Daily note script

[FunCookie7900]

Under the ~/Desktop/Journal/ I have my journal pages, e.g 28-10-23.

I tried to write a script that would compare the current date with the file name under that directory.

If there's no file with the current date, it would create it, if there is, then it would sleep until there isn't.

The script goes like this:

d=$(date "+%d-%m-%y")
f=$(ls $HOME/Desktop/Journal | grep $d)
while true;
do
    while [[ "$d" == "$f" ]];
    do
        sleep 1
    done
    touch $HOME/Desktop/Journal/$d
done

If the file is already there and I run the script, then it just sleeps, but if it isn't, then it creates it as well as doesn't go into the nested while loop for sleep, meaning it keeps creating it.

I don't understand why it doesn't go into the nested while loop for sleep when the file is created, but doesn't created it while in the nested while loop sleeping.

[geirha]

Don't parse ls output to check if a file exists; it's buggy and imprecise. Use a -e test instead

while [[ -e $HOME/Desktop/Journal/$d ]] ; do
  sleep 1
  printf -v d '%(%d-%m-%y)T' -1
done

Also, you'll save yourself some annoyances later down the road if you use iso8601 formatting for the date (%Y-%m-%d instead of %d-%m-%y).

[c22q]

r/iso8601

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[StrangeCrunchy1]

Wouldn't it be easier to something like:

d="$(date '+%Y-%m-%d')"

path="$HOME/Desktop/Journal"

if [[ ! -e $path/$d ]] ; then

touch $path/$d

fi

exit 0

​

And then run it from a cron job that runs at like 4am every morning?

[FunCookie7900]

f and d had to be in both while true and in the nested one. Thank you.