Here’s a drop-in README.md you can paste at repo root.

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sonder-nextup-rainmeter

Clean “UP NEXT” calendar card for Rainmeter (Sonder vibe: dark card, cyan accent). It reads your Google Calendar via private ICS links, merges multiple calendars, and shows the next 4 events in a rolling 7-day window.

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What you get

• Sonder/Calendar skin: compact card with clipped lines, thin divider, cyan date/time.
• PowerShell fetcher: robust ICS parser (TZID, UTC “Z”, all-day VALUE=DATE, folded lines, RRULE, EXDATE, RECURRENCE-ID including RANGE=THISANDFUTURE).
• Multi-ICS: primary calendar fills the list first, then secondary calendars backfill.
• No secrets in repo: ICS URLs loaded from secrets.ini (ignored by git).

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Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• Rainmeter
• (Optional) [Wallpaper Engine], [StartAllBack], [TranslucentTB] – used in screenshots.

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Install (Quick Start)

1. Get the files

   • Clone this repo or download the latest release zip and extract it.

2. Copy the skin

   • Copy the Sonder folder to: C:\Users\<you>\Documents\Rainmeter\Skins\

3. Add your calendars (secrets)

   • In Sonder\@Resources\, copy:

     secrets.example.ini → secrets.ini
     

   • Paste your private ICS URL(s). Either:

     # One line, comma or semicolon separated:
     ICS_URLS=https://.../private-AAAA/basic.ics, https://.../private-BBBB/basic.ics

     or

     ICS_URL=https://.../private-AAAA/basic.ics
     ICS_URL2=https://.../private-BBBB/basic.ics

4. Fetch once (test run) Open PowerShell and run:

   powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ".\Sonder\@Resources\gcal_fetch.ps1"

   This writes gcal_events.txt and a log gcal_log.txt in Sonder\@Resources\.

5. Load the skin

   • In Rainmeter, load Sonder\Calendar\Calendar.ini, then Refresh all.

You should see up to 4 upcoming events formatted like:

Fri 10/24 • 12:30 PM • Cyber Ranges x Gavin Judd bi-weekly updates

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Auto-refresh options

A) Task Scheduler (recommended)

Two ways:

• One-command installer

  .\scripts\install_task.ps1  -TaskName "Sonder Calendar Fetch" -IntervalMinutes 10

  Runs at logon and every 10 minutes (edit the number to taste).

• Import the XML

  1. Task Scheduler → Import Task…
  2. Pick tools/Sonder-Calendar-Fetch.xml.
  3. Edit the Arguments and WorkingDirectory paths if your repo lives somewhere else.
  4. Ensure Run with highest privileges is checked.

B) Rainmeter RunCommand (alternate)

Add a RunCommand measure in your skin to trigger every 10 minutes:

[MeasureFetch]
Measure=Plugin
Plugin=RunCommand
Program=powershell.exe
Parameter=-NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "#@#\gcal_fetch.ps1"
State=Hide
UpdateDivider=600

Keep either Task Scheduler or RunCommand (don’t run both).

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Configuration & customization

Fetcher (PowerShell): top of gcal_fetch.ps1

• \$MaxItems = 4 – how many lines to show.
• \$WindowDays = 7 – rolling window length.
• \$IncludeLocation = \$true | \$false – append — Location to titles.
• Logging is written to Sonder\@Resources\gcal_log.txt.

Skin (Calendar.ini):

• Accent cyan ≈ 35,201,235 (tweak the color variables at the top).
• Row spacing/width as #RowHeight#, #CardWidth#.
• Date/time is cyan via InlinePattern; titles are white; ClipString=1; 12px steps; divider line.
• Hides the card group if line 1 equals No events in the next 7 days.

Priority logic:

• The first ICS in secrets.ini is primary; it fills up to 4 slots first.
• If slots remain, secondary calendars backfill.
• Final display is always sorted chronologically.

Optional local filters (for stubborn vendor ghosts):

# Hide a single day by summary + date (local)
HIDE_SUMMARY_DAY=Cyber Ranges x Gavin Judd Updates|2025-10-23

# Hide all occurrences from a local date forward
HIDE_SUMMARY_FROM=Gavin / Alfredo Conectado|2024-03-01

These are last-resort, local-only safeguards; do not commit secrets.ini.

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Repo layout

sonder-nextup-rainmeter/
├─ README.md
├─ LICENSE                     # MIT
├─ .gitignore
├─ .gitattributes
├─ CHANGELOG.md
├─ CONTRIBUTING.md
├─ SECURITY.md
├─ .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/
│  ├─ bug_report.yml
│  └─ feature_request.yml
├─ scripts/
│  ├─ run_fetch.ps1
│  └─ install_task.ps1
├─ tools/
│  └─ Sonder-Calendar-Fetch.xml
├─ tests/
│  └─ sample.ics
├─ screenshots/
│  └─ preview.png
└─ Sonder/
   ├─ Calendar/Calendar.ini
   └─ @Resources/
      ├─ gcal_fetch.ps1
      ├─ secrets.example.ini      # users copy → secrets.ini (not tracked)
      └─ (fonts/, images/ optional)

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Troubleshooting

• Empty list:

  • Open Sonder\@Resources\gcal_log.txt and read the last 40 lines.
  • Check secrets.ini is in Sonder\@Resources\ and contains valid ICS URLs (not placeholders).
  • Run the fetch manually again (see Quick Start step 4).
  • If using Task Scheduler, confirm the task history and paths (ExecutionPolicy Bypass, correct Start in folder).

• Times look wrong:

  • We map TZID=America/New_York (and other common IANA zones) to Windows IDs.
  • Ensure your Windows time zone is set correctly.

• Phantom/old recurring instances:

  • The parser handles EXDATE, RECURRENCE-ID (incl. RANGE=THISANDFUTURE) and adds tolerant fallbacks.
  • If a stubborn item remains due to vendor caching/format quirks, add a local rule in secrets.ini (see Optional local filters).

• Rainmeter shows only 1–2 lines:

  • The fetcher only writes up to 4 within the next 7 days. If you actually have <4 upcoming events, that’s expected.
  • Otherwise, open gcal_log.txt to see which items were filtered (canceled, outside window, or hidden).

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Privacy & security

• Do not share your private ICS URLs.

• secrets.ini, gcal_events.txt, and gcal_log.txt are ignored by git:

  Sonder/@Resources/secrets.ini
  Sonder/@Resources/gcal_events.txt
  Sonder/@Resources/gcal_log.txt
  

• If you accidentally committed a secret, rotate the ICS URL in Google Calendar immediately.

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Contributing

PRs are welcome! Please don’t include secrets or runtime files. See CONTRIBUTING.md and open a bug with the tail of gcal_log.txt if parsing goes sideways.

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License

MIT — attribution appreciated.