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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom">
<title>Coding it my way</title>
<link href="https://madhur.co.in/blog/"/>
<updated>2026-04-01T00:05:06+05:30</updated>
<id>https://madhur.co.in/blog/</id>
<author>
<name>Madhur Ahuja</name>
<email>ahuja.madhur@gmail.com</email>
</author>
<entry>
<title>Block Storage vs Object Storage</title>
<link href="https://madhur.co.in/blog/2026/04/01/block-storage-vs-object-storage.html"/>
<updated>2026-04-01T00:00:00+05:30</updated>
<id>id:/blog/2026/04/01/block-storage-vs-object-storage</id>
<content type="html"><p>In this article, we will look at <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/block-storage/">Block Storage</a> and <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/object-storage/">Object Storage</a> and differences between them.</p>
<h3 id="block-storage">Block Storage</h3>
<p>Block storage consists of Block servers whose responsibility is to take a file, split it into blocks, then optionally compress and encrypt it and then finally store it into actual storage.</p>
<p>One of the advantage Block servers provide is Delta sync. When a file is modified, only modified blocks are synced instead of the whole file using a sync algorithm.</p>
<p>Block servers process filed passed from clients by splitting a file into blocks, compressing each block, and encrypting them.</p>
<p>Question-&gt; How do they determine which blocks are modified?</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Frequent modification
Block storage supports frequent data writes without affecting performance. Instead of rewriting &gt; the entire file, the system identifies the particular block that needs to be amended. Then, it rewrites the selected block with the new data. This makes block storage very efficient for managing large files that require frequent updates.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Example of block storage is <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/ebs/">Amazon EBS</a></p>
<p>Block storage gives the flexibility of storing frequent data on SSD while non-frequent data on HDD.</p>
<h3 id="how-does-it-work">How does it work?</h3>
<p>Block servers process files passed from clients by splitting a file into blocks, compress each block and encrypting them. Instead of uploading the whole file to the storage system, only modified blocks are transferred.</p>
<p>The advantage of it is that in version history, you need not store the entire file. Only modified blocks.</p>
<p>Block storage offers high performance, low latency, and quick data transfer rates. As it operates on a block level, you can directly access data and achieve a high I/O performance. You use block storage for applications that need fast access to data you have stored, like a virtual machine or database.</p>
<h3 id="object-storage">Object Storage</h3>
<p>Object storage is different from Block storage</p>
<p>Object storage systems prioritize storage quantity over availability. As highly scalable systems, you can store large volume of unstructured data in an object storage system. However, there’s more latency when you access these files. Object storage also has a lower throughput compared to block storage and cloud storage.</p>
<p>Example of object storage is <a href="https://aws.amazon.com/s3/">Amazon s3</a></p>
<h3 id="block-storage-vs-object-storage">Block Storage vs Object Storage</h3>
<p>Block storage is mainly useful for structured data with high volumes of read and write loads.</p>
<p>Th key here is that in these files, mostly you don’t need the entire file in its entirety, but only the part of it. For example few rows of database, few files inside the VM mount etc.</p>
<p>Block Storage is like having a filing cabinet with lots of small, numbered drawers. Perfect when you neet to quickly grab a specific drawer.</p>
<p>Object storage is best used for large amouts of unstructured data.</p>
<p>In object storage, you typically need the whole file to operate. for example Images, Videos, PDF, backups etc.</p>
<p>Object Storage is like having a warehouse with labeled boxes. Perfect when you need to retrieve entire boxes (complete files)</p>
<p>References:
https://aws.amazon.com/compare/the-difference-between-block-file-object-storage/</p>
</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>Systemd timer running on every boot</title>
<link href="https://madhur.co.in/blog/2026/03/01/systemd-timer-running-every-boot.html"/>
<updated>2026-03-01T00:00:00+05:30</updated>
<id>id:/blog/2026/03/01/systemd-timer-running-every-boot</id>
<content type="html"><blockquote>
<p><strong>Disclaimer</strong>: This blog article has been generated with the assistance of AI. While the content is AI-generated, the software itself and the ideas behind it are the result of real development work and genuine user needs.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2 id="problem-description">Problem Description</h2>
<p>A systemd timer configured with <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">OnCalendar=daily</code> and <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Persistent=true</code> was executing its associated service on every system boot, in addition to the scheduled execution time. The expected behavior was execution only at the scheduled time, with persistent timers catching up on missed runs only when the system was offline during the scheduled time.</p>
<h2 id="environment">Environment</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>System</strong>: User systemd instance (<code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">systemctl --user</code>)</li>
<li><strong>Timer</strong>: <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">rednotebook-backup.timer</code></li>
<li><strong>Service</strong>: <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">rednotebook-backup.service</code></li>
<li><strong>Systemd version</strong>: Standard systemd installation</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="observed-behavior">Observed Behavior</h2>
<div class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>Aug 13 20:59:24 - Service executed after boot
-- Boot f6bac27bcb034b92807c437ec2834916 --
Aug 13 21:10:50 - Service executed after boot
-- Boot 18a831a9d19b415da72eb836e78ad866 --
Aug 13 21:11:20 - Service executed after boot
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>The service executed immediately after each boot, regardless of the last execution time or scheduled interval.</p>
<h2 id="configuration-analysis">Configuration Analysis</h2>
<h3 id="original-timer-configuration">Original Timer Configuration</h3>
<div class="language-ini highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="nn">[Unit]</span>
<span class="py">Description</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">Run RedNotebook backup daily</span>
<span class="py">Requires</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">rednotebook-backup.service</span>
<span class="nn">[Timer]</span>
<span class="py">OnCalendar</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">daily</span>
<span class="py">Persistent</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">true</span>
<span class="py">RandomizedDelaySec</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">300</span>
<span class="nn">[Install]</span>
<span class="py">WantedBy</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">timers.target</span>
</code></pre></div></div>
<h3 id="service-configuration">Service Configuration</h3>
<div class="language-ini highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="nn">[Unit]</span>
<span class="py">Description</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">RedNotebook GitHub Backup Service</span>
<span class="py">After</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">network-online.target </span>
<span class="py">Wants</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">network-online.target</span>
<span class="nn">[Service]</span>
<span class="py">Type</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">oneshot</span>
<span class="py">ExecStart</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">%h/bin/rednotebook-backup.sh</span>
<span class="py">ExecStartPre</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">/bin/sleep 30</span>
<span class="py">Environment</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">HOME=%h</span>
<span class="py">StandardOutput</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">journal</span>
<span class="py">StandardError</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">journal</span>
<span class="py">Environment</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">SSH_AUTH_SOCK=%t/ssh-agent.socket</span>
</code></pre></div></div>
<h2 id="root-cause-analysis">Root Cause Analysis</h2>
<p>The issue stems from the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Requires=rednotebook-backup.service</code> directive in the timer unit’s <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">[Unit]</code> section.</p>
<h3 id="systemd-dependency-resolution">Systemd Dependency Resolution</h3>
<ol>
<li><strong>Timer activation</strong>: The timer unit is started by <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">timers.target</code> during boot</li>
<li><strong>Dependency resolution</strong>: Due to <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Requires=rednotebook-backup.service</code>, systemd immediately activates the service unit when the timer starts</li>
<li><strong>Unintended execution</strong>: The service executes on boot, independent of the timer schedule</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="systemd-timer-mechanics">Systemd Timer Mechanics</h3>
<p>Systemd timers automatically establish relationships with their target services through:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Implicit naming convention</strong>: <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">foo.timer</code> automatically targets <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">foo.service</code></li>
<li><strong>Automatic dependencies</strong>: Timer units gain an implicit <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Before=</code> dependency on their target service</li>
<li><strong>No explicit linking required</strong>: The <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Unit=</code> directive in <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">[Timer]</code> section is only needed when targeting a service with a different name</li>
</ol>
<p>From <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">systemd.timer(5)</code>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Timer units automatically gain a Before= dependency on the service they are supposed to activate.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2 id="solution">Solution</h2>
<p>Remove the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Requires=</code> directive from the timer unit:</p>
<div class="language-ini highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="nn">[Unit]</span>
<span class="py">Description</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">Run RedNotebook backup daily</span>
<span class="c"># Removed: Requires=rednotebook-backup.service
</span>
<span class="nn">[Timer]</span>
<span class="py">OnCalendar</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">daily</span>
<span class="py">Persistent</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">true</span>
<span class="py">RandomizedDelaySec</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">300</span>
<span class="nn">[Install]</span>
<span class="py">WantedBy</span><span class="p">=</span><span class="s">timers.target</span>
</code></pre></div></div>
<h3 id="implementation">Implementation</h3>
<div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>systemctl <span class="nt">--user</span> stop rednotebook-backup.timer
systemctl <span class="nt">--user</span> edit rednotebook-backup.timer
<span class="c"># Add override: [Unit]\nRequires=</span>
systemctl <span class="nt">--user</span> daemon-reload
systemctl <span class="nt">--user</span> start rednotebook-backup.timer
</code></pre></div></div>
<h2 id="verification">Verification</h2>
<p>Post-fix timer state:</p>
<div class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>NEXT LEFT LAST PASSED UNIT ACTIVATES
Thu 2025-08-14 00:02:17 IST 2h 54min - - rednotebook-backup.timer rednotebook-backup.service
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>Multiple reboot test results:</p>
<ul>
<li>Service does not execute on boot</li>
<li>Timer maintains correct scheduling</li>
<li>Service executes only at scheduled intervals</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="related-issues">Related Issues</h2>
<h3 id="common-misconceptions">Common Misconceptions</h3>
<ol>
<li><strong>Explicit linking requirement</strong>: Many assume timers require explicit service dependencies</li>
<li><strong>Cargo-cult configuration</strong>: Copy-pasting examples with unnecessary <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Requires=</code> directives</li>
<li><strong>Documentation gaps</strong>: Some tutorials incorrectly show <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Requires=</code> as standard practice</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="alternative-diagnostic-approaches">Alternative Diagnostic Approaches</h3>
<p>If removing <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Requires=</code> doesn’t resolve the issue:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Check service enablement</strong>:
<div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>systemctl <span class="nt">--user</span> is-enabled rednotebook-backup.service
</code></pre></div> </div>
<p>Services triggered by timers should show <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">static</code> or <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">disabled</code></p>
</li>
<li><strong>Verify service dependencies</strong>:
<div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>systemctl <span class="nt">--user</span> list-dependencies rednotebook-backup.service
</code></pre></div> </div>
</li>
<li><strong>Check for WantedBy directives</strong>: Remove <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">WantedBy=</code> from service <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">[Install]</code> section</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="timer-state-management">Timer State Management</h3>
<p>Systemd maintains timer state in:</p>
<ul>
<li>System timers: <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">/var/lib/systemd/timers/</code></li>
<li>User timers: <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">~/.local/share/systemd/</code></li>
</ul>
<p>State corruption can cause similar symptoms but is less common than configuration issues.</p>
<h2 id="technical-references">Technical References</h2>
<ul>
<li><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">systemd.timer(5)</code> - Timer unit configuration</li>
<li><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">systemd.unit(5)</code> - Unit configuration directives</li>
<li><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">systemd.special(7)</code> - Special systemd units</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/14642">systemd GitHub Issue #14642</a> - Timer runs on every boot</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>The <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Requires=</code> directive in systemd timer units creates an unnecessary dependency that causes service execution on timer activation (boot). Systemd’s implicit timer-to-service binding mechanism eliminates the need for explicit dependencies in standard configurations. This issue affects both user and system timer units and represents a common configuration anti-pattern in systemd timer implementations.</p>
</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>Displaying Google Calendar Events in Conky</title>
<link href="https://madhur.co.in/blog/2026/02/01/conky-google-calendar.html"/>
<updated>2026-02-01T00:00:00+05:30</updated>
<id>id:/blog/2026/02/01/conky-google-calendar</id>
<content type="html"><blockquote>
<p><strong>Disclaimer</strong>: This blog article has been generated with the assistance of AI. While the content is AI-generated, the software itself and the ideas behind it are the result of real development work and genuine user needs.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Disclaimer</strong>: This article was generated with assistance from AI and reflects a technical implementation discussion.</p>
<p>Conky is a popular system monitor for Linux desktops, but its capabilities extend beyond displaying CPU usage and memory stats. This guide shows how to integrate Google Calendar events into your Conky display using Python and Google’s Calendar API, with proper support for recurring events.</p>
<h2 id="why-use-the-api-instead-of-ical">Why Use the API Instead of iCal?</h2>
<p>While Google Calendar provides iCal feeds, they have significant limitations for recurring events:</p>
<ul>
<li>iCal feeds only include expanded instances for a limited time window</li>
<li>Future recurring events beyond that window aren’t included</li>
<li>No control over the expansion period</li>
</ul>
<p>The Google Calendar API with <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">singleEvents=true</code> parameter properly expands recurring events for any specified time range.</p>
<h2 id="prerequisites">Prerequisites</h2>
<ul>
<li>Python 3.8+</li>
<li>pipenv (for dependency management)</li>
<li>A Google Cloud Console account</li>
<li>Conky installed on your Linux system</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="setup-process">Setup Process</h2>
<h3 id="1-create-service-account">1. Create Service Account</h3>
<p>Navigate to <a href="https://console.cloud.google.com/">Google Cloud Console</a>:</p>
<ol>
<li>Create or select a project</li>
<li>Enable the Google Calendar API (APIs &amp; Services → Library)</li>
<li>Create a Service Account (IAM &amp; Admin → Service Accounts)</li>
<li>Generate a JSON key file for the service account</li>
<li>Download and save as <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">google_calendar_key.json</code></li>
</ol>
<h3 id="2-grant-calendar-access">2. Grant Calendar Access</h3>
<p>The service account needs permission to read your calendar:</p>
<ol>
<li>Open the JSON file and copy the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">client_email</code> value</li>
<li>In Google Calendar, go to Settings → Your Calendar → Share with specific people</li>
<li>Add the service account email with “See all event details” permission</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="3-project-structure">3. Project Structure</h3>
<div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="nb">mkdir</span> <span class="nt">-p</span> ~/.conky/calendar-project
<span class="nb">cd</span> ~/.conky/calendar-project
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>Create <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Pipfile</code>:</p>
<div class="language-toml highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="nn">[[source]]</span>
<span class="py">url</span> <span class="p">=</span> <span class="s">"https://pypi.org/simple"</span>
<span class="py">verify_ssl</span> <span class="p">=</span> <span class="kc">true</span>
<span class="py">name</span> <span class="p">=</span> <span class="s">"pypi"</span>
<span class="nn">[packages]</span>
<span class="py">python-dotenv</span> <span class="p">=</span> <span class="s">"*"</span>
<span class="py">google-auth</span> <span class="p">=</span> <span class="s">"*"</span>
<span class="py">google-auth-oauthlib</span> <span class="p">=</span> <span class="s">"*"</span>
<span class="py">google-auth-httplib2</span> <span class="p">=</span> <span class="s">"*"</span>
<span class="py">google-api-python-client</span> <span class="p">=</span> <span class="s">"*"</span>
<span class="nn">[dev-packages]</span>
<span class="nn">[requires]</span>
<span class="py">python_version</span> <span class="p">=</span> <span class="s">"3.8"</span>
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>Install dependencies:</p>
<div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>pipenv <span class="nb">install</span>
</code></pre></div></div>
<h3 id="4-configuration">4. Configuration</h3>
<p>Create <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.env</code> file:</p>
<div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="nv">GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_FILE</span><span class="o">=</span>google_calendar_key.json
<span class="nv">GOOGLE_CALENDAR_ID</span><span class="o">=</span>primary
<span class="nv">MAX_EVENTS</span><span class="o">=</span>10
<span class="nv">CACHE_DAYS</span><span class="o">=</span>7
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>Set secure permissions:</p>
<div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="nb">chmod </span>600 .env google_calendar_key.json
</code></pre></div></div>
<h3 id="5-python-script">5. Python Script</h3>
<p>Create <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">get_calendar.py</code>:</p>
<div class="language-python highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="c1">#!/usr/bin/env python3
</span><span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">os</span>
<span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">socket</span>
<span class="kn">from</span> <span class="nn">datetime</span> <span class="kn">import</span> <span class="n">datetime</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">timedelta</span>
<span class="kn">from</span> <span class="nn">pathlib</span> <span class="kn">import</span> <span class="n">Path</span>
<span class="k">try</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="kn">from</span> <span class="nn">dotenv</span> <span class="kn">import</span> <span class="n">load_dotenv</span>
<span class="kn">from</span> <span class="nn">google.oauth2</span> <span class="kn">import</span> <span class="n">service_account</span>
<span class="kn">from</span> <span class="nn">googleapiclient.discovery</span> <span class="kn">import</span> <span class="n">build</span>
<span class="n">DEPENDENCIES_AVAILABLE</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="bp">True</span>
<span class="k">except</span> <span class="nb">ImportError</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">e</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">DEPENDENCIES_AVAILABLE</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="bp">False</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"Missing dependencies: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">e</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="c1"># Load configuration
</span><span class="n">script_dir</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">Path</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">__file__</span><span class="p">).</span><span class="n">parent</span>
<span class="n">env_file</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">script_dir</span> <span class="o">/</span> <span class="s">'.env'</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">env_file</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">exists</span><span class="p">():</span>
<span class="n">load_dotenv</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">env_file</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="n">SERVICE_ACCOUNT_FILE</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">os</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">getenv</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_FILE'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'google_calendar_key.json'</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="n">CALENDAR_ID</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">os</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">getenv</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'GOOGLE_CALENDAR_ID'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'primary'</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="n">MAX_EVENTS</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="nb">int</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">os</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">getenv</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'MAX_EVENTS'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'10'</span><span class="p">))</span>
<span class="n">CACHE_DAYS</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="nb">int</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">os</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">getenv</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'CACHE_DAYS'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'7'</span><span class="p">))</span>
<span class="n">CACHE_FILE</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">os</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">path</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">expanduser</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">"~/.conky/calendar_cache.txt"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="n">SCOPES</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="p">[</span><span class="s">'https://www.googleapis.com/auth/calendar.readonly'</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">check_internet</span><span class="p">():</span>
<span class="k">try</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">socket</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">create_connection</span><span class="p">((</span><span class="s">"8.8.8.8"</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="mi">53</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="n">timeout</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">3</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="bp">True</span>
<span class="k">except</span> <span class="nb">OSError</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="bp">False</span>
<span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">get_calendar_service</span><span class="p">():</span>
<span class="k">try</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">script_dir</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">Path</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">__file__</span><span class="p">).</span><span class="n">parent</span>
<span class="n">service_account_path</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">script_dir</span> <span class="o">/</span> <span class="n">SERVICE_ACCOUNT_FILE</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="ow">not</span> <span class="n">service_account_path</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">exists</span><span class="p">():</span>
<span class="k">raise</span> <span class="nb">FileNotFoundError</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"Service account file not found: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">service_account_path</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="n">credentials</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">service_account</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">Credentials</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">from_service_account_file</span><span class="p">(</span>
<span class="nb">str</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">service_account_path</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="n">scopes</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">SCOPES</span>
<span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="n">build</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'calendar'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'v3'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">credentials</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">credentials</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">except</span> <span class="nb">Exception</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">e</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"Error creating calendar service: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">e</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="bp">None</span>
<span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">get_events</span><span class="p">():</span>
<span class="k">try</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">service</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">get_calendar_service</span><span class="p">()</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="ow">not</span> <span class="n">service</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="bp">None</span>
<span class="n">now</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">datetime</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">now</span><span class="p">()</span>
<span class="n">start_time</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">now</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">replace</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">hour</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">0</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">minute</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">0</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">second</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">0</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">microsecond</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">0</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="n">end_time</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">start_time</span> <span class="o">+</span> <span class="n">timedelta</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">days</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">CACHE_DAYS</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="n">time_min</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">start_time</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">isoformat</span><span class="p">()</span> <span class="o">+</span> <span class="s">'Z'</span>
<span class="n">time_max</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">end_time</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">isoformat</span><span class="p">()</span> <span class="o">+</span> <span class="s">'Z'</span>
<span class="c1"># Key parameter: singleEvents=True expands recurring events
</span> <span class="n">events_result</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">service</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">events</span><span class="p">().</span><span class="nb">list</span><span class="p">(</span>
<span class="n">calendarId</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">CALENDAR_ID</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="n">timeMin</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">time_min</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="n">timeMax</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">time_max</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="n">maxResults</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">MAX_EVENTS</span> <span class="o">*</span> <span class="mi">2</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="n">singleEvents</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="bp">True</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="c1"># Expands recurring events
</span> <span class="n">orderBy</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">'startTime'</span>
<span class="p">).</span><span class="n">execute</span><span class="p">()</span>
<span class="n">events</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">events_result</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">get</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'items'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="p">[])</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="n">events</span><span class="p">[:</span><span class="n">MAX_EVENTS</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="k">except</span> <span class="nb">Exception</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">e</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"Error fetching events: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">e</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="bp">None</span>
<span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">format_event</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">event</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="k">try</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">summary</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">event</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">get</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'summary'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'No Title'</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="n">start</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">event</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">get</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'start'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="p">{})</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="s">'dateTime'</span> <span class="ow">in</span> <span class="n">start</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">dt_str</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">start</span><span class="p">[</span><span class="s">'dateTime'</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="n">dt</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">datetime</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">fromisoformat</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">dt_str</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">replace</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'Z'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'+00:00'</span><span class="p">)).</span><span class="n">astimezone</span><span class="p">()</span>
<span class="n">time_str</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">dt</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">strftime</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'%m/%d %H:%M'</span> <span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">CACHE_DAYS</span> <span class="o">&gt;</span> <span class="mi">1</span> <span class="k">else</span> <span class="s">'%H:%M'</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">elif</span> <span class="s">'date'</span> <span class="ow">in</span> <span class="n">start</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">date_obj</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">datetime</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">fromisoformat</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">start</span><span class="p">[</span><span class="s">'date'</span><span class="p">])</span>
<span class="n">time_str</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">date_obj</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">strftime</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'%m/%d All Day'</span> <span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">CACHE_DAYS</span> <span class="o">&gt;</span> <span class="mi">1</span> <span class="k">else</span> <span class="s">'All Day'</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">else</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">time_str</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="s">'??:??'</span>
<span class="c1"># Truncate long summaries
</span> <span class="n">max_length</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="mi">35</span> <span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">CACHE_DAYS</span> <span class="o">&gt;</span> <span class="mi">1</span> <span class="k">else</span> <span class="mi">40</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="nb">len</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">summary</span><span class="p">)</span> <span class="o">&gt;</span> <span class="n">max_length</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">summary</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">summary</span><span class="p">[:</span><span class="n">max_length</span><span class="o">-</span><span class="mi">3</span><span class="p">]</span> <span class="o">+</span> <span class="s">'...'</span>
<span class="c1"># Add recurring indicator
</span> <span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">event</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">get</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'recurringEventId'</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="n">summary</span> <span class="o">+=</span> <span class="s">" ↻"</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">time_str</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s"> - </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">summary</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span>
<span class="k">except</span> <span class="nb">Exception</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">e</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"Error formatting event: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">e</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span>
<span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">load_cache</span><span class="p">():</span>
<span class="k">try</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">os</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">path</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">exists</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">CACHE_FILE</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="k">with</span> <span class="nb">open</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">CACHE_FILE</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'r'</span><span class="p">)</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">f</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="n">f</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">read</span><span class="p">().</span><span class="n">strip</span><span class="p">()</span>
<span class="k">except</span> <span class="nb">Exception</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">pass</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="bp">None</span>
<span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">save_cache</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">content</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="k">try</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">cache_dir</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">os</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">path</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">dirname</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">CACHE_FILE</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="n">os</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">makedirs</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">cache_dir</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">exist_ok</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="bp">True</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">with</span> <span class="nb">open</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">CACHE_FILE</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'w'</span><span class="p">)</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">f</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">f</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">write</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">content</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">except</span> <span class="nb">Exception</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">e</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"Error saving cache: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">e</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">main</span><span class="p">():</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="ow">not</span> <span class="n">DEPENDENCIES_AVAILABLE</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">"Required dependencies not installed"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span>
<span class="n">script_dir</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">Path</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">__file__</span><span class="p">).</span><span class="n">parent</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="ow">not</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="n">script_dir</span> <span class="o">/</span> <span class="n">SERVICE_ACCOUNT_FILE</span><span class="p">).</span><span class="n">exists</span><span class="p">():</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"Service account file not found: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">SERVICE_ACCOUNT_FILE</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="ow">not</span> <span class="n">check_internet</span><span class="p">():</span>
<span class="n">cached_content</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">load_cache</span><span class="p">()</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">cached_content</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">cached_content</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">else</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">"No internet connection and no cached data"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span>
<span class="n">events</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">get_events</span><span class="p">()</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">events</span> <span class="ow">is</span> <span class="bp">None</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">cached_content</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">load_cache</span><span class="p">()</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">cached_content</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">"Using cached data:"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">cached_content</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">else</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">"Unable to fetch calendar events"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="ow">not</span> <span class="n">events</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">days_text</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"next </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">CACHE_DAYS</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s"> day</span><span class="si">{</span><span class="s">'s'</span> <span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">CACHE_DAYS</span> <span class="o">&gt;</span> <span class="mi">1</span> <span class="k">else</span> <span class="s">''</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span> <span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">CACHE_DAYS</span> <span class="o">&gt;</span> <span class="mi">1</span> <span class="k">else</span> <span class="s">"today"</span>
<span class="n">output</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"No events </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">days_text</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span>
<span class="k">else</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">formatted_events</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="p">[</span><span class="n">format_event</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">event</span><span class="p">)</span> <span class="k">for</span> <span class="n">event</span> <span class="ow">in</span> <span class="n">events</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="n">output</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="s">'</span><span class="se">\n</span><span class="s">'</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">join</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">formatted_events</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="n">save_cache</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">output</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">output</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">__name__</span> <span class="o">==</span> <span class="s">'__main__'</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">main</span><span class="p">()</span>
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>Make executable:</p>
<div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="nb">chmod</span> +x get_calendar.py
</code></pre></div></div>
<h3 id="6-conky-integration">6. Conky Integration</h3>
<p>Add to your <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.conkyrc</code>:</p>
<div class="language-lua highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="n">conky</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">text</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="s">[[
${color orange}${font DejaVu Sans Mono:bold:size=12}UPCOMING EVENTS${font}${color}
${hr 2}
${color lightblue}${exec cd ~/.conky/calendar-project &amp;&amp; pipenv run python get_calendar.py}${color}
${hr 1}
]]</span>
</code></pre></div></div>
<h2 id="testing">Testing</h2>
<div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="nb">cd</span> ~/.conky/calendar-project
pipenv run python get_calendar.py
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>Expected output:</p>
<div class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>08/12 22:00 - Zendesk Redis Withdraw
08/16 08:00 - Weekly Reflection... ↻
08/19 All Day - Credit card bill ↻
</code></pre></div></div>
<h2 id="key-features">Key Features</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Recurring Event Support</strong>: The ↻ symbol indicates recurring events</li>
<li><strong>Offline Caching</strong>: Falls back to cached data when internet is unavailable</li>
<li><strong>Configurable Time Range</strong>: Adjust <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">CACHE_DAYS</code> for different periods</li>
<li><strong>Timezone Awareness</strong>: Properly handles timezone conversions</li>
<li><strong>Error Handling</strong>: Graceful degradation on API failures</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="configuration-options">Configuration Options</h2>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Variable</th>
<th>Description</th>
<th>Example</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">CACHE_DAYS</code></td>
<td>Days to look ahead</td>
<td><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">7</code> (one week)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">MAX_EVENTS</code></td>
<td>Maximum events to display</td>
<td><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">10</code></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">CALENDAR_ID</code></td>
<td>Which calendar to use</td>
<td><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">primary</code> or email</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2 id="troubleshooting">Troubleshooting</h2>
<p><strong>“Service account file not found”</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Verify the JSON file is in the project directory</li>
<li>Check the filename matches your <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.env</code> configuration</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>“Access denied”</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Ensure the service account email has calendar permissions</li>
<li>Wait a few minutes after sharing for propagation</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>“No events found”</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Verify <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">CALENDAR_ID</code> is correct</li>
<li>Check if events exist in the specified time range</li>
<li>Try increasing <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">CACHE_DAYS</code></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="security-considerations">Security Considerations</h2>
<ul>
<li>Service account files contain sensitive credentials</li>
<li>Use <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">chmod 600</code> on credential files</li>
<li>Consider restricting API key to specific APIs in Google Cloud Console</li>
<li>The service account only needs read access to calendars</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="limitations">Limitations</h2>
<ul>
<li>Requires internet connectivity for fresh data (cached data available offline)</li>
<li>Service account must be shared with each calendar individually</li>
<li>Google Calendar API has usage quotas (generous for personal use)</li>
</ul>
<p>This implementation provides a robust solution for displaying calendar events in Conky with proper support for recurring events and offline functionality.</p>
</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>Image location detection using Bedrock and Claude Model</title>
<link href="https://madhur.co.in/blog/2026/01/01/image-location-detection-bedrock.html"/>
<updated>2026-01-01T00:00:00+05:30</updated>
<id>id:/blog/2026/01/01/image-location-detection-bedrock</id>
<content type="html"><blockquote>
<p><strong>Disclaimer</strong>: This blog article has been generated with the assistance of AI. While the content is AI-generated, the software itself and the ideas behind it are the result of real development work and genuine user needs.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I needed a way to automatically identify locations in a collection of images, so I built a Python script that uses AWS Bedrock’s Claude API for image analysis. The script processes images in batches, optimizes them for API efficiency, and saves location descriptions as text files.</p>
<h2 id="overview">Overview</h2>
<p>The script handles:</p>
<ul>
<li>Recursive image processing from folders</li>
<li>Image optimization to reduce API costs</li>
<li>AWS Bedrock integration with Claude models</li>
<li>Automatic text file generation for results</li>
<li>Skip logic for already-processed images</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="setup">Setup</h2>
<p>Install dependencies:</p>
<div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>pip <span class="nb">install </span>boto3 Pillow
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>Configure AWS credentials via CLI, environment variables, or IAM roles. Ensure you have access to Bedrock and Claude models in your region.</p>
<h2 id="image-processing">Image Processing</h2>
<p>The first challenge is managing image sizes. Large images are expensive to process and may exceed API limits. The solution processes images entirely in memory:</p>
<div class="language-python highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">os</span>
<span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">base64</span>
<span class="kn">from</span> <span class="nn">PIL</span> <span class="kn">import</span> <span class="n">Image</span>
<span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">io</span>
<span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">resize_image_in_memory</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">max_size</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="mi">1024</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="mi">1024</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="n">quality</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">85</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="s">"""Resize image in memory without saving to disk"""</span>
<span class="k">try</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">with</span> <span class="n">Image</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="nb">open</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">)</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">img</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="c1"># Convert to RGB if necessary (handles RGBA, P mode images)
</span> <span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">img</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">mode</span> <span class="ow">in</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'RGBA'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'P'</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="n">img</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">img</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">convert</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'RGB'</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="c1"># Calculate new size maintaining aspect ratio
</span> <span class="n">img</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">thumbnail</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">max_size</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">Image</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">Resampling</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">LANCZOS</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="c1"># Save to bytes buffer
</span> <span class="nb">buffer</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">io</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">BytesIO</span><span class="p">()</span>
<span class="c1"># Determine format based on original image
</span> <span class="n">original_format</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">img</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="nb">format</span> <span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">img</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="nb">format</span> <span class="k">else</span> <span class="s">'JPEG'</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">original_format</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">upper</span><span class="p">()</span> <span class="ow">in</span> <span class="p">[</span><span class="s">'JPEG'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'JPG'</span><span class="p">]:</span>
<span class="n">img</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">save</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="nb">buffer</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="nb">format</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">'JPEG'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">quality</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">quality</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">optimize</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="bp">True</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">elif</span> <span class="n">original_format</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">upper</span><span class="p">()</span> <span class="o">==</span> <span class="s">'PNG'</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">img</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">save</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="nb">buffer</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="nb">format</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">'PNG'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">optimize</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="bp">True</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">else</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="c1"># Default to JPEG for other formats
</span> <span class="n">img</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">save</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="nb">buffer</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="nb">format</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">'JPEG'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">quality</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">quality</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">optimize</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="bp">True</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="nb">buffer</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">seek</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="mi">0</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="nb">buffer</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">getvalue</span><span class="p">(),</span> <span class="n">original_format</span>
<span class="k">except</span> <span class="nb">Exception</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">e</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"Error resizing image </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">e</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="bp">None</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="bp">None</span>
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>This maintains aspect ratios, handles different formats, and provides significant compression. For a typical 4MB photo, this reduces size to ~300KB (92% reduction).</p>
<h2 id="base64-encoding">Base64 Encoding</h2>
<p>AWS Bedrock requires base64-encoded images. The encoding function includes optional optimization:</p>
<div class="language-python highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">encode_image_to_base64</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">resize</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="bp">True</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">max_size</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="mi">1024</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="mi">1024</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="n">quality</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">85</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="s">"""Encode image file to base64 string with optional resizing"""</span>
<span class="k">try</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">resize</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">image_bytes</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">original_format</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">resize_image_in_memory</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">max_size</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">quality</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">image_bytes</span> <span class="ow">is</span> <span class="bp">None</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="bp">None</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="n">base64</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">b64encode</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_bytes</span><span class="p">).</span><span class="n">decode</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'utf-8'</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">else</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">with</span> <span class="nb">open</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">"rb"</span><span class="p">)</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">image_file</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="n">base64</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">b64encode</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_file</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">read</span><span class="p">()).</span><span class="n">decode</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'utf-8'</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">except</span> <span class="nb">Exception</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">e</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"Error encoding image </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">e</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="bp">None</span>
</code></pre></div></div>
<h2 id="bedrock-integration">Bedrock Integration</h2>
<p>The core function handles the API communication:</p>
<div class="language-python highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">boto3</span>
<span class="kn">import</span> <span class="nn">mimetypes</span>
<span class="kn">from</span> <span class="nn">botocore.exceptions</span> <span class="kn">import</span> <span class="n">ClientError</span>
<span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">get_image_format</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="s">"""Get image format for Bedrock API (lowercase format names)"""</span>
<span class="n">mime_type</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">_</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">mimetypes</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">guess_type</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">mime_type</span> <span class="ow">and</span> <span class="n">mime_type</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">startswith</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="s">'image/'</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="n">format_map</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="p">{</span>
<span class="s">'image/jpeg'</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="s">'jpeg'</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="s">'image/jpg'</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="s">'jpeg'</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="s">'image/png'</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="s">'png'</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="s">'image/gif'</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="s">'gif'</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="s">'image/webp'</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="s">'webp'</span>
<span class="p">}</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="n">format_map</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">get</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">mime_type</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'jpeg'</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="s">'jpeg'</span>
<span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">analyze_image_location</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">bedrock_client</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">model_id</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">"anthropic.claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022-v2:0"</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="n">resize_images</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="bp">True</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">max_size</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="mi">1024</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="mi">1024</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="n">quality</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">85</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="s">"""Send image to AWS Bedrock and get location analysis"""</span>
<span class="k">try</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">base64_image</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">encode_image_to_base64</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">resize</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">resize_images</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="n">max_size</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">max_size</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">quality</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">quality</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="ow">not</span> <span class="n">base64_image</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="bp">None</span>
<span class="n">image_format</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">get_image_format</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="n">message</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="p">{</span>
<span class="s">"role"</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="s">"user"</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="s">"content"</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="p">[</span>
<span class="p">{</span>
<span class="s">"text"</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="s">"Analyze this image and identify the location or place shown. Provide a concise one-line description of the location, including the most specific place name possible (city, landmark, or geographical feature). Keep the response to a single sentence - no more than one line. Do not start with phrases like 'This is', 'The image shows', or 'This appears to be'"</span>
<span class="p">},</span>
<span class="p">{</span>
<span class="s">"image"</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="p">{</span>
<span class="s">"format"</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="n">image_format</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="s">"source"</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="p">{</span>
<span class="s">"bytes"</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="n">base64</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">b64decode</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">base64_image</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="p">}</span>
<span class="p">}</span>
<span class="p">}</span>
<span class="p">]</span>
<span class="p">}</span>
<span class="n">response</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">bedrock_client</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">converse</span><span class="p">(</span>
<span class="n">modelId</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">model_id</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="n">messages</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="p">[</span><span class="n">message</span><span class="p">],</span>
<span class="n">inferenceConfig</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="p">{</span>
<span class="s">"maxTokens"</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="mi">1000</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="s">"temperature"</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="mf">0.1</span>
<span class="p">}</span>
<span class="p">)</span>
<span class="n">location_analysis</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">response</span><span class="p">[</span><span class="s">'output'</span><span class="p">][</span><span class="s">'message'</span><span class="p">][</span><span class="s">'content'</span><span class="p">][</span><span class="mi">0</span><span class="p">][</span><span class="s">'text'</span><span class="p">]</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="n">location_analysis</span>
<span class="k">except</span> <span class="n">ClientError</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">e</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"AWS Bedrock error for </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">e</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="bp">None</span>
<span class="k">except</span> <span class="nb">Exception</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">e</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"Error analyzing image </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">e</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="bp">None</span>
</code></pre></div></div>
<p>Key technical details:</p>
<ul>
<li>Uses the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">converse</code> API instead of the older <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">invoke</code> method</li>
<li>Low temperature (0.1) for consistent responses</li>
<li>Specific prompt engineering to avoid verbose prefixes</li>
<li>Handles various image formats through MIME type detection</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="file-management">File Management</h2>
<p>The script organizes results by saving text files alongside images:</p>
<div class="language-python highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="kn">from</span> <span class="nn">pathlib</span> <span class="kn">import</span> <span class="n">Path</span>
<span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">save_location_to_file</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">location_text</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="s">"""Save location analysis to text file with same name as image"""</span>
<span class="k">try</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">image_name</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">Path</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">).</span><span class="n">stem</span>
<span class="n">image_dir</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">Path</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">).</span><span class="n">parent</span>
<span class="n">text_file_path</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">image_dir</span> <span class="o">/</span> <span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">image_name</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">.txt"</span>
<span class="k">with</span> <span class="nb">open</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">text_file_path</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'w'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">encoding</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">'utf-8'</span><span class="p">)</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">f</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">f</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">write</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">location_text</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">" Saved to: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">text_file_path</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">name</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="bp">True</span>
<span class="k">except</span> <span class="nb">Exception</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">e</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"Error saving text file for </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">e</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="bp">False</span>
<span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">get_image_files</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">folder_path</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="s">"""Recursively get all image files from folder and subfolders"""</span>
<span class="n">image_extensions</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="p">{</span><span class="s">'.jpg'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'.jpeg'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'.png'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'.gif'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'.bmp'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'.tiff'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="s">'.webp'</span><span class="p">}</span>
<span class="n">image_files</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="p">[]</span>
<span class="k">for</span> <span class="n">root</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">dirs</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">files</span> <span class="ow">in</span> <span class="n">os</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">walk</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">folder_path</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="k">for</span> <span class="nb">file</span> <span class="ow">in</span> <span class="n">files</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">file_path</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">Path</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">root</span><span class="p">)</span> <span class="o">/</span> <span class="nb">file</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">file_path</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">suffix</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">lower</span><span class="p">()</span> <span class="ow">in</span> <span class="n">image_extensions</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">image_files</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">append</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">file_path</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span> <span class="n">image_files</span>
</code></pre></div></div>
<h2 id="main-processing-loop">Main Processing Loop</h2>
<p>The main function coordinates everything:</p>
<div class="language-python highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="k">def</span> <span class="nf">process_images</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">folder_path</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">aws_region</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">'us-east-1'</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">model_id</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">"anthropic.claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022-v2:0"</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="n">resize_images</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="bp">True</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">max_size</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="mi">1024</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="mi">1024</span><span class="p">),</span> <span class="n">quality</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="mi">85</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="s">"""Main function to process all images in folder"""</span>
<span class="k">try</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">bedrock_client</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">boto3</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">client</span><span class="p">(</span>
<span class="n">service_name</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">'bedrock-runtime'</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="n">region_name</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">aws_region</span>
<span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"Connected to AWS Bedrock in region: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">aws_region</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">except</span> <span class="nb">Exception</span> <span class="k">as</span> <span class="n">e</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"Error connecting to AWS Bedrock: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">e</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span>
<span class="n">image_files</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">get_image_files</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">folder_path</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="ow">not</span> <span class="n">image_files</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"No image files found in </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">folder_path</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">return</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"Found </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="nb">len</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_files</span><span class="p">)</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s"> image files to process"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="n">processed</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="mi">0</span>
<span class="n">failed</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="mi">0</span>
<span class="k">for</span> <span class="n">i</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">image_path</span> <span class="ow">in</span> <span class="nb">enumerate</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_files</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="mi">1</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="se">\n</span><span class="s">[</span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">i</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">/</span><span class="si">{</span><span class="nb">len</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_files</span><span class="p">)</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">] Processing: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">name</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="c1"># Skip if already processed
</span> <span class="n">text_file_path</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">parent</span> <span class="o">/</span> <span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">stem</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s">.txt"</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">text_file_path</span><span class="p">.</span><span class="n">exists</span><span class="p">():</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">" Text file already exists, skipping..."</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">continue</span>
<span class="n">location_analysis</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="n">analyze_image_location</span><span class="p">(</span>
<span class="n">bedrock_client</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">model_id</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="n">resize_images</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">resize_images</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">max_size</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">max_size</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">quality</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">quality</span>
<span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">location_analysis</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">save_location_to_file</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="n">image_path</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="n">location_analysis</span><span class="p">):</span>
<span class="n">processed</span> <span class="o">+=</span> <span class="mi">1</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">" ✓ Success"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">else</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">failed</span> <span class="o">+=</span> <span class="mi">1</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">" ✗ Failed to save"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">else</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">failed</span> <span class="o">+=</span> <span class="mi">1</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">" ✗ Failed to analyze"</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="k">print</span><span class="p">(</span><span class="sa">f</span><span class="s">"</span><span class="se">\n</span><span class="s">Processing Complete: </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">processed</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s"> successful, </span><span class="si">{</span><span class="n">failed</span><span class="si">}</span><span class="s"> failed"</span><span class="p">)</span>
</code></pre></div></div>
<h2 id="usage">Usage</h2>
<p>Configure and run:</p>
<div class="language-python highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code><span class="k">if</span> <span class="n">__name__</span> <span class="o">==</span> <span class="s">"__main__"</span><span class="p">:</span>
<span class="n">RESIZE_IMAGES</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="bp">True</span>
<span class="n">MAX_SIZE</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="p">(</span><span class="mi">1024</span><span class="p">,</span> <span class="mi">1024</span><span class="p">)</span>
<span class="n">QUALITY</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="mi">85</span>
<span class="n">process_images</span><span class="p">(</span>
<span class="n">folder_path</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">"/home/user/Pictures/wallpapers/night"</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="n">aws_region</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">"ap-south-1"</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="n">model_id</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="s">"anthropic.claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022-v2:0"</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="n">resize_images</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">RESIZE_IMAGES</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="n">max_size</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">MAX_SIZE</span><span class="p">,</span>
<span class="n">quality</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="n">QUALITY</span>
<span class="p">)</span>
</code></pre></div></div>
<h2 id="output-example">Output Example</h2>
<div class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code>Connected to AWS Bedrock in region: ap-south-1
Found 15 image files to process
[1/15] Processing: sunset_beach.jpg
Size: 4.2MB → 0.3MB (92.8% reduction)
Saved to: sunset_beach.txt
✓ Success
[2/15] Processing: mountain_view.png
Text file already exists, skipping...
</code></pre></div></div>
<h2 id="technical-notes">Technical Notes</h2>
<p><strong>Model Options:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">claude-3-5-sonnet</code>: Good balance of speed and accuracy</li>
<li><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">claude-3-haiku</code>: Faster and cheaper</li>
<li><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">claude-3-opus</code>: Most capable but expensive</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Error Handling:</strong>
The script handles network issues, API limits, invalid formats, and file permissions gracefully.</p>
<p><strong>Cost Considerations:</strong>
Image resizing typically reduces API costs by 80-95%. The skip logic prevents reprocessing already-analyzed images.</p>
</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title>Automating Gmail PDF Extraction and Paperless NGX Integration</title>
<link href="https://madhur.co.in/blog/2025/12/29/automating-gmail-pdf-extraction-paperless.html"/>
<updated>2025-12-29T00:00:00+05:30</updated>
<id>id:/blog/2025/12/29/automating-gmail-pdf-extraction-paperless</id>
<content type="html"><p>Managing financial documents like bank statements, credit card bills, and tax documents can be tedious. I’ve automated this process with a Python script that:</p>
<ol>
<li>Scans Gmail for emails with PDF attachments</li>
<li>Extracts and decrypts password-protected PDFs</li>
<li>Organizes files by date and subject</li>
<li>Uploads documents to Paperless NGX for long-term storage and OCR</li>
<li>Sends notifications via ntfy</li>
</ol>
<p>This script runs daily via a systemd timer, ensuring I never miss important documents. All processed documents are accessible through the Paperless NGX web interface and mobile app, making it easy to access important documents on the go.</p>
<h2 id="features">Features</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Automatic PDF Extraction</strong>: Scans Gmail for emails matching configured subject patterns</li>
<li><strong>Password Removal</strong>: Automatically decrypts password-protected PDFs using configurable patterns</li>
<li><strong>Email-to-PDF Conversion</strong>: Converts entire emails (not just attachments) to PDF for newsletters and important emails</li>
<li><strong>Smart Organization</strong>: Organizes files by date (Month-Year) and email subject</li>
<li><strong>Paperless NGX Integration</strong>: Automatically uploads processed documents with metadata</li>
<li><strong>Google Drive Backup</strong>: Optional Google Drive upload for additional backup</li>
<li><strong>Notifications</strong>: Sends notifications via ntfy about processing status</li>
<li><strong>Duplicate Detection</strong>: Skips files that already exist</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="architecture">Architecture</h2>
<p>The script consists of several modules:</p>
<ul>
<li><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">gmail_reader.py</code>: Main script that orchestrates the entire process</li>
<li><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">pdf_processor.py</code>: Handles PDF decryption and validation</li>
<li><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">paperless_uploader.py</code>: Manages Paperless NGX API integration</li>
<li><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">google_drive_uploader.py</code>: Handles Google Drive uploads (optional)</li>
<li><code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">ntfy_notifier.py</code>: Sends push notifications</li>
</ul>