asciicast2vector

Convert asciicast (asciinema recordings) to vector graphics (SVG and TikZ).

Usage

Running asciicast2vector without arguments shows the following help:

Usage: asciicast2vector.py recording.json [options]

Converter for asciinema recording to vector graphic

Options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -s START, --start=START
                        Start frame (default: first)
  -e END, --end=END     End frame (default: last)
  -o OUT, --out=OUT     Filename to write vector graphic to (default: stdout)
  -t TYPE, --type=TYPE  Vector graphic type: svg or tikz (default: svg)
  -b, --background      No background
  -i, --invert          Invert black and white
  -c, --content         Do not add document structure (tikz only)
  -q, --query           Show information about the JSON file and exit

Without paramaters, asciicast2vector combines all frames, from the first to the last, and generates an SVG. To render only certain frames, the -s and -e parameters can be used. For example, to render frame 10 to 12, run python asciicast2vector.py recording.json -s 10 -e 12 > output.svg.

SVG

The default output format is SVG. The resulting image can be directly used in browsers, or further modified using vector drawing programs (e.g., Inkscape).

TikZ

asciicast2vector can also output the image as LaTeX TikZ drawings. Per default, the output is a standalone LaTeX document which can be compiled using pdflatex.

To output the picture only (without the document structure), use the -c parameter: python asciicast2vector.py recording.json -t tikz -c > output.tikz. Bear in mind that you require a definition for the colors ansi0 to ansi15 if you do not output the full document.

Limitations

• Some ANSI Escape sequences are not implemented (see http://www.inwap.com/pdp10/ansicode.txt for an extensive list)
• Only a single frame can be rendered, animations are not supported (yet)
• The resulting vector graphic is quite large, as every character is drawn individually