Yes, feel free to roll your eyes. I’m back harping on about custom notifications! After all these years, I’m still missing Growl.
Over the years, I’ve periodically researched alternatives and never found a way to override that notification sound - even by switching out the AIFFs in the underlying Library/Sounds directory.
I’m not a coder. But reading through the site and watching videos, it seems to have the potential to customise notifications from Scrivener with a “simple API”. Ha ha ha…‘Simples!’
I’m wondering – hoping – that this might finally be an alternative to Growl integrations with Scrivener?
As I’ve said before, it seems like such a silly thing, but motivation when writing/editing 2-8K words per day to a tight deadline is so crucial. Watching that progress bar change colour is a real boost. I just wish the system wouldn’t fart at me when I’ve hit the goal!
Any chance of implementing Pushover with Scrivener?
Growl? Does Scrivener still use Growl somehow for something?? MacOS has long since developed its own built-in growlesque notification system – which Scrivener certainly does use.
You might want to check your Alert sound setting (System Perfs/Settings > Sound > Alert Sound)!
No Growl hasn’t worked for years. I’ve been searching for an alternative, hence suggesting Pushover as a possibility.
And Mac’s Alert sound isn’t the one that’s used for Scrivener’s notification that you’ve hit your Session Target. It uses some other sound which I can’t find/replace on the system (not for want of trying). So, changing the Alert sound doesn’t help.
What I’m hoping for is a Growl-type notification that you can customise so that when you hit your Session Target, it plays a custom AIFF.
In my installation (Ventura), the notification sounds a three note sequence. Not a sound that fits your description at all. A different sound altogether! From this I infer the sound is definitely settable somewhere somehow. But have no idea how this sound is/was assigned to my notifications. (Grandfathered in from a previous iteration of MacOS?) Pretty sure all my notifications would have this sound if I enabled notification sounds.
That sound can be found among the system sounds in System > Library > Components > CoreAudio.component > Contents > Shared Support > system. In my case the sound is either called ‘burn complete’ or ‘burn failed’. Both these .aif files sound the same. Should you be messing with the files down there? Don’t look at me. We didn’t have this conversation.
How about just turning off notification sounds for Scrivener? Is the Banner jumping in and out not enough of an alert?
That would have helped me so much two years ago - I never could find that damn sound - but now I’m on Ventura the underlying system partition is (as I understand it and – as you rightly point out – would be silly to mess with) not only read-only but checksummed so if you change anything now (by disabling SIP) the system will force a reinstall.
You’re right - it’s not a fart - it just feels like one – emotionally – compared to what I used to have with Growl.
I’m aware it’s a silly thing. But when you write for 12 solid hours and actually hit 8K words of your insanely tight and unchangeable deadline, you kinda want a fanfare. Not a pop, pop.
If you’re on the US side of the pond, this will be completely lost on you, but in the UK we have this comedy show called Miranda where her sidekick, Stevie, is always pestering her to work harder by asking what she’s done today to make her feel proud with a hilarious Heather Small impression https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGI1WxOjkWw
With Growl, I would hit my daily target, this huge purple banner would drop down from the top of the screen and Stevie would sing: ‘What have you done today to make you feel proud?’ It cracked me up every time and I wouldn’t be able to stop writing until I heard that sound and had my daily giggle.
Now… pop pop, you did it…yeah, whatever. I miss my fanfare! But, since I’m probably the only one missing Growl, I’m sure this change request will (justifiably) end up at the bottom of the change request ocean!
I really appreciate your help though! Don’t judge me…I’m a writer, what do you expect!!
In theory, you could build a script (e.g., Applescript) to watch the system Notifications and detect the Scrivener notification, and then set it to trigger your Pushover fanfare.
I don’t think you should do this, but there you have it.
(Maybe we should set this as a litmus test of a good wish: if it is not worth it to you to code, then why would it be for someone else to code it for you? Haha, so many fewer wishes!)
Oh GR, I would TOTALLY code it if I had the skill!! I’m an ex-Unix support engineer turned writer seventeen years a go. So I’ve forgotten any coding I knew back then. An Applescript might be within my capabilities though. Thanks for the link, I’ll read up and give it a try!
Seriously…given the nature of this, I’m super grateful for your time.
It must seem like madness to some, spending time on something like this. But motivation is, arguably, one of the most crucial tools in a writer’s box. If you’ve ever done NaNoWriMo you’ll know why they gamify the word count system. Those silly badges are just jpegs on a screen, but they’re surprisingly powerful. I’m sure Keith knew that coding the Project Targets in the first place.
THANKS again, GR. If I get it working, I’ll letcha know! I’ll owe you one!!
