A tool for Windows that shows fullscreen YouTube videos on a configurable time schedule.
It's called PSExercise because I use it to interrupt my desk life with exercise videos and it is based on PowerShell.
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| Two monitors using the blur option |
- Configuration through simple PowerShell file (see
config.sample.ps1) - Add videos by copy-pasting "Share" link from YouTube
- Automatically closes video if end time is given in addition to "Share" link
- Select screen on which to show video (default: the largest)
- Blur out extra screens or show an image or color
- Option to ask for confirmation before starting video
- Delayed confirmation popup when fullscreen app is in foreground
- Set start/end time of day and interval for showing videos
- Set weekdays for showing videos
- Uses Microsoft Edge in private-browsing mode (with a fresh profile)
- Uses Windows Task Scheduler (no background processes!)
First, clone or download this repository.
All the following commands have to be run in a PowerShell terminal. Try Windows Terminal for a modern terminal app.
If you downloaded and extracted this repository from the ZIP archive, you need to unblock the scripts first:
ls *.ps1 | Unblock-FileBefore running the scripts, you may have to change your execution policy (affects only current terminal session):
Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSignedNOTE: Never run scripts that you haven't inspected yourself first!
Make a copy of config.sample.ps1 and save it as config.ps1.
You can configure all options and your video collection in this file.
Open it with any text or code editor like VS Code.
When you're done, continue with the next section.
To test your configuration options (at least the ones unrelated to task scheduling), run the following:
.\run.ps1Note: To stop a video early or if you haven't specified t2, press Alt+F4.
.\register.ps1When opening the Windows Task Scheduler you can now find the task inside the letmaik folder.
Note: Any time you make a change to the task registration options in config.ps1 or if you move or rename the repository folder, simply re-run the above command.
To stop the automated schedule, you can remove the task again from the Windows Task Scheduler by running:
.\register.ps1 -removePress Alt+F4.
The browser is started in kiosk mode which makes it fullscreen and blocks access to most controls. The idea is that it shouldn't be too easy to skip a video.
When the end time t2 is given for a video in config.ps1 then the video duration is automatically computed and the window is closed when the video is supposed to have ended (by keeping a timer running in the background), meaning the tool does not actually check the playback status of YouTube, since it doesn't have easy access to it.
This essentially means that videos shouldn't be paused if t2 is given, otherwise the window will close too early.
If t2 is not given, then the window is not closed automatically, instead Alt+F4 has to be pressed.
This is a known technical limitation and happens especially for big images.
If you're curious, check out the comments in run.ps1 starting around $overlays = @().
Mostly because it doesn't require any extra setup/installation steps. The tool also interacts a fair bit with .NET and Win32 APIs, both of which is easy with PowerShell.
Edge is available on all up-to-date Windows 10 PCs and this means the tool will work out-of-the-box.
What is stored in the hidden .data folder?
history.txt: Playback history of the current day to avoid showing the same video twice
lastrun.txt: Terminal output from the last run to aid in diagnosing issues
Edge/: A fresh browser profile to force starting Edge in a separate process and avoid interfering with any other open browser windows