Watchr

Watchr main page
Watchr source preview
Watchr recording history

Inspiration

For Watchr, we took inspiration from old-school DVR machines. You know, the kind that records your favourite television show watching at your leisure. Looking at our lives, we saw that we missed countless live web events due to other commitments. And thus, Watchr was born!

What it does

Watchr is a simple desktop platform that records live screen events. Users can set the target source, live stream time and file directory. A small preview will be displayed to confirm all choices. Users can schedule multiple live stream recordings, perfect for all occasions. When the event rolls around, sit back and let Watchr go to work! Watchr will record live stream events, before automatically downloading and storing them on your device. Users can also scroll through a list of past live streams recorded through Watchr and delete upcoming scheduled recordings.

How we built it

Watchr was built on an Electron, with a React.js frontend. We relied on a couple of crucial react libraries such as “react-datetimepicker” and “react-popup” which we styled with CSS.

Challenges we ran into

While creating Watchr, we ran into a few different problems. One key issue dealt with using unfamiliar technology and software. Getting our bearings on Electron and React took some time, but once we gave ourselves some time to become comfortable with the software, we were able to make solid progress. Furthermore, we ran into problems with rapidly updating software. For example, many online guides and resources concerning Electron were outdated due to the quick pace at which software updates were released. We also dealt with many merge conflicts, but through this experience, we learned how to avoid and resolve them when working collaboratively.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of creating a working desktop application through Electron and React. This project was the first time many members came into contact with either technology, and we are proud of being able to stretch our thinking and step outside of our comfort zones.

What we learned

By creating Watchr, we learned the importance of teamwork and communicating with one another in an effective manner. Due to the countless merge conflicts we faced, we wasted many hours that could have been spent creating new features or coding. This will be a learning lesson for all of us next time. Furthermore, coding Watchr taught many team members fundamentals in Electron and React. Watchr helped to create core skills and helped to inspire many possible future ideas due to our newfound skills.