Empowering Headless Setups with Generic X Window and Recording

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Beheaded: Empowering Headless Setups with Generic X Window and Recording

In today’s tech landscape, headless setups have become increasingly popular, providing a flexible and efficient way to interact with operating systems without the need for a physical display. Milan Falešník’s Beheaded Python package takes headless setups to the next level by offering a generic X window and recording capabilities. In this article, we will explore the installation process, basic usage, and the powerful features of the Headless and Record classes provided by Beheaded.

Installation

Getting started with Beheaded is a breeze. Simply install it using pip:

pip install Beheaded

Beheaded requires the “Runner” Python package, which will be automatically installed by pip.

Basic Usage

To start using Beheaded, the first step is to import the necessary objects into your project:

python
from Beheaded import Headless, Record

If recording is not needed, you can omit the import of the Record class.

Headless

The Headless class in Beheaded provides a constructor with the following signature:

python
Headless(display="auto", width=1280, height=1024, bit_depth=24)

You can use the Headless class in both normal mode and context-managed mode. Here are examples of both approaches:

“`python
X = Headless()
X.start()

… do stuff …

X.stop()
“`

python
with Headless() as X:
# ... do stuff ...

Both approaches are functionally equivalent and offer flexibility based on your specific use case.

Record

The Record class in Beheaded is used for recording X window sessions. It has the following constructor signature:

python
Record(filename, xvfb, framerate=25)

  • “filename” specifies the target video file name.
  • “xvfb” specifies the Headless object or anything that provides “width”, “height”, and “display” attributes.

Similar to the Headless class, you can use the Record class in both normal mode and context-managed mode. Here are examples of both approaches:

“`python
rec = Record(“filename.webm”, X)
rec.start()

… do stuff …

rec.stop()
“`

python
with Record("filename.webm", X):
# ... do stuff ...

The flexibility provided by Beheaded allows you to seamlessly integrate recording capabilities into your headless projects.

Combining Headless and Record

Beheaded makes it effortless to combine the Headless and Record classes. You can achieve this by nesting the context managers:

python
with Headless() as X:
with Record("filename.webm", X):
# ... do stuff ...

By leveraging the power of Beheaded, you can create complex scenarios where you can perform actions within a headless environment while simultaneously recording the X window session.

Conclusion

Beheaded by Milan Falešník is a game-changer for headless setups. Its generic X window and recording capabilities bring new possibilities for automation, testing, and more. In this article, we explored the installation process, basic usage, and how to combine the Headless and Record classes. Now, it’s time for you to dive into Beheaded and unleash the full potential of headless setups.

We hope this article provided valuable insights into the Beheaded package. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

References

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