prefix argument.

• The tmr-clone command copies the duration and optional description of an existing timer object into a new one. The operation is performed without further questions, except if a prefix argument is supplied: in that case the command will prompt for a duration and, if the original timer had a description, for one as well. The default values of these prompts are those of the original timer.

• The tmr-remove-finished deletes all elapsed timers. This means that they are removed from the list of available timers and, thus, cannot be cloned.

• The tmr-timer-created-functions, tmr-timer-completed-functions, and tmr-timer-cancelled-functions are hooks which can be used to control what happens once a timer is (i) created, (ii) elapses, or (iii) is cancelled.

• Elapsed and running timers are displayed in a grid view with the command tmr-tabulated-view. The buffer looks like this:

  Start      End        Finished?  Description
  09:22:43   09:32:43   ✔         Prepare tea
  09:17:14   09:37:14              Boil water
  09:07:03   09:57:03              Bake bread
  

• In that grid view, it is possible to create a new timer, or operate on the one at point to cancel, clone, redescribe, and reschedule it.

• Thanks to Christian Tietze for implementing changes to how desktop notifications are handled. The overall effect should still be the same for existing users, though the implementation has been redesigned.

• Thanks to Damien Cassou who is now is my co-author due to multiple contributions for tmr.el, the addition of the grid view, and the splitting of TMR into numerous files. Please consult the Git commit log for the details. (I still am the maintainer.)

• Christian and Damien have assigned copyright to the Free Software Foundation. It is required for all non-trivial changes to packages distributed via GNU ELPA.

The manual documents the technicalities and provides a sample configuration. Either evaluate the form (info "(tmr) Top") if you have the package installed or visit https://protesilaos.com/emacs/tmr.