Chapter 19:

GOOGLE CALENDAR

Integrating Google Calendar on a Raspberry Pi Display

This guide will help you display a Google Calendar on your Raspberry Pi using a full-screen Chromium browser. It includes steps to automatically refresh the page and hide the cursor when inactive.

Setting Up Google Calendar Display

1. Get Public Link from Google Calendar:

   • In Google Calendar settings, copy the public link of your calendar.

   • Create an HTML file that includes this link.

2. Install Necessary Packages:

   • Unclutter (to hide the cursor when not in use):

     sudo apt-get install unclutter

   • xdotool (for simulating keyboard input):

     sudo apt-get install xdotool

3. Create Scripts for Browser Launch and Auto-refresh:

   • Start Chromium in Kiosk Mode: Create a script named start_chromium.sh:

     sudo nano start_chromium.sh

     Add the following lines:

     # Run browser after boot to desktop

     /bin/sleep 3

     sudo -u pi chromium-browser --kiosk --incognito http://your.favorite.website &

     # End of script

   • Auto-refresh the Browser: Create another script named start_URLrefresh.sh:

     sudo nano start_URLrefresh.sh

     Add these lines:

     # Start a loop to refresh the browser every 90 seconds

     /bin/sleep 6

     /usr/bin/lxterminal --command watch -n 90 xdotool key ctrl+F5 &

     # End of script

4. Configure Autostart for Scripts:

   Edit the LXDE-pi autostart file:

   sudo nano /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

   Add these lines:

   @xset s off

   @xset s noblank

   @xset -dpms

   @unclutter -idle 5 -root

   @/home/pi/start_URLrefresh.sh

   @/home/pi/start_chromium.sh

   These commands disable screen blanking, power management, and ensure the scripts run at boot.

Note: Replace http://your.favorite.website in the start_chromium.sh script with the URL of your HTML file that contains the Google Calendar link. This setup ensures that your Raspberry Pi will display the calendar in full-screen mode and refresh it periodically.