batalert: a /dev/apm monitor and program launcher

About

batalert is a simple battery monitory for OpenBSD that monitors /dev/apm and, when the estimated battery life remaining (measured in minutes) drops below a specified threshold (and the AC is disconnected), it launches a program. That's it.

Although something similar could be accomplished with sensorsd(8), I wanted something I could drop on other, non-OpenBSD computers, that could be as annoying as possible (I tend to require this... otherwise my battery runs dry and my laptop shuts off).

Manual

Manual: batalert(1).

For a great sample program to have batalert execute, consider the following sh script (note: it requires the xosd package to be installed for the annoying X-display message to work):

   #!/bin/sh

   message="!!! BATTERY DYING !!!"

   # send message to all terms
   echo $message | /usr/bin/wall 

   # also throw a loud message up in center of x display
   # (if x isn't running this will error)
   # NOTE: This requires that osd_cat (part of "xosd" package) be installed
   if [ -e /usr/local/bin/osd_cat ];
   then
      echo $message \
         | /usr/local/bin/osd_cat -p middle -A center -f "-*-fixed-*-*-*-*-72-*" \
                                     -c yellow -l 1 &
   fi
   

Download

Here: batalert.tgz.

To build just a simple

      make
   

      make install