BENCHLAB PyTools

Overview

BENCHLAB PyTools is the main entry point for interacting with BENCHLAB telemetry devices using Python.
It provides a modular launcher to start different modes of operation, including:

• Interactive terminal TUI
• CSV logging for offline analysis
• Fast api server
• GUI graphing
• HWiNFO custom sensors
• MQTT publishing for remote dashboards
• VU analog-style dials and configuration

The launcher can operate in interactive mode or via command-line flags.

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Available Modes

Mode	Flag	Description	Notes
CSV Logging	-logfleet	Logs device data to CSV	Supports single-device and fleet logging.
Fast API	-fastapi	Access device telemetry through API calls	Supports multi-device
Graph	-graph	GUI graphing interface	Visualizes telemetry trends in real time.
HWiNFO	-hwinfo	HWiNFO export	Export telemetry as HWiNFO custom sensors
MQTT Publisher	-mqtt	Publishes telemetry to MQTT broker	Can connect to localhost or a remote broker.
TUI	-tui	Interactive terminal UI	Displays a live TUI for monitoring multiple devices.
VU Dials	-vu	Analog-style VU dials	Visual monitoring of device metrics.
VU Config	-vuconfig	VU configuration interface	Customize VU dials and settings interactively.

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Installation

BENCHLAB PyTools relies on Python 3.8+ and optional modules for each mode.

Install core dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Optional mode-specific dependencies are in:

• /fastapi/requirements.txt
• /tests/requirements.txt
• /vu/requirements.txt

The launcher will attempt to install missing requirements for selected modes automatically.

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Usage

Interactive Launcher

Start without arguments:

python benchlab.py

• Presents a menu to select modes and features.
• Optionally installs requirements for selected modes.
• Allows selecting which mode to start immediately.

Command-Line Flags

Run directly using flags:

python benchlab.py -fastapi
python benchlab.py -graph
python benchlab.py -hwinfo
python benchlab.py -logfleet
python benchlab.py -mqtt
python benchlab.py -vu
python benchlab.py -vuconfig
python benchlab.py -tui

Info Mode

python benchlab.py -info

Displays detailed mode descriptions and exits.

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Launcher Behavior

1. Mode Selection

   • Interactive menu lists all modes with descriptions.
   • User can select one or multiple modes.
   • If all is selected, launcher installs dependencies for all available modules.

2. Dependency Installation

   • Checks for /*/requirements.txt per mode.
   • Silently skips missing requirement files.
   • Installs via pip if present.

3. Mode Execution

   • Rewrites sys.argv to dispatch to the selected mode.
   • Default behavior launches TUI if no flags are provided.
   • Each mode is isolated; missing modules produce informative messages.

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Developer Notes

Modular Design

• MODES dictionary defines available modes, flags, requirements, and descriptions.
• launch_mode() handles CLI dispatching to mode-specific runners.
• Default TUI mode uses curses.wrapper for terminal display.

Adding New Modes

1. Add a new entry to the MODES dictionary with:
   • flag, reqs, desc, info.
2. Implement a corresponding runner in benchlab.<module> and import it in launch_mode().
3. Optionally provide a requirements_<tag>.txt file.

Interactive Menu

• Clears the screen and shows mode selection.
• Supports comma-separated input (e.g., 1,3,5) or all.
• Supports an info view with detailed mode descriptions.
• Automatically installs requirements for selected modes if available.

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References

• BENCHLAB core modules
• Individual module READMEs:
  • CSV Logger
  • FASTAPI
  • Graph
  • HWiNFO
  • MQTT
  • VU
  • TUI