API Reference#

Helper Functions#

class livereload.shell(cmd, output=None, mode='w', cwd=None, shell=False)#

Execute a shell command.

You can add a shell command:

server.watch(
    'style.less', shell('lessc style.less', output='style.css')
)
Parameters
  • cmd – a shell command, string or list

  • output – output stdout to the given file

  • mode – only works with output, mode w means write, mode a means append

  • cwd – set working directory before command is executed.

  • shell – if true, on Unix the executable argument specifies a replacement shell for the default /bin/sh.

Server#

class livereload.Server(app=None, watcher=None)#

Livereload server interface.

Initialize a server and watch file changes:

server = Server(wsgi_app)
server.serve()
Parameters
  • app – a WSGI application instance

  • watcher – A Watcher instance, you don’t have to initialize it by yourself. Under Linux, you will want to install pyinotify and use INotifyWatcher() to avoid wasted CPU usage.

setHeader(name, value)#
Add or override HTTP headers at the at the beginning of the

request.

Once you have initialized a server, you can add one or more headers before starting the server:

server.setHeader('Access-Control-Allow-Origin', '*')
server.setHeader('Access-Control-Allow-Methods', '*')
server.serve()
Parameters
  • name – The name of the header field to be defined.

  • value – The value of the header field to be defined.

watch(filepath, func=None, delay=None, ignore=None)#

Add the given filepath for watcher list.

Once you have initialized a server, watch file changes before serve the server:

server.watch('static/*.stylus', 'make static')
def alert():
    print('foo')
server.watch('foo.txt', alert)
server.serve()
Parameters
  • filepath – files to be watched, it can be a filepath, a directory, or a glob pattern

  • func – the function to be called, it can be a string of shell command, or any callable object without parameters

  • delay – Delay sending the reload message. Use ‘forever’ to not send it. This is useful to compile sass files to css, but reload on changed css files then only.

  • ignore – A function return True to ignore a certain pattern of filepath.

serve(port=5500, liveport=None, host=None, root=None, debug=None, open_url=False, restart_delay=2, open_url_delay=None, live_css=True, default_filename='index.html')#

Start serve the server with the given port.

Parameters
  • port – serve on this port, default is 5500

  • liveport – live reload on this port

  • host – serve on this hostname, default is 127.0.0.1

  • root – serve static on this root directory

  • debug – set debug mode, which autoreloads the app on code changes via Tornado (and causes polling). Defaults to True when self.app is set, otherwise False.

  • open_url_delay – open webbrowser after the delay seconds

  • live_css – whether to use live css or force reload on css. Defaults to True

  • default_filename – launch this file from the selected root on startup