Caffeine ☕

Are you tired of your Windows PC dozing off when you need it most? Does your status on Teams, Slack, or Webex keep turning "away" while you're just deep in thought or PC go to sleep when grabbing another coffee?? Caffeine is here to keep your PC wide awake and your status forever green!

Caffeine is a simple yet effective script that prevents your Windows machine from going to sleep. No more fiddling with power settings or jiggling your mouse every few minutes.

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Disclaimer

Now, a tiny, almost imperceptible disclaimer, whispered softly like a secret between friends: I take absolutely no responsibility if, by some twisted turn of fate, you're violating some obscure, arcane policy with this software. Because, let's be honest, if you've made it this far, past the initial setup screens and through the labyrinthine layers of IT bureaucracy, it's entirely possible that changing this particular setting isn't even an option in your PC's settings. You're probably in a situation where the only way out is through, or, you know, a strongly worded email to IT that will inevitably be ignored.

So, go forth, compile your hearts out, and may your executables run ever so smoothly. Just don't blame me when the corporate overlords discover your ingenious workaround. I'm just here to provide the chuckles and the occasional, entirely unhelpful, advice.

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How It Works

Caffeine's secret is delightfully simple: it simulates a keyboard key press every minute. Don't worry, it's not pressing Shift or Space and messing up your work. Instead, it presses an "unassigned" virtual key that Windows recognizes as activity, but doesn't actually do anything in your applications. This clever trick keeps your system active, preventing it from entering sleep mode due to inactivity.

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Versions Available

We've got Caffeine brewing in a few different flavors to suit your preference:

PowerShell Version (Recommended)

This is the recommended version for most Windows users. It's easy to run, integrates well with the system, and doesn't require any extra installations if you have PowerShell (which you do!).

Python Version (Recommended)

If you're a Python enthusiast, this version is for you! It offers cross-platform potential (though currently focused on Windows) and is easy to modify if you want to tweak its behavior. You'll need a Python installation to run this.

Visual Basic.NET Version (Historical - Use with Caution!)

For historical reasons, the original Visual Basic .NET version is still included. However, we strongly advise against using it. This code is likely very old, probably "spaghetti code," and potentially quite terrible to maintain or even run safely. It's more of a relic than a recommendation!

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Installation & Usage

Quick stealth setup

Follow these simple steps to install Caffeine on your system:

1. Download Install.ps1 file and save it to a folder of your choice.

    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cttynul/caffeine/refs/heads/master/Powershell/Install.ps1" -OutFile (Join-Path -Path (Get-Location) -ChildPath "Install.ps1")

2. Run the script:

   .\Install.ps1

3. Open Powershell everytime you want a coffee and wait for magic.

How stealth setup works

1. The installer script Install.ps1 performs the following steps:
2. Downloads last Caffeine.ps1 from this repository.
3. Checks if your PowerShell profile file ($profile) exists. If not, it creates it.
4. Adds a command to the profile to start Caffeine.ps1 as a background process using Start-Process.

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PowerShell

1. Download: Grab the Caffeine.ps1 file from this repository.

    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cttynul/caffeine/refs/heads/master/Powershell/Caffeine.ps1" -OutFile (Join-Path -Path (Get-Location) -ChildPath "Caffeine.ps1")

2. Run: Open PowerShell and navigate to the directory where you saved the file. Then run:

   .\Caffeine.ps1

3. Optional: If you want to set a timeout different then the default one (60 secons) run:

   .\Caffeine.ps1 -Wait 120 #120 seconds

Note: You may not have permission to run Powershell or they could be restricted by your admin so you could set execution policy for current user with Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope CurrentUser.

Python

1. Prerequisites: Make sure you have Python installed.
2. Download: Get the caffeine.py file.

    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cttynul/caffeine/refs/heads/master/Python/caffeine.py" -OutFile (Join-Path -Path (Get-Location) -ChildPath "caffeine.py")

3. Install dependencies: You might need pywin32 for Windows-specific keypresses. Install it via pip:

   pip install pywin32

4. Run: Open Command Prompt or PowerShell, navigate to the file's directory, and run:

   python caffeine.py

5. Optional: If you want to set a timeout different then the default one (60 secons) run:

   python caffeine.py -t 120 #120 seconds, can be used both -t and --time

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Why not a an .exe or similar?

Alright, let's get down to brass tacks, or should I say, compiled bytes. You're wondering why not just stick to a good old .exe or something equally, well, executable? And frankly, it's a stellar question, much like asking why we still haven't achieved teleportation when clearly, it's the superior mode of travel.

Here's the deal: if your laptop is happily chugging along with powershell.exe or python.exe doing its thing, the chances of someone "accidentally" unleashing a nefarious trigger are, shall we say, astronomically low. We're talking "finding a unicorn riding a skateboard" levels of improbability. These are the workhorses, the unsung heroes, the digital equivalent of that one friend who always brings a spare phone charger. They're meant to be there, doing their job, not secretly plotting world domination (at least, not yet).

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Stargazers over time

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Contributing

Got an idea to make Caffeine even more potent? Found a bug? Feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request!

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License

Do No Harm License

Preamble
Most software today is developed with little to no thought of how it will be used, or the consequences for our society and planet.
As software developers, we engineer the infrastructure of the 21st century. We recognise that our infrastructure has great power to shape the world and the lives of those we share it with, and we choose to consciously take responsibility for the social and environmental impacts of what we build.
We envisage a world free from injustice, inequality, and the reckless destruction of lives and our planet. We reject slavery in all its forms, whether by force, indebtedness, or by algorithms that hack human vulnerabilities. We seek a world where humankind is at peace with our neighbours, nature, and ourselves. We want our work to enrich the physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing of all society.
We build software to further this vision of a just world, or at the very least, to not put that vision further from reach.

Terms
*Copyright* (c) 20XX cttynul. All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
3. Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
4. This software must not be used by any organisation, website, product or service that:
   a) lobbies for, promotes, or derives a majority of income from actions that support or contribute to:
      * sex trafficking
      * human trafficking
      * slavery
      * indentured servitude
      * gambling
      * tobacco
      * adversely addictive behaviours
      * nuclear energy
      * warfare
      * weapons manufacturing
      * war crimes
      * violence (except when required to protect public safety)
      * burning of forests
      * deforestation
      * hate speech or discrimination based on age, gender, gender identity, race, sexuality, religion, nationality

   b) lobbies against, or derives a majority of income from actions that discourage or frustrate:
      * peace
      * access to the rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child
      * peaceful assembly and association (including worker associations)
      * a safe environment or action to curtail the use of fossil fuels or prevent climate change
      * democratic processes

5. All redistribution of source code or binary form, including any modifications must be under these terms. You must inform recipients that the code is governed by these conditions, and how they can obtain a copy of this license. You may not attempt to alter the conditions of who may/may not use this software.

We define:
- Forests to be 0.5 or more hectares of trees that were either planted more than 50 years ago or were not planted by humans or human made equipment.
- Deforestation to be the clearing, burning or destruction of 0.5 or more hectares of forests within a 1 year period.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

Attribution
Do No Harm License available at https://github.com/raisely/NoHarm