Feature Request: Calendar Wallpaper

[unixboy]

I really enjoy the Geocaching wallpapers provided on the goodies page (Goodies)...

 

I'd love to use the "Active Desktop" feature of Windows (the first time I've seen a use for it) and would like to have my desktop automatically change when a new wallpaper is posted... Would it be possible to store the desktop calendar images in another location, in addition to the current one, so that Windows can synchronize and pick up the new wallaper when it changes...

 

For example, the wallpaper for November 2005 is stored at:

http://www.geocaching.com/goodies/2005-11/800.jpg

 

Could that image also be copied to another location, like

http://www.geocaching.com/goodies/wallpaper/800.jpg

 

in addition to the above location... Every month the images in that location would be overwritten with the latest.

 

Thanks,

Jeremy

[+DreadPirateRoberts]

Come on, with a name like "unixboy", you've gotta roll your own solution! How about this: download the "GNU Utilities for Win32" package from

 

http://unxutils.sourceforge.net/

 

This will give you, among other things, the "wget" program. Then, set up a scheduled job on your computer to run on the first of the month, and have it do the following:

 

 wget -O c:\some\path\to\wallpaper.jpg http://www.geocaching.com/goodies/%DATE:~10,4%-%DATE:~4,2%/800.jpg

 

Set your active desktop to use the local file as your wallpaper. This type of solution actually has some side benefits. First of all, you're reducing hits on GC.com's server by your active desktop checking for updated wallpaper. With this script, you're only downloading once a month, or whenever you choose to run the scheduled job. Secondly, by pointing AD at a local file instead of the Internet, you don't have to worry about delays or problems if GC.com is down, etc.

[unixboy]

I thought about doing that, but other people may be interested in doing the same thing using Active Desktop. Not everyone has the technical prowess to do it the "unix way", so I figured I'd make it easy for the less technically adept.

 

I originally thought about using wget and mirroring the image to my site to pull it from there via Active Desktop...