GeekTool: Environment Canada weather

Small shell + Python script for GeekTool on macOS. It fetches a public Environment Canada city page like:

https://weather.gc.ca/en/location/index.html?coords=45.403,-75.687

…and prints a compact CURRENT + 7-day FORECAST block suitable for a desktop geeklet.

Data source: Environment Canada weather (Government of Canada).

Preview

Requirements

• macOS
• Python 3 available as python3 (macOS includes this)
• GeekTool (or any shell runner that can execute a command on an interval)

No extra Python packages are required (stdlib only).

Download

Option A: clone this repo (recommended)

git clone https://github.com/dmccullo/GeekTool-Environment-Canada-Weather-Geeklet.git
cd GeekTool-Environment-Canada-Weather-Geeklet

Option B: download just the script

Save Tools/envcan-geektool.sh anywhere on your Mac (for example ~/Documents/GeekTool/).

Install

1. Put the script somewhere permanent (example: ~/Documents/GeekTool/envcan-geektool.sh).
2. Make it executable:

chmod +x ~/Documents/GeekTool/envcan-geektool.sh

Optional: keep ~/Documents/GeekTool/ pointed at your git checkout

If you want GeekTool to always run the exact file from your repo (great for verifying the “download + run” experience while developing), make the Documents path a symlink:

mkdir -p ~/Documents/GeekTool
ln -sf "$PWD/Tools/envcan-geektool.sh" ~/Documents/GeekTool/envcan-geektool.sh
chmod +x "$PWD/Tools/envcan-geektool.sh"

Find your coordinates (URL)

1. Open Environment Canada’s site and search your location.
2. When you’re on the forecast page, copy the URL from your browser’s address bar.
   • It will look like:
     • https://weather.gc.ca/en/location/index.html?coords=LAT,LON

You can paste that full URL into the script with --url, or copy only the LAT,LON part for --coords.

GeekTool setup

1. Open GeekTool → New Geeklet → Shell.
2. Set refresh (example): 30s.
3. Set the command to one of the examples below.
4. Choose a monospace-friendly font and a geeklet size that avoids wrapping if you want the tightest layout.

Example: Ottawa (coords)

/Users/you/Documents/GeekTool/envcan-geektool.sh --coords "45.403,-75.687"

Example: any city (full URL)

/Users/you/Documents/GeekTool/envcan-geektool.sh --url "https://weather.gc.ca/en/location/index.html?coords=45.403,-75.687"

Fahrenheit toggle

/Users/you/Documents/GeekTool/envcan-geektool.sh --coords "45.403,-75.687" --fahrenheit

Equivalent:

/Users/you/Documents/GeekTool/envcan-geektool.sh --coords "45.403,-75.687" --units F

Celsius (default):

/Users/you/Documents/GeekTool/envcan-geektool.sh --coords "45.403,-75.687" --units C

Help

/Users/you/Documents/GeekTool/envcan-geektool.sh --help

Notes / limitations

• This script parses the public HTML page plus embedded JSON fragments. If Environment Canada changes their page structure, the script may need an update.
• Wind/humidity/visibility remain in metric units as shown on the Canadian page, even when temperatures are converted to Fahrenheit.

License

If you publish this on GitHub, add a license file you’re comfortable with (many small utilities use MIT). This README intentionally does not pick a license for you.