Question 1

How do I convert an asciinema recording to SVG with svg-term-cli?

Accepted Answer

First, ensure asciinema is installed and you have a cast ID or JSON file. Then run a command like `svg-term --cast 113643 --out demo.svg --window` to generate an SVG with window decorations, as shown in the README example.

Question 2

Is svg-term-cli better than GIF for terminal demos?

Accepted Answer

Yes, for quality and scalability: SVG animations are vector-based and stay sharp at any zoom, unlike pixelated GIFs. However, GIFs might be more compatible with older platforms and have smaller file sizes for short clips.

Question 3

Can I customize the terminal colors in the output?

Accepted Answer

Yes, use the --term and --profile options to apply color schemes from formats like iTerm2 or Xresources. This lets you match your terminal theme for a cohesive look.

Question 4

How to reduce the file size of svg-term-cli SVGs?

Accepted Answer

Trim unnecessary parts with --from and --to flags to limit the timeline, and use --no-optimize cautiously (though it disables SVGO optimization, which might increase size). For long casts, consider splitting the recording.

Question 5

Does svg-term-cli work with terminal recordings from other tools?

Accepted Answer

No, it only supports the asciicast format from asciinema. If you have recordings from other sources, you'd need to convert them to asciicast JSON first, which isn't natively supported.

Question 6

What are good alternatives to svg-term-cli?

Accepted Answer

For interactive playback, use the asciinema JavaScript player. For simple GIFs, tools like ttygif or peek might suffice, though they lack SVG's scalability. Other projects like derhuerst/asciicast-to-svg offer similar SVG rendering but with different features.

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