The aim of this project is to let you use the Google speech recognition API to control your linux computer. The project is developed in Python.

google2ubuntu is a tool that I started 2 years ago. Unfortunatly, I was not able to do what I wanted because of a lack of time. So the project consists in 2 principal Python scripts:

• google2ubuntu.py
• google2ubuntu-manager.py

The first one lets you sends commands to Google and then execute some actions. The second one lets you manage all the commands.

I've done huge efforts to make the program easy to install and easy to use. Besides, the program can be internationalize, for the moment, it is already available in French and English.

For the moment, dependancies are:

• bash
• python
• python-gi
• libnotify-dev
• sox
• alsa-utils
• xdotool
• wget

google2ubuntu is available on Github on the release page and in my ppa. To install google2ubuntu

"sudo add-apt-repository ppa:benoitfra/google2ubuntu"
"sudo apt-get update"
"sudo apt-get install google2ubuntu"

Once you have installed google2ubuntu, you can attribute a shortcut to those 2 Python scripts:

"/usr/share/google2ubuntu/google2ubuntu.py"
"/usr/share/google2ubuntu/google2ubuntu-manager.py"

Moreover, if you search in the application's menu you will find two launchers, one for each of those programs.

After that, you can launch google2ubuntu-manager.py in order to manage all commands. google2ubuntu-manager

As you can see, google2ubuntu coms with several default commands. I will explain you how to manage and add commands.

By default, google2ubuntu comes with several commands stored in a default xml file:

"/usr/share/google2ubuntu/config/<your_language>/default.xml"

For the moment, there is a default file for French and English users, if your language is not currently supported the default voice will be English.

At the first, launch, a module folder is created in:

"~/.config/google2ubuntu"

The first time you add, modify or rmove a command, your commands' configuration will be also stored in this folder:

"~/.config/google2ubuntu/google2ubuntu.xml"

A command is a pair of “key” and “action”. Each “key” referes to an “action”. Many “key” can leads to the same “action”. To define a command, you do not need to make explicitaly all the word you will tell, I mean, if I want to create the command:

"key: open my documents"
"action: xdg-open ~/Documents"

The word “my” is not usefull so, I will put:

"key: open documents"
"action: xdg-open ~/Documents"

Don't care about capital letter, because the program automatically put the text in lowercase.

I've implemented different types of command:

• external commands
• internal commands
• modules

External commands are basically commands that you can run in your terminal:

"exo-open --launch MailReader"

If you want to add an external command, just click on the “Add” button. Then find the newline and replace “your key” by the key you want to associate to the command and replace “your command” by the action.

Internal commands are commands that I've implemented in google2ubuntu, for the moment there is 3 internal commands:

• time # show the time
• power # show and say the state of the battery
• clipboard # read the text selected by the cursor

If you want to add an internal command, open the little menu near the “Add” button and select “internal”. Then replace “your key” by the “key” you will pronounce to call this command and replace “word” by one of those 3 actions

In order to extand google2ubuntu very easily I've implemented a system of menu that let developers adds their own scripts in google2ubuntu. Besides, all modules will receive the text tha you pronouce in parameter

A module is composed of 2 files, an executable file and a config file named “args” placed both in the same folder. The args file contains 2 fields:

• linker a vord that let us distinguish the call to the module and the parameter we have to send to this module. For example, if I want to configure the module google, I can choose the linker “google ” because when I make a research I say:

"google who is barack obama"

So, the google module will be call with “who is barack obama” in parameter.

• spacebyplus If spacebyplus=1 then space are replace py +.

If you want to add a script, but this script doesn't have an args file don't worry, the gui will help you to create one and will place the module in :

"~/.config/google2ubuntu/modules"

You can add a module by opening the menu near to the “Add” button then selecting the executable files of the module. Yu can also simply drag&drop this executable on the treeview and the module will be automatically added. When you add a new module you don't have to modify the “action” field in the newline. You just have to modify the “key” field in the gui.

google2ubuntu already comes with 6 modules:

• google This plugin allows you to make search on Google and open the web browser on the search page you ask for.
• wikipedia This plugin allows you to make search on Wikipedia
• youtube This plugin allows you to make search on YouTube
• way This plugin allows you to find a way between to place on Google map. You have to pronounce your place like this:

"way between Pars and Marseille"

So your locations need to be between the word “between” and “and”

• weather This plugin allows you to ask Google to show you the weather for a city
• meaning This plugin allows you to ask to the meaning of a word, for exemple if I ask:

"meaning barack obama"

The plugin will tell me that he is the actual president of the US

Perhaps, you will have to modify the linker field of those module by modifying the corresponding args file in :

"~/.config/google2ubuntu/modules/<name>/args"

Once you have personalized and take care about the commands already included in google2ubuntu, you can launch the recognition by launching “google2ubuntu.py”

A little sound is played and a notification tell you to speak. Then the notification show the result and the action associated to the text you have pronounced is played.