RedPaper

A Windows application that automatically changes your desktop wallpaper by fetching images from Reddit subreddits. The application includes a 24-hour timer to prevent excessive downloads and comes with a complete Windows installer.

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Features

• 🖼️ Automatically fetches wallpapers from Reddit (default: r/wallpaper)
• ⏰ 24-hour cooldown period between wallpaper changes
• 🔄 Handles PC shutdowns/restarts properly (tracks time since last change)
• 📥 Downloads images to Pictures/redpaper_wallpapers/
• 🪟 Native Windows desktop wallpaper integration
• 📅 Scheduled task for automatic operation
• 🛠️ Complete Windows installer with uninstaller

How It Works

The application stores a timestamp of the last successful wallpaper change in %APPDATA%\RedPaper\last_run.txt. On each run, it:

1. Checks if 24 hours have passed since the last change
2. If yes: Downloads a new wallpaper from Reddit and sets it
3. If no: Logs the remaining time and exits gracefully

This ensures you get fresh wallpapers regularly without overwhelming the Reddit servers or your bandwidth.

Building and Installation

Prerequisites

• Go 1.19 or later
• Windows 7 or later (for the compiled application)
• NSIS (optional, for creating the installer)

Build Instructions

1. Clone or download this repository

2. Build the application:

   .\build.bat

   This will:

   • Compile the Go application for Windows
   • Create a Windows installer (if NSIS is installed)
   • Generate a ZIP package with all files

   The generated files will be:

   • build\redpaper.exe (Standalone executable)
   • build\RedPaper_Installer.exe (Windows installer)
   • build\RedPaper_v1.0.0.zip (ZIP package)

Installation Options

Option 1: Windows Installer (Recommended)

• Run RedPaper_Installer.exe
• Follow the installation wizard
• The installer will:
  • Install the application to Program Files
  • Create a scheduled task to run every hour
  • Add an entry to Add/Remove Programs
  • Create a desktop shortcut

Option 2: Manual Installation

• Run install.bat as administrator
• This will install the application and set up the scheduled task

Option 3: Portable Installation

• Just run redpaper.exe directly
• No installation required, but you'll need to run it manually

Usage

Automatic (Scheduled Task)

Once installed with the installer or batch script, the application will:

• Run every hour via Windows Task Scheduler
• Check if 24 hours have passed since last wallpaper change
• Download and set new wallpaper only when needed

Manual Operation

redpaper.exe

The application will log its actions to the console and exit with appropriate status codes.

Configuration

Changing the Subreddit

Edit the main.go file and change the subreddit parameter in the main() function:

changer := NewRedPaper("your_subreddit")

Adjusting the Time Period

The application fetches "top" posts from the past day by default. You can modify this in the Run() method:

wallpaperData, err := rwc.GetTopWallpaper("week", 10) // Change "day" to "week", "month", etc.

File Locations

• Application: %PROGRAMFILES%\RedPaper\
• User Data: %APPDATA%\RedPaper\
• Wallpapers: %USERPROFILE%\Pictures\redpaper_wallpapers\
• Logs: %PROGRAMFILES%\RedPaper\logs\

Uninstallation

Via Windows Add/Remove Programs

• Search for "RedPaper"
• Click Uninstall

Manual Uninstallation

• Run uninstall.bat as administrator
• Choose whether to keep your downloaded wallpapers

Troubleshooting

Application Won't Start

• Ensure you're running as administrator (for installation)
• Check Windows Event Viewer for error details

Scheduled Task Not Working

• Open Task Scheduler (taskschd.msc)
• Look for "RedPaper" task
• Check the task's history for errors

No Wallpaper Changes

• Check the log file: %PROGRAMFILES%\RedPaper\logs\redpaper.log
• Ensure internet connection is available
• Verify the subreddit exists and has images

Build Issues

• Ensure Go is installed and in your PATH
• For installer creation, install NSIS from https://nsis.sourceforge.io/

License

This project is provided as-is for personal use. See license.txt for details.

Technical Details

• Written in Go for cross-platform compatibility
• Uses Windows API for native wallpaper setting
• Implements proper error handling and logging
• Scheduled tasks run with user privileges
• Stores timestamps in Unix format for reliability