tuatara 0.6.2

Tuatara is a text-mode music player.

tuatara

tuatara is a text-mode music player, written in Python.

Description

tuatara plays local music files. It can play single files, or play an entire music library.

Features

• Simple keyboard controls
• Shuffle mode
• Basic playlist support via .m3u files
• Integrated cover art display
• Dynamic background color
• Visualization support

tuatara is not intended for interactive browsing of your library; tell it what to play, and it plays it.

Screenshot

Usage

To start with tuatara, just pass a file, directory of music files, or a URL on the commandline.

Example:

tuatara /path/to/my/music/library /path/to/some/other/files

You can pass multiple files or directories to play on the command line.

Controls

tuatara is controlled by the keyboard. Basic keys are:

• Space bar: toggle Play/Pause
• 'p', PageUp: Previous track
• 'n', PageDown: Next track
• 'm': Toggle mute
• 'h', '?': Show full keybindings
• 'q': Quit

Controls are not case-sensitive.

For more comprehensive documentation on features, usage, controls, and configuration, see the manual.

Requirements and installation

System requirements:

• Python >= 3.11
• GStreamer (with appropriate plugins)
• GObject-introspection

Python requirements:

• PyGObject
• Pillow
• urllib3
• m3u8
• blessed

tuatara can be installed from PyPI, or from the Releases page on GitHub.

To install from Pypi, run:

pip install tuatara

tuatara is only tested on Linux. macOS or Windows may theoretically work.

Development

When submitting changes:

• Please add tests in tests/ if it is a testable change
• Ensure code passes both lint and formatting with ruff (https://docs.astral.sh/ruff/)

License & Credits

tuatara is licensed under the GPL, version 3.0 or later.

Python ASCII art implementation inspired and cribbed from ascii-wizard and artem.

Why 'tuatara'?

The tuatara is a reptile, native to New Zealand. It is the sole surviving member of the Rhynchocephalia order; its lineage split from modern snakes and lizards well over 200 million years ago.

Hence, despite existing to this day, it appears to be a relic of a far bygone era. Much like this software.