Simple time-tracking via periodic screenshots as a service, designed to be embedded into Hack Club programs. Lookout was previously known as "Collapse".
There are currently two official clients for this service:
- Web React SDK - for embedding the recorder in your web app.
- Desktop App - for download on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Lookout also hosts a small recorder of its own at the sessionUrl a new session returns, for cases where sending the user a link is easier than shipping a client.
Note
If you're a YSWS program author hoping to integrate Lookout into your program, have your program's point of contact email lookout@hackclub.com first. See /docs/integration.md for technical information on how to integrate Lookout.
If you're a Hack Clubber using Lookout and running into issues with Lookout, please reach out to the program's author (and not us). They'll forward the issue on if needed.
Lookout is a Lapse alternative with differing goals.
Lapse is a standalone, general purpose, time-lapse creation tool with Hackatime integration, to produce smooth time-lapse videos that is Hackatime compatible and can be shared.
Lookout is a service that processes screenshots for proof of time spent on a project. At it's core, Lookout accepts screenshots from clients (similar to Hackatime's heartbeats). Lookout needs to be integrated into other Hack Club programs to function.
Lookout is designed to be simple, resilient, and easy to integrate. Here's how it works at a high level:
- A Hack Club program generates a session and shares it with the client.
- The client records a short clip every minute, grabbing a frame every 10 seconds (~6 frames per minute), and uploads it as a single capture. Clients that can't encode video fall back to one screenshot per minute.
- The server tracks the number and timing of captures received to validate time.
- When the session finishes, Lookout stitches the captures into a time-lapse video.
- The Hack Club program can retrieve the session results.
Sessions auto-pause after 10 minutes of inactivity and auto-stop after 24 hours of inactivity.
There is no concept of "users" or "accounts" in Lookout. Sessions are controlled by its token, which the Hack Club program saves and passes to the client. The Hack Club program decides when and how to use the data and results (i.e. push to Hackatime, use time directly, etc) with the same token. The concept of associating sessions with users or projects is up to the Hack Club program (A common approach is to store the session token to a user or project in the Hack Club program's database).