Keyboard Sound App

A Python-based application that plays custom sounds when keys are pressed. The app is designed to run in the background, allowing you to hear sound effects while performing other tasks on your computer.

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Features

• Custom Key-to-Sound Mapping: Map specific keys to custom sound files.
• Default Sound Playback: Play a default sound for keys not explicitly mapped.
• Daemon Mode: Run the application in the background as a daemon process.
• Interactive Key Mapping: Easily modify key-to-sound mappings using a configuration file.
• Support for Multiple Sound Formats: Works with .wav files.

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How It Works

1. Key Mapping:

   • The app uses a sounds_config.json file to map keys to specific .wav sound files.
   • For example:

     {
         "a": "click_a.wav",
         "b": "click_b.wav",
         "default": "default_click.wav"
     }

2. Sound Playback:

   • When a key is pressed, the app checks the mapping in sounds_config.json and plays the corresponding sound using pygame.
   • If the key is not mapped, the app plays the default_click.wav sound.

3. Daemon Mode:

   • The app can run as a background process using the keyboard_sound_daemon.py script, allowing it to run without blocking your terminal.

4. Keyboard Listener:

   • The app uses the keyboard library to listen for keypress events.

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Installation

Prerequisites

1. Python 3.8 or newer: Ensure Python is installed on your system.
2. Dependencies:
   • Install the required Python libraries:

     pip install pygame keyboard python-daemon

Clone the Repository

1. Clone the project in your GitHub Codespace or local machine:

   git clone https://github.com/Failure10/Plague7.git
   cd Plague7

2. Ensure the sounds directory contains your .wav sound files:

   Plague7/
   ├── sounds/
   │   ├── click_a.wav
   │   ├── click_b.wav
   │   ├── default_click.wav
   ├── keyboard_sound_app.py
   ├── keyboard_sound_daemon.py
   ├── sounds_config.json
   └── README.md
   

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Usage

Run the App Normally

To run the app and listen for keypresses:

python keyboard_sound_app.py

The app will remain active in the terminal, playing sounds when keys are pressed. Press ESC to exit.

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Run the App as a Daemon (Background Mode)

To run the app as a background process:

python keyboard_sound_daemon.py

1. Verify the Process:

   • Run ps aux | grep python to check if the script is running.
   • You should see keyboard_sound_daemon.py in the process list.

2. Stop the Process:

   • Find the Process ID (PID) using:

     ps aux | grep keyboard_sound_daemon.py

   • Kill the process using:

     kill <PID>

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Modify Key-to-Sound Mappings

1. Open sounds_config.json in a text editor.
2. Add, remove, or change key mappings. For example:

   {
       "a": "click_a.wav",
       "space": "space_sound.wav",
       "enter": "enter_sound.wav",
       "default": "default_click.wav"
   }

3. Save the file and restart the app to apply changes.

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Customization

Volume Control

To adjust the volume, modify the set_volume value in the script. For example:

sound.set_volume(0.5)  # Set volume to 50%

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Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Sound File Not Found:

   • Ensure the .wav file exists in the sounds directory.
   • Check that the file name in sounds_config.json matches exactly.

2. No Sound Playback:

   • Verify that you have installed pygame correctly.
   • Ensure your audio system is properly configured (e.g., SDL_AUDIODRIVER in Codespaces).

3. Daemon Not Starting:

   • Check for errors in the daemon_stdout.log or daemon_stderr.log files.

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you’d like to add features or fix bugs, feel free to submit a pull request.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

donations

Donations are accepted! My PayPal is sjcrambl@hotmail.com