carterkit 0.3.1

Build and drive CAR-TER layouts from Python — the control docs are the library.

carterkit

Build and drive CAR-TER layouts from Python.

The control docs are the library. Every control's schema, fields, and examples are parsed at runtime from the ControlDocs markdown bundled inside the package — the exact same docs the CAR-TER app renders — so the catalog never drifts from the definitions.

pip install carterkit

Explore the controls (zero config)

import carterkit

carterkit.controls()            # {type: schema} for every placeable control
carterkit.doc("gauge")          # full parsed doc: fields, themeFields, examples
print(carterkit.doc_markdown("gauge"))   # the rendered documentation prose
carterkit.examples("button")    # documented example snippets

Build a layout

The fluent Layout builder composes typed builders (build.<control>) and binding helpers (bind) — all generated from / shaped by the bundled docs, so unknown control types and bad enum values raise instead of silently shipping a broken layout:

from carterkit import Layout, build, bind

lay = (Layout("Dashboard", columns=4, rows=4)
       .connect("ws://192.168.1.50:8765", channel="home")
       .tab("Main", icon="gauge")
       .add(build.gauge(id="cpu", label="CPU", min=0, max=100,
                        sync=[bind.listen("cpu", filter={"msg_type": "metrics"})]),
            default_span=[2, 2])
       .add(build.button(id="refresh", label="Refresh", action=bind.action("refresh"))))

print(lay.findings())    # schema + grid + binding lint against the bundled catalog
help(build.gauge)        # ← prints the gauge documentation, straight from the docs
layout = lay.layout      # the composed dict, ready to push/save

Prefer surgical edits? LayoutBuffer gives add_control / update_control / move_control over a held draft; lay.buffer exposes it.

infer.build_layout(payload) generates a wired layout from a sample telemetry dict; codegen.generate_service_stub(layout) emits a runnable MeshSocket server skeleton; theming.theme_for(...) and tune.tune_gauge(...) round out the authoring tools.

CLI

carterkit catalog                 # list every control type
carterkit doc gauge               # print a control's documentation
carterkit examples button         # list a control's examples (--name to print one)
carterkit validate layout.json    # lint a layout (exit 1 on errors)
carterkit gen layout.json         # generate a MeshSocket service stub
carterkit relay --port 8765       # run the bundled MeshSocket relay

Drive a device

import asyncio
from carterkit import CarterClient

async def main():
    async with CarterClient(gateway_url="ws://localhost:18080", token="<mesh token>",
                            channel="home", role="device", name="my-hub") as c:
        c.on("toggle", lambda d: {"ok": True, **d})
        await c.broadcast("reading", {"temp_c": 21.4})
        await asyncio.sleep(60)
    # leaving the `async with` disconnects automatically

asyncio.run(main())

End-to-end encryption (ChaCha20-Poly1305 + per-session salt) is transparent when you pass an e2ee_key. Send a push to every device on a Connect+ account with CarterClient.notify(...) or the stdlib-only carterkit.notify_http(...).

Built on

meshsocket — the WebSocket mesh transport.

The ControlDocs are vendored from the CAR-TER app repo; refresh them with scripts/sync-controldocs.sh.