Running a wxPython app in a Docker container --> Unable to access the X Display, is $DISPLAY set properly?

wxPython Users
1

Hi all,

I am trying to get up to speed with Docker and I am trying to package my wxPython GUI into a container. After managing to create an ubuntu image with all dependencies set up, I can’t manage to bring up the GUI and I get the error:

Unable to access the X Display, is $DISPLAY set properly?

I have limited experience with CLI based systems, but I assume that my docker image is lacking some GUI components or special settings that would allow it to bring up the display. Any ideas how to solve that? How would one run a wxPython app from a Linux/Unix CLI system?

Thanks,

Dan

2

AFAIK, the X server used can’t be the one in the ubuntu docker container, but one on your host OS. Just like when you would want to run an X application over ssh, a remote X server address needs to be specified (the DISPLAY env variable). There is a bit of reverse logic here to get used to – you need to run a server (X) in order to be the client.

It will probably get down doing something like this from the host OS:

ssh -X <container_ip> <wx_app>

If you search for running X apps over the network you’ll find a bunch of additional information.

···

–

Toni

On Monday, December 29, 2014 3:16:32 PM UTC+1, Neamtu Dan wrote:

Hi all,

I am trying to get up to speed with Docker and I am trying to package my wxPython GUI into a container. After managing to create an ubuntu image with all dependencies set up, I can’t manage to bring up the GUI and I get the error:

Unable to access the X Display, is $DISPLAY set properly?

I have limited experience with CLI based systems, but I assume that my docker image is lacking some GUI components or special settings that would allow it to bring up the display. Any ideas how to solve that? How would one run a wxPython app from a Linux/Unix CLI system?

Thanks,

Dan

3

Thanks, I will look into it.

···

On Monday, December 29, 2014 6:52:29 PM UTC+2, Toni Ruža wrote:

AFAIK, the X server used can’t be the one in the ubuntu docker container, but one on your host OS. Just like when you would want to run an X application over ssh, a remote X server address needs to be specified (the DISPLAY env variable). There is a bit of reverse logic here to get used to – you need to run a server (X) in order to be the client.

It will probably get down doing something like this from the host OS:

ssh -X <container_ip> <wx_app>

If you search for running X apps over the network you’ll find a bunch of additional information.

–

Toni

On Monday, December 29, 2014 3:16:32 PM UTC+1, Neamtu Dan wrote:

Hi all,

I am trying to get up to speed with Docker and I am trying to package my wxPython GUI into a container. After managing to create an ubuntu image with all dependencies set up, I can’t manage to bring up the GUI and I get the error:

Unable to access the X Display, is $DISPLAY set properly?

I have limited experience with CLI based systems, but I assume that my docker image is lacking some GUI components or special settings that would allow it to bring up the display. Any ideas how to solve that? How would one run a wxPython app from a Linux/Unix CLI system?

Thanks,

Dan