macOS Desktop Status Widget

A sleek, customizable desktop widget for macOS that displays security and privacy status indicators with a cyberpunk aesthetic.

Features

• Desktop Integration: Embeds directly into the desktop background
• Security Monitoring: Real-time VPN, Tor, and DNS status indicators
• Privacy Level Bar: Visual representation of current privacy protection
• Panic Button: Emergency privacy protection (visible on hover)
• Cyberpunk Styling: Glowing borders with customizable colors
• Auto-positioning: Stays fixed on main display, never follows windows
• Auto-save: Automatic backup every 5 minutes
• Transparent: Blends seamlessly with desktop wallpaper

Requirements

• macOS 11.0 or later
• Xcode Command Line Tools (for compilation)

Installation

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd desktop-widget

2. Compile the widget:

   swiftc -o desktop-widget desktop-widget.swift -framework Cocoa -framework SwiftUI

3. Run the widget:

   ./desktop-widget &

Customization

Colors & Styling

Edit the LinearGradient section in the Swift file to customize the glowing border colors:

LinearGradient(
    gradient: Gradient(colors: [
        Color.cyan.opacity(0.8),
        Color.blue.opacity(0.6),
        Color.purple.opacity(0.8),
        Color.pink.opacity(0.6)
    ])
)

Position

The widget automatically positions itself in the upper-left area of your main display. Modify the positioning logic in resetWidgetToFixedPosition() to change location.

Features Explained

Security Status Indicators

• VPN: Shows connection status with shield icon
• Tor: Displays Tor network connectivity
• DNS: Indicates DNS protection status

Privacy Level Bar

A 5-segment bar showing overall privacy protection level based on active security services.

Panic Button

Hidden button that appears on hover - can be customized to trigger emergency privacy actions like:

• Disconnect VPN
• Clear clipboard
• Close sensitive applications
• Trigger system lockdown

Auto-positioning

The widget uses aggressive positioning logic to:

• Stay fixed on the main display
• Never follow window movements
• Reset position every 0.5 seconds if displaced
• Handle screen configuration changes

Development

Project Structure

• desktop-widget.swift - Main application code
• Auto-generated backups in /tmp/DesktopWidget-AutoSave/

Key Components

• DesktopStatusWidgetApp - Main SwiftUI app
• AppDelegate - Window management and positioning
• WidgetContentView - Main UI layout
• StatusIndicator - Individual status icon component
• SecurityStatusModel - Status monitoring logic

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly on macOS
5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Author

Philip S Wright

Acknowledgments

• Built with SwiftUI and AppKit
• Inspired by cyberpunk aesthetics
• Designed for privacy-conscious users