Apr 23200612:00 AM CDT

Creating an RSS Speaking Alarm Clock

Categories: Tweaks, Windows
  1. Install Additional Voices (optional)
    1. First install Microsoft Reader
    2. Then install the Reader TTS package
  2. Install Perl
  3. Download nmake
  4. Install XML-RSS perl module
  5. Download the following perl script (rss2html5.pl), which is a modification of rss2html.pl 
    	#!/usr/bin/perl -w
	# rss2html - converts an RSS file to HTML
	# It take one argument, either a file on the local system,
	# or an HTTP URL like http://slashdot.org/slashdot.rdf
	# by Jonathan Eisenzopf. v1.0 19990901
	# Copyright (c) 1999 Jupitermedia Corp. All Rights Reserved.
	# See http://www.webreference.com/perl for more information
	#
	# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
	# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
	# the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
	# (at your option) any later version.

	# INCLUDES
	use strict;
	use XML::RSS;
	use LWP::Simple;
	
	# Declare variables
	my $content;
	my $file;
	
	# MAIN
	# check for command-line argument
	die "Usage: rss2html.pl (<RSS file> | <URL>)\n" unless @ARGV == 1;
	
	# get the command-line argument
	my $arg = shift;
	
	# create new instance of XML::RSS
	my $rss = new XML::RSS;
	
	# argument is a URL
	if ($arg=~ /http:/i) {
	    $content = get($arg);
	    die "Could not retrieve $arg" unless $content;
	    # parse the RSS content
	    $rss->parse($content);
	
	# argument is a file
	} else {
	    $file = $arg;
	    die "File \"$file\" does't exist.\n" unless -e $file;
	    # parse the RSS file
	    $rss->parsefile($file);
	}
	
	# print the HTML channel
	&print_html($rss);
	
	# SUBROUTINES
	sub print_html {
	    my $rss = shift;
	    print <<HTML;
	HTML
	
	    # print the channel items
	    my $i = 0;
	    foreach my $item (@{$rss->{'items'}})
	    {
	      next unless defined($item->{'title'});
	      print "$item->{'title'}... ... ... ... ...\n";
	      if($i==4){
	         last;   
	      }
	       $i = $i + 1;
	    }
	
	    # if there's a copyright element
	    if ($rss->{'channel'}->{'copyright'}) {
	   print <<HTML;
	<p><sub>$rss->{'channel'}->{'copyright'}</sub></p>
	HTML
	    }
	
	    print <<HTML;
	HTML
	}
  6. Download the following TextToWave.vbs 
    	'Drop a plain text file on this script, and it will create an
	'identically-named WAV file (except for the file extension!).
	'The default audio format is set in the script with the constant
	'AUDIO_FORMAT, or you may supply a format as a number from
	'4 to 68. The audio format number is supplied as an OPTIONAL
	'second argument to this script.
	'
	'Common formats: 8 (8KHz 8-bit mono), 16 (16KHz 8-bit mono),
	'35 (44KHz 16-bit Stereo), 65 (GSM 8KHz), 66 (GSM 11KHz)
	
	Option Explicit
	dim tts, fs, ts, ss, strFile, strText, blnError, lngFormat
	Const ForReading = 1
	Const SSFMCreateForWrite = 3
	Const AUDIO_FORMAT = 65 'Please refer to the SAFT function for value description
	
	   'Check argument count
	   If WScript.Arguments.Count = 0 Then
	      MsgBox "Drop a text file on this script and I'll convert it into a WAV sound file."
	      WScript.Quit 1
	   End If
	   'Make sure the argument is a file
	   Set fs = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
	   strFile = WScript.Arguments(0)
	   strFile = Trim(strFile)
	   If strFile = "" Then
	      MsgBox "I can't read nothing! Give me the name of a text file."
	      WScript.Quit 1
	   End If
	   If InStr(strFile, "\\") <> 1 And InStr(strFile, ":\") <> 2 Then
	      strFile = fs.GetAbsolutePathName(fs.BuildPath(fs.GetFolder(".").Path, strFile))
	   End If
	   If Not fs.FileExists(strFile) Then
	      MsgBox "I can't locate a file named """ & WScript.Arguments(0) & """. Try using a fully-qualified path and file name."
	      WScript.Quit 1
	   End If
	   'Is there an optional second argument for the audio format?
	   If WScript.Arguments.Count > 1 Then
	      lngFormat = WScript.Arguments(1)
	      If Not IsNumeric(lngFormat) Then
	         MsgBox "The second argument, if supplied, must be a NUMBER. Yours wasn't!"
	         WScript.Quit 1
	      End If
	      lngFormat = Int(Abs(lngFormat)) - 1
	   Else
	      lngFormat = AUDIO_FORMAT - 1
	   End If
	   'Get the SAPI 5text-to-voice engine.
	   Set tts = Nothing
	   Set tts = CreateObject("Sapi.SpVoice")
	   If tts Is Nothing Then
	      InputBox "You don't have SAPI 5! Please hop on the internet, download, and install the Microsoft SAPI 5 speech development kit from here:", "Error", "http://download.microsoft.com/download/speechSDK/SDK/5.1/WXP/EN-US/speechsdk51.exe"
	      WScript.Quit 1
	   End If
	   'Read the file
	   Status "Reading text file"
	   Set ts = fs.OpenTextFile(WScript.Arguments(0), ForReading, True)
	   strText = ts.ReadAll
	   ts.Close
	   Set ts = Nothing
	   'Generate a file name for the output WAV file
	   strFile = Left(strFile, InStrRev(strFile, ".")) & "wav"
	   'Check to see that chosen audio format is supported
	   Err.Clear
	   blnError = True
	   On Error Resume Next
	   Do While blnError
	      lngFormat = lngFormat + 1
	      If fs.FileExists(strFile) Then fs.DeleteFile strFile
	      Set ss = CreateObject("Sapi.SpFileStream")
	      ss.Format.Type = lngFormat
	      ss.Open strFile, SSFMCreateForWrite, False
	      Set tts.AudioOutputStream = ss
	      Err.Clear
	      If Err.Number = 0 Then
	         Status "USING:  Format " & lngFormat & " (" & SAFT(lngFormat) & ")"
	         blnError = False
	      Else
	         Status "FAILED: Format " & lngFormat & " (" & SAFT(lngFormat) & ")"
	         Set tts.AudioOutputStream = Nothing
	         ss.Close
	         Set ss = Nothing
	         blnError = True
	      End If
	   Loop
	   'Convert text to WAV!
	   Status "Converting to WAV"
	   tts.Speak strText
	   'Clean up
	   ss.Close
	   Set ss = Nothing
	   Set tts = Nothing
	
	Sub Status(strMessage)
	   If Lcase(Right(Wscript.FullName, 12)) = "\cscript.exe" Then
	      Wscript.Echo strMessage
	   End If
	End Sub
	
	Function SAFT(lngSpeechAudioFormatType)
	'Returns a text description of the format type
	'Values from SpeechLib.SpeechAudioFormatType
	Dim strSAFT, lngSAFT
	   'Preserve input variable
	   lngSAFT = lngSpeechAudioFormatType
	   'Stop bad input
	   If Not IsNumeric(lngSAFT) Then
	      SAFT = "Unknown"
	      Exit Function
	   End If
	   If lngSAFT < 4 Or lngSAFT > 68 Then
	      SAFT = "Unknown"
	      Exit Function
	   End If
	   'NORMAL for values between 0 and 39
	   'stereo = add 1
	   '16-bit = add 2
	   '8KHz = 4
	   '11KHz = 8
	   '12KHz = 12
	   '16KHz = 16
	   '22KHz = 20
	   '24KHz = 24
	   '32KHz = 28
	   '44KHz = 32
	   '48KHz = 36
	   If lngSAFT < 40 Then
	      lngSAFT = lngSAFT - 4 'Offset so it starts at zero
	      strSAFT = Split("8 11 12 16 22 24 32 44 48")(lngSAFT \ 4) & "KHz"
	      strSAFT = strSAFT & " "
	      strSAFT = strSAFT & Split("8 16")((lngSAFT And 2) \ 2) & "bit"
	      strSAFT = strSAFT & " "
	      strSAFT = strSAFT & Split("Mono Stereo")(lngSAFT And 1)
	   End If
	   'TrueSpeech_8kHz1BitMono = 40
	   If lngSAFT = 40 Then
	      strSAFT = "TrueSpeech 8KHz 1bit Mono"
	   End If
	   'stereo = add 1 to below values
	   'CCITT_ALaw for values between 41 and 48
	   '8KHz = 41
	   '11KHz = 43
	   '22KHz = 45
	   '44KHz = 47
	   'CCITT_uLaw for values between 49 and 56
	   '8KHz = 49
	   '11KHz = 51
	   '22KHz = 53
	   '44KHz = 55
	   'ADPCM for values between 57 and 64
	   '8KHz = 57
	   '11KHz = 59
	   '22KHz = 61
	   '44KHz = 63
	   If ((lngSAFT > 40) And (lngSAFT < 65)) Then
	      lngSAFT = lngSAFT - 41 'Offset so it starts at zero
	      strSAFT = Split("CCITT_ALaw CCITT_uLaw ADPCM")(lngSAFT \ 8)
	      strSAFT = strSAFT & " "
	      strSAFT = strSAFT & Split("8 11 22 44")((lngSAFT \ 2) And 3) & "KHz"
	      strSAFT = strSAFT & " "
	      strSAFT = strSAFT & Split("Mono Stereo")(lngSAFT And 1)
	   End If
	   'GSM_610 for values between 65 and 68 (no stereo)
	   '8KHz = 65
	   '11KHz = 66
	   '22KHz = 67
	   '44KHz = 68
	   If lngSAFT > 64 Then
	      Select Case lngSAFT
	         Case 65
	            strSAFT = "GSM_610 8KHz Mono"
	         Case 66
	            strSAFT = "GSM_610 11KHz Mono"
	         Case 67
	            strSAFT = "GSM_610 22KHz Mono"
	         Case 68
	            strSAFT = "GSM_610 44KHz Mono"
	         Case Else
	            strSAFT = "Unknown"
	      End Select
	   End If
	   'Return the value
	   SAFT = strSAFT
	End Function
  7. Create the following batch script: 
    	echo "Good Morning Your-Name-Goes-Here... ... ... ..." >> alarm.txt
	echo "Top 5 stories from Dig this morning are:... ..." >> alarm.txt
	perl rss2html5.pl http://www.digg.com/rss/index.xml >> alarm.txt
	
	echo "Top 5 stories from Slash Dot this morning are:... ..." >> alarm.txt
	perl rss2html5.pl http://rss.slashdot.org/Slashdot/slashdot >> alarm.txt
	
	echo "Top 5 stories from Boing Boing are:... ..." >> alarm.txt
	perl rss2html5.pl http://feeds.feedburner.com/boingboing/iBag >> alarm.txt
	
	echo "... ... Have a nice day!... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..." >> alarm.txt
	
	del alarm.wav
	TextToWave.vbs alarm.txt 35
	del alarm.txt
	start alarm.m3u
    (Replace RSS feeds as you so desire)
  8. Create the alarm.m3u playlist file pointing to your wake-up-song and alarm.wav using the following example: 
    
	#EXTM3U
	#EXTINF:30,B-52's - Love Shack
	love_shack.mp3
	#EXTINF:81,alarm
	alarm.wav
  9. Schedule the batch script using the AT command[7].
    Example: 
    AT 07:30 /EVERY:m,t,w,th,f c:\alarm\alarm.bat

Links:
Festival: http://cstr.ed.ac.uk/projects/festival
Linux Distors: http://linux.org/dist