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The !notify command creates reminders that will send you a WhatsApp message at a specified time in the future.

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Basic Usage

!notify <task> <time>
​
task
string
required
The reminder message or task description
​
time
string
required
Duration from now when you want to be reminded. Supports formats like 30m, 1h, 2h30m

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Examples

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Simple Reminders

!notify call mom 30m
Response: 
✅ Reminder set: "call mom" in 30m

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Hour-based Reminders

!notify buy groceries 1h
Response: 
✅ Reminder set: "buy groceries" in 1h

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Complex Durations

!notify team meeting 2h30m
Response: 
✅ Reminder set: "team meeting" in 2h 30m

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Time Format

The time parameter supports flexible formats:
FormatDescriptionExample
<number>mMinutes only30m = 30 minutes
<number>hHours only2h = 2 hours
<number>h<number>mHours and minutes1h30m = 1 hour 30 min
The time parser extracts hours and minutes from the string, so 2h30m and 30m2h both work (though the first format is recommended for clarity).

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How It Works

1

Parse the command

The bot separates your task description from the time duration. The last argument is treated as the time, everything before it is the task.Example: !notify call dentist tomorrow 45m
  • Task: “call dentist tomorrow”
  • Time: “45m”
2

Calculate reminder time

The bot calculates the exact time to send the reminder using the current time plus the duration you specified.Implementation in NotifyHandler.ts:36:
const reminderTime = moment().add(duration, 'minutes').toDate();
3

Store the reminder

The reminder is saved to the database with your user ID, task, and scheduled time.From NotifyHandler.ts:39-43:
await ReminderService.create(
    sender,
    task,
    reminderTime
);
4

Send confirmation

You receive immediate confirmation showing exactly what was scheduled.
5

Receive notification

At the scheduled time, the bot sends you a WhatsApp message with your reminder.

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Error Handling

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Missing Parameters

!notify
Response: 
Usage: !notify <task> <time>

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Missing Time

!notify call mom
Response: 
Usage: !notify <task> <time>

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Invalid Time Format

!notify meeting tomorrow
Response: 
Invalid time format. Examples: 30m, 1h, 2h30m
If the time string doesn’t contain valid hour (h) or minute (m) markers, the reminder will fail. Always include units like 30m instead of just 30.

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Implementation Details

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Time Parser

From NotifyHandler.ts:59-73, the time parser uses regex to extract hours and minutes: 
function parseTimeString(timeStr: string): number | null {
    const hourMatch = timeStr.match(/(\d+)h/);
    const minuteMatch = timeStr.match(/(\d+)m/);

    let totalMinutes = 0;

    if (hourMatch) {
        totalMinutes += parseInt(hourMatch[1]) * 60;
    }
    if (minuteMatch) {
        totalMinutes += parseInt(minuteMatch[1]);
    }

    return totalMinutes > 0 ? totalMinutes : null;
}

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Duration Formatting

The confirmation message formats the duration in a human-readable way (NotifyHandler.ts:75-86): 
function formatDuration(minutes: number): string {
    const hours = Math.floor(minutes / 60);
    const mins = minutes % 60;

    if (hours > 0 && mins > 0) {
        return `${hours}h ${mins}m`;
    } else if (hours > 0) {
        return `${hours}h`;
    } else {
        return `${mins}m`;
    }
}
Yes! Each !notify command creates a separate reminder. You can have multiple reminders scheduled at different times.
The code doesn’t impose a maximum limit, but extremely long durations should be used cautiously as they depend on the bot staying online.
The current implementation doesn’t include a cancel feature. Once set, reminders will trigger at their scheduled time. This could be a future enhancement.
  • !timer - For countdown timers instead of specific task reminders
  • !todo - For managing ongoing tasks without time constraints

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