Show HN: Notify – CLI to notify your phone | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: Notify – CLI to notify your phone

mashlol.github.io

22 pointsmashlol18 comments

Really like the idea!

Im trying it out right now and the Android app told me to use an identifier that starts with a '9'. I typed `notify -r <my_identifier>`. When I try running `notify` however, it gives me this:

[notify] Encountered an error: ParseError { code: 141, message: 'Error 112: Channel name must start with a letter: <my_identifier>' }

Ah, this is interesting, didn't encounter this during testing. Working on a fix, thanks for reporting!

Are these your keys? https://github.com/mashlol/notify/blob/master/node/notify.js

Yes they are the parse app keys, they are meant to be public.

Just a heads up that that the app gives the following example:

  $ someLongRunningCommand || notify

  This will send a push to your phone when the command has completed, regardless of success or failure.

Obviously that will only notify upon command failure. It looks like the webpage is accurate (uses a ;) so perhaps the app just hasn't been updated yet.

For those like me who wonder how to use npm without being root, here's an answer that worked for me on Debian:

http://stackoverflow.com/a/21712034/323094

The app/program is a great idea, thank you.

Two comments: 1. It should accept a message from stdin 2. When sending a message via the -t parameter, after clicking the notification in Android, I see "Your identifier is: Hello World!". Is that intentional or a bug?

FYI you don't need root at all. Just download the node tarball and unpack it somewhere in your user dir.

Then add the following to your .profile (or .bashrc or whatever you prefer):

  # add node.js bin to PATH
  npath=~/Applications/node-v4.2.1-linux-x64/bin
  if [ -d "$npath" ]; then
      PATH=$npath${PATH:+:$PATH}
  fi

Then add the following to your .manpath if you want access to node manpages:

  # node.js
  MANPATH_MAP    ~/Applications/node-v4.2.1-linux-x64/bin    ~/Applications/node-v4.2.1-linux-x64/share/man
  MANPATH_MAP    ~/Applications/node-v4.2.1-linux-x64/bin    ~/Applications/node-v4.2.1-linux-x64/lib/node_modules/npm/man

Then to install:

  npm install -g notify-cli

Obviously you may need to update the particulars.

Great idea.

Is it possible to customize the notification text?

Small error: Rotating the phone while in the app changes the text to "Your identifier is: Hello World!" and you have to completely quit the app to fix it.

Ah good find with the Android bug, I forgot Android re-draws everything on rotates. As of 0.0.3 it is now possible to customize the text with -t.

I also got the "Your identifier is: Hello World!" upon startup (while internet was disabled).

How does this work? Is the notifications sent via your server which finds the correct device and pushes the message?

When you download the app, it registers with Parse, which generates a registration ID for your device. When you use the CLI, it goes to Parse with the key you received from the app and queries for your installation, sending the notification to that specific installation.

What is the difference between this solution and Pushover?

Do I have to install an app on my mobile?

Yes you have to install an app (soon to come is email fallback if you don't have the app, and Chrome push notifications on Android, which don't require an app downloaded).

While I hadn't heard of it until you mentioned it, the main difference between this and Pushover seems to be that 1) Pushover seems to have more features and available platforms, and 2) Pushover costs money while this is free & opensource.

Lovely idea! Please post an update here when the iOS app is available! :)

Here's hoping it's compatible with older versions of iOS as well

Love the idea! Nice tool missing in developers life :)

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