How to have an alert on Timeshift as with Backintime

Hi !
I make a weekly backup of my computer on an external HDD.

When I was using Backintime, the cron generated a popup to remind me to plug my HDD.

With Timeshift, no such alert.

How could I achieve having one ?

1 Like

just cron this:

0 0 1 * * /usr/bin/backup-alert.sh

where /usr/bin/backup-alert.sh contains:

#!/bin/sh
export DISPLAY=:0.0
export XAUTHORITY=/home/nam1962/.Xauthority
notify-send --urgency=LOW --icon=face-devilish "Insert the backup disk!!!" && 
1 Like

Nice one !
I’ll keep it.
It won’t launch Timeshift once HDD plugged, though (as backintime does) :wink:

Conky is a brilliant software.
Mainly it just gives me a great alternative clock, but also it shoves an info window in my face for a few seconds when it launches…
clock
clock2
conky-info

I launch with this script:

#!/bin/bash
 if pgrep -x "conky"
    then killall conky
    else 
        conky -d -c ~/Dropbox/Admin/conky/c0-time.conky
        conky -d -c ~/Dropbox/Admin/conky/c1-date.conky    
        conky -d -c ~/Dropbox/Admin/conky/c2-network.conky
        conky -d -c ~/Dropbox/Admin/conky/c3-proc.conky
        conky -d -c ~/Dropbox/Admin/conky/c4-info.conky
fi

Info conky runs for only ten seconds, read it and it is gone.
proc conky is also temporary (runs for 2 minutes I think)

Clock
conky.config = {
-- Conky settings
	background = true,
	update_interval = 1,
	double_buffer = true,
	no_buffers = true,

-- Window specifications
	gap_x = 20,
	gap_y = 30,
	alignment = 'top_right',
	own_window = true,
	own_window_type = 'dock',
	own_window_transparent = true,
	own_window_argb_visual = true,
	own_window_argb_value = 70,
	own_window_hints = 'above, undecorated,sticky,skip_taskbar,skip_pager',
	own_window_class = 'conky',

	draw_outline = true,
	default_outline_color = '#333',
	
	use_xft = true,
	xftalpha = 0.5,
	font = 'Droid Sans:size=10',
	text_buffer_size = 256,
	override_utf8_locale = true,
	useful = 'shortenings',

	short_units = true,
	pad_percents = 2,
	top_name_width = 30,
	color = 'scheme',

	default_color = '#ebdbb2',
	color1 = '#FFFFFF',
	color2 = '#2dcba5',-- teal
	color3 = '#fe6767',-- Sweet
	color4 = '#c8b481',--Gruv
	color5 = '#89cf8c',
	color6 = '#fec838',
	color7 = '#444',
	color8 = '#A9CFF4',--Nord
	color9 = '#bf0610',
	color9 = '#87880d',
	color9 = '#cd8913', -- #347476 #a14a74 #689d6a #ebdbb2
};

conky.text = [[
${alignc}${color4}${font arial rounded mt bold:size=32}${time %H:%M}${font arial rounded mt:size=12}
]];
INFO
conky.config = {
    background = true,
	double_buffer = true,
    no_buffers = true,
    update_interval = 2,
    imlib_cache_size = 10,
    border_width = 3,
    out_to_x = true,

-- Window specifications #
	alignment = 'top_left',
	gap_x = 40,
	gap_y = 30,
	minimum_width = 200, minimum_height = 0,
	maximum_width = 800,
	own_window = true,
	own_window_type = 'dock',
	own_window_transparent = false,
	own_window_argb_visual = false,
	own_window_argb_value = 200,
	own_window_hints = 'below,undecorated,sticky,skip_taskbar,skip_pager',
	uppercase = false,
	use_spacer = 'none',
	use_xft = true,

-- Graphics settings #
	draw_borders = true,
	draw_graph_borders = true,
	
-- Text settings #
	use_xft = true,
	xftalpha = 0,
	font = 'comfortaa :size=10',
	text_buffer_size = 256,
	override_utf8_locale = true,

-- Useful shortenings #
	short_units = true,
	pad_percents = 2,
	top_name_width = 30,

-- Color scheme #
	own_window_colour = '#1d2021',
	default_color = '#888',
	color1 = '#35aa35', -- green
	color2 = '#e0d9bf', --creamy paper
	color3 = '#A9CFF4', --Nord blue
	color4 = '#2b303a', --Nord background
	color5 = '#ffaa7f', --Gruv bright
	color6 = '#888888',
	total_run_times =400,
}

conky.text = [[
$color1${font :size=12}$nodename - $kernel $color $alignr Uptime:$color1 $uptime 
$color3
${goto 50}lsb-release:
${font :size=9}${execi 5000 cat /etc/lsb-release}
$color5${execi 5000 plasmashell --version && qmake-qt5 --version} $color

Load:$color2 $loadavg $color	$alignr Frequency (in GHz):$color2 $freq_g $color
Processes:$color2 $processes $color Running:$color2 $running_processes $color $alignr Swap Use:$color2 $swap/$swapmax $color
${font :size=8}$color6
${execi 5000 df -h --total /mnt/*}
$color
${alignc }Latest Timeshift Snapshot:$color2 ${execi 250 ls -r -l /mnt/T3/timeshift/snapshots | sed -n '2p'| cut -c 29-40}
]]

You’ll need to edit the path to the snapshot folder to get the info to show up.
Tweak the line total_run_times =400, to set how long you have before it disappears.

Then bind the conky launch script to a shortcut/mouse gesture - it’s a toggle (launch or kill).

Ah, you need a udev rule for that, so check logs and see which rule is fired when that HDD is inserted and then:

sleep 3
/bin/timeshift

at the end (or whatever the command for timeshift is, as I’m on borg

:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

I can use Vorta.
What backup tool do you recommend ?
(my constraint : I install a lot of friends previously using W$ : the solution has to be automatic or as simple as possible (i.e : a popup as reminder)

Don’t know that.

Any that works, but I’m on this system:

:man_shrugging: