Add GUI Wizard to Create New Timer/Service Units from Scratch

[mbnoimi]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

Currently, sysd-manager excels at managing existing systemd units (enable, disable, start, stop, edit, view logs). However, there is no built-in way to create new timer/service unit pairs from scratch through the GUI.

This is a significant gap for users migrating from cron to systemd timers, especially on Xfce desktops where:

• Traditional cron GUIs (gnome-schedule, zeit) are deprecated/abandoned
• Users need an accessible way to create scheduled tasks without manual file editing
• The learning curve for systemd timer syntax is steep for newcomers

Describe the solution you'd like

Add a "Create New Timer" wizard/dialog that guides users through:

Basic Mode (Cron-like experience):

• Task name (e.g., backup-daily)
• Command/Script path (with file browser)
• Schedule type:
  • Calendar-based (daily, weekly, monthly, custom time)
  • Monotonic timer (every X minutes/hours)
• Run as: User session (--user) or System (root)
• Persistent: Catch up missed runs after boot (yes/no)

Advanced Mode (Full systemd control):

• All Basic Mode options plus:
• Environment variables
• Working directory
• Dependencies (After=, Wants=)
• Resource limits (MemoryMax=, CPUQuota=)
• Restart policy (on-failure, always, never)
• StandardOutput/StandardError handling

Expected Output:

The wizard would generate both files automatically:

• ~/.config/systemd/user/<name>.service (or /etc/systemd/system/)
• ~/.config/systemd/user/<name>.timer

Then automatically:

1. Run systemctl --user daemon-reload
2. Offer to enable and start the timer
3. Show the new unit in the main browser list

Suggested Implementation Approach:

UI Step 1: Basic Information

Create New Scheduled Task
Step 1 of 4: Basic Information

Task Name *
[backup-daily]
ℹ Will create: backup-daily.service + backup-daily.timer

Task Type
  ● Service + Timer (scheduled task)
  ○ Service Only (manual trigger)
  ○ Timer Only (triggers existing service)

Scope
  ● User Session (~/.config/systemd/user/)
  ○ System-wide (/etc/systemd/system/) [requires authentication]

[Cancel]  [Back]  [Next →]

UI Step 2: Command & Schedule

Create New Scheduled Task
Step 2 of 4: Command & Schedule

Command/Script *
[/home/username/scripts/backup.sh] [Browse...]

Working Directory (optional)
[/home/username] [Browse...]

Schedule Type
  ● Calendar Time (specific times/dates)
  ○ Monotonic Timer (relative intervals)
  ○ Boot Timer (after system startup)

Calendar Presets:
[Every Hour] [Daily] [Weekly] [Monthly]

Custom OnCalendar Expression:
[*-*-* 03:00:00]
ℹ Format: Year-Month-Day Hour:Minute:Second
🔗 https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/systemd.time.html

[← Back]  [Next →]

UI Step 3: Advanced Options

Create New Scheduled Task
Step 3 of 4: Advanced Options

Reliability
  [✓] Persistent - Run missed executions after system boot
  [✓] RandomizedDelaySec=5min - Add randomness to prevent storms

Execution
  [ ] Run with root privileges (system units only)
  [ ] Wait for network connection
  [ ] Wait for home directory mount

Resource Limits (optional)
  Memory Max: [512] [MB ▼]
  CPU Quota:  [50]  [%  ▼]

Logging
  Standard Output: [journal ▼]
  Standard Error:  [journal ▼]
  (Options: journal, file, null, inherit)

Environment Variables (optional)
  [+ Add Variable]
  PATH=/usr/bin:/bin
  BACKUP_DEST=/mnt/backup

[← Back]  [Next →]

UI Step 4: Completion & Actions

✓ Timer Created Successfully!

The following units have been created:
  📄 backup-daily.service
  📄 backup-daily.timer

What would you like to do next?
  [✓] Enable timer (start on boot)
  [✓] Start timer immediately
  [ ] View unit files
  [ ] Open logs

[Close]  [Create Another]

Technical Implementation Notes

Component            | Suggestion
---------------------|--------------------------------------------------
Dialog Framework     | Use existing GTK4/libadwaita dialogs
File Writing         | ~/.config/systemd/user/ or /etc/systemd/system/
Validation           | Real-time OnCalendar syntax validation
Name Validation      | Regex: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$
Command Validation   | Check file exists + executable bit
Daemon Reload        | Auto-trigger systemctl --user daemon-reload
Error Handling       | Show specific systemd error messages
Templates            | Store common presets in JSON config

Service File Template

[Unit]
Description={task_description}
{After=network-online.target if network wait selected}
{Wants=network-online.target if network wait selected}

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart={command_path}
{WorkingDirectory={working_dir} if specified}
{Environment="VAR=value" for each env var}
{MemoryMax={value} if specified}
{CPUQuota={value}% if specified}
StandardOutput={selection}
StandardError={selection}

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

Timer File Template

[Unit]
Description=Timer for {task_description}

[Timer]
{OnCalendar={expression} if calendar type}
{OnUnitActiveSec={interval} if monotonic type}
{OnBootSec={interval} if boot timer type}
Persistent={true/false}
RandomizedDelaySec={value if selected}
Unit={name}.service

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target

Cron Preset Conversions

Preset Name        | OnCalendar Value      | Common Use Case
-------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------
Every Minute       | *:*:*                 | Monitoring, polling
Every Hour         | *:00:00               | Hourly backups, sync
Daily Midnight     | 00:00:00              | Daily backups, cleanup
Daily 3 AM         | 03:00:00              | Off-peak maintenance
Weekly Sunday      | Sun 00:00:00          | Weekly reports
Monthly 1st        | *-01-01 00:00:00      | Monthly billing, reports
Weekdays 9 AM      | Mon..Fri 09:00:00     | Work day tasks
Every 15 Min       | *:*:00/15             | Frequent sync

Integration with Existing Features

Existing Feature     | How Wizard Uses It
---------------------|--------------------------------------------
Unit browser         | New timer appears immediately after creation
Log viewer           | "Open logs" button links to existing viewer
Unit editor          | "View unit files" opens existing editor
Enable/Disable       | Post-creation dialog uses existing toggles
Start/Stop           | Post-creation dialog uses existing controls

Accessibility Checklist

[  ] Keyboard navigation (Tab through fields, Enter to submit)
[  ] Screen reader labels for all form fields
[  ] Clear error messages with field highlighting
[  ] High contrast mode support (follows system GTK theme)
[  ] Tooltips explaining systemd-specific terms

Future Enhancement Ideas

1. Import from Cron - Parse existing crontab entries and convert to timers
2. Export to Cron - Convert timers back to cron format for portability
3. Template Gallery - Community-shared timer configurations
4. Test Run Button - Execute command once before saving to verify it works
5. Notification Integration - Desktop notification on job completion/failure

Summary

Improancement          | Description
-----------------------|--------------------------------------------
4-Step Wizard Flow     | Complete user journey from creation to end
Simple Text Mockups    | Each screen in its own clean text block
Technical Details      | Validation, file paths, error handling
Unit File Templates    | Exact INI format the wizard should generate
Integration Points     | How to reuse existing sysd-manager components
Cron Preset Table      | Ready-to-use OnCalendar conversions

[plrigaux]

I will analyse your feature enhancement, but I feel it request a lot of effort to make it good.

Thank you for your detailed request, it will improve Sysd Manager