QLC+ WebSocket Controller

This Python script connects to a QLC+ WebSocket server and demonstrates basic control of DMX channels and universe resets. It dynamically determines the host machine's IP address, allowing seamless integration with the local QLC+ server.

Features

• Dynamically resolves the host computer's IP address.
• Connects to QLC+ WebSocket server for remote control.
• Demonstrates the following QLC+ actions:
  • Set a channel value to full (255).
  • Reset a channel value to zero (0).
  • Reset the entire universe of channels.

File Structure

Here’s what the workspace looks like:

.
├── dmx_control.py        # Python script for controlling QLC+ via WebSocket
├── keypad.html           # HTML file for keypad interface
├── qlight_workspace.qxw  # QLC+ workspace file
├── README.md             # Project documentation
└── requirements.txt      # Python dependencies

Prerequisites

1. Python Requirements:

   • Python 3.x
   • Install the dependencies from requirements.txt:

     pip install -r requirements.txt

2. QLC+ Setup:

   • Ensure QLC+ is installed and running on the host machine.
   • Start QLC+ with the web interface enabled:

     qlcplus -w

   • Default WebSocket port: 9999.

How It Works

1. The script uses the socket module to determine the host machine's IP address.
2. Establishes a WebSocket connection to the QLC+ server.
3. Sends example commands to demonstrate channel control and universe reset.

Usage

1. Clone or download the project files.
2. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run the script:

   python dmx_control.py

4. The script will:
   • Automatically determine the local IP address.
   • Connect to the QLC+ WebSocket server.
   • Execute example actions (channel control and universe reset).

Example Output

Connected to QLC+ WebSocket at ws://192.168.1.100:9999/qlcplusWS.
Sent: CH|1|255 (Channel 1 -> 255)
Sent: CH|1|0   (Channel 1 -> 0)
Sent: QLC+API|sdResetUniverse (Reset all channels in current Universe)
WebSocket closed.

Requirements

Dependencies listed in requirements.txt:

certifi==2024.12.14
charset-normalizer==3.4.1
idna==3.10
requests==2.32.3
urllib3==2.3.0
websocket-client==1.8.0

Install them using:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Code Overview

dmx_control.py

• Python script for connecting to QLC+ via WebSocket and sending control commands.

get_host_ip()

• Dynamically retrieves the host machine's IP address using a dummy connection to an external address.

main()

• Establishes a WebSocket connection to QLC+.
• Sends example commands to control DMX channels.

Customization

• QLC+ WebSocket URL: Modify the QLC_WS_URL in dmx_control.py if using a custom IP or port.
• Commands: Replace the example commands with desired QLC+ WebSocket messages.

Error Handling

• If the local IP cannot be determined, the script defaults to 127.0.0.1.
• Catches and prints any exceptions during execution.

License

This script is open-source and available under the MIT License.