Ways of running py5 without a window

[villares]

This is more of a curiosity, but I guess it could be handy to be able to run py5 on a standard Python interpreter without a window, it could be a way of integrating with other Python automation scripts (or maybe on a server?).

I remember that PDF and SVG renderers can output directly to a file as described in https://py5coding.org/reference/sketch_size.html and you need to remember to call the exit_sketch() method.

Is there an analogous way of generating a PNG without triggering a window/surface?

[hx2A]

Yes, there are two ways, but it might still require a frame buffer (display) for it to run (I don't remember right now).

First, you can use the special HIDDEN renderer, ie py5.size(200, 200, py5.HIDDEN). It inherits from the Java2D renderer and does not open a window. This renderer exists specifically to provide a better experience for py5bot and other times I don't want py5 to open a window. This renderer isn't really advertised anywhere and basically exists for internal purposes.

The other option is to use the py5 functions py5.render_frame() or the associated decorator @render(). They will return a PIL image that you can then save to a PNG file.

https://py5coding.org/reference/py5functions_render.html
https://py5coding.org/reference/py5functions_render_frame.html

If you use a OpenGL renderer, it must briefly open a window to draw anything. There is no way for an OpenGL renderer to run without an actual open window.