Automatic Text Scheduler

Have you ever wanted to automatically send text messages to your friends on their birthdays? Or maybe you wanted to randomly send check-in messages to your long-distance friends every few weeks just to keep in touch?

This script allows you to set up random texts to one person or preset scheduled texts to multiple friends from your computer. Once set-up, sit back and relax and let the scheduler do the sending at the dates and times you specify!

System Requirements

• Only compatitble with Mac OS
• Should be run using Python 3.x, which can be downloaded here
• Requires the CronTab module for Python, install instructions here

How To Use

• Navigate to the project folder via commandline and run "pip install -r requirements.txt", this will install the proper crontab module.

• Enter "python textScheduler.py" to run the program, this will open the textScheduler.xlsm file. Click “ok” to enable macros

• The Unique Tagname field is used to identify the group of scheduled texts, and to allow for future deletion or modification of all tasks with a similar Tagname

• If you want to set up random messaging to one user, fill out the “Random” tab:

  • Enter the name and number of the recipient
  • Messages will always be sent within the time interval specified
  • The full Date Interval will be split evenly into “n” smaller intervals, where “n” equals the number of messages to send. A message will be sent at a random date within a given smaller interval.
  • The number of messages per week determines the frequency of messages. This can be a fractional number
  • The messages will be randomly selected (with replacement) from the message list
  • Note that messages will not be sent to the user on weekends

• If you want to set up messages to multiple users, fill out the Multi_person tab

  • For each line, fill out name, number, date, time and message
  • Incomplete lines will be ignored

• Click Generate, the results will be found under the Autogen_Results tab, and in the separate textSchedule.csv file that will be created/updated in the folder.

• Once you have generated the file, return to the python console and type "y" (without the quotes), this will load each scheduled job onto your compputer's crontab. All crontab jobs will be displayed on the console afterwards.

• If you would like to remove a selection of jobs, type the job id (the text after the "#" that appears as a comment at the end of a crontab entry) when prompted. Type "e" to exit the program.

Notes and Limitations

• The jobs that are scheduled to your crontab will only be executed if your computer is running (not sleeping or off). Thus texts will only be sent while you are logged in.

Compatibility and Versioning

Tested Operating Systems: Tested on Windows 10 and OSX 10.12.4
Written with Python 3.0

Authors

• Brittany Scheid

License

This project is free for public use.