pyvirtualdisplay is a python wrapper for Xvfb, Xephyr and Xvnc

Links:

• home: https://github.com/ponty/pyvirtualdisplay
• documentation: http://pyvirtualdisplay.readthedocs.org
• PYPI: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/pyvirtualdisplay

Features:

• python wrapper
• supported python versions: 2.7, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8
• back-ends: Xvfb, Xephyr, Xvnc

Known problems:

• only a few back-end options are supported

Possible applications:

• GUI testing
• automatic GUI screenshot

Start Xephyr:

from pyvirtualdisplay import Display
xephyr=Display(visible=1, size=(320, 240)).start()

Create screenshot of xmessage with Xvfb:

from easyprocess import EasyProcess
from pyvirtualdisplay.smartdisplay import SmartDisplay
with SmartDisplay(visible=0, bgcolor='black') as disp:
    with EasyProcess('xmessage hello'):
        img = disp.waitgrab()
img.show()

• install Xvfb or Xephyr or Xvnc.

• install pip

• optional: pyscreenshot and PIL should be installed for smartdisplay submodule

• install the program:

  pip install pyvirtualdisplay
  

sudo apt-get install python-pip
sudo apt-get install xvfb xserver-xephyr vnc4server
sudo pip install pyvirtualdisplay
# optional
sudo apt-get install python-pil scrot
sudo pip install pyscreenshot
# optional for examples
sudo pip install entrypoint2

pip uninstall pyvirtualdisplay

Testing gnumeric on low resolution:

#-- include('examples/lowres.py') --#
from easyprocess import EasyProcess
from pyvirtualdisplay import Display

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # start Xephyr
    Display(visible=1, size=(320, 240)).start()
    # start Gnumeric
    EasyProcess('gnumeric').start()
#-#

Image:

Create screenshot of xmessage in background:

#-- include('examples/screenshot3.py') --#
'''
using :keyword:`with` statement
'''
from easyprocess import EasyProcess
from pyvirtualdisplay.smartdisplay import SmartDisplay

if __name__ == "__main__":
    with SmartDisplay(visible=0, bgcolor='black') as disp:
        with EasyProcess('xmessage hello'):
            img = disp.waitgrab()


    img.show()
#-#

Image:

#-- include('examples/vncserver.py') --#
'''
Example for Xvnc backend
'''

from easyprocess import EasyProcess
from pyvirtualdisplay.display import Display

if __name__ == "__main__":
    with Display(backend='xvnc', rfbport=5904) as disp:
        with EasyProcess('xmessage hello') as proc:
            proc.wait()
#-#

Some programs require a functional Xauthority file. PyVirtualDisplay can generate one and set the appropriate environment variables if you pass use_xauth=True to the Display constructor. Note however that this feature needs xauth installed, otherwise a pyvirtualdisplay.xauth.NotFoundError is raised.