Files
hyperframes/packages/engine
James Russo 03b82e6ff8 feat(core,cli,engine,producer): getVariables() helper + --variables render flag (PR 1/4) (#600)
## What

Adds the parametrized-render primitive from [hf#592](https://github.com/heygen-com/hyperframes/issues/592) by introducing a `getVariables()` runtime helper plus a CLI `--variables` / `--variables-file` flag. Compositions declare variables once on the root `<html>` element (the existing `data-composition-variables` attribute, which already drives Studio editing UI), read them at runtime via `window.__hyperframes.getVariables()`, and CLI users override them at render time without touching the composition source.

This is **PR 1 of a 4-PR stack**:

1. **PR 1 (this one)** — runtime helper + CLI flag + engine injection (top-level renders).
2. PR 2 — sub-comp per-instance scoping (carry the host's `data-variable-values` into the inlined sub-comp's `getVariables()`).
3. PR 3 — schema validation + lint rules (warn on undeclared variable IDs, optional `--strict-variables`).
4. PR 4 — skill / scaffold distribution (SKILL.md, AGENTS.md scaffolds, openai/plugins mirror).

## Why

The existing `data-composition-variables` schema declares variable types and defaults but isn't readable from composition scripts and can't be overridden at render time. To produce N variations of a composition today, an agent has to fork the composition or edit the source HTML before each render. `--variables` collapses that into one render call per variation, matching Editframe's `--data` UX without copying their `getRenderData` framing — `getVariables()` is named for the codebase's existing "variables" terminology and works equally in dev preview and at render time.

## How

- **Runtime helper** (`packages/core/src/runtime/getVariables.ts`): reads `data-composition-variables` from `document.documentElement`, extracts `{id: default}` defaults, merges `window.__hfVariables` (override) on top, returns `Partial<T>`. Same code path in dev preview (no override) and at render (with override). Generic parameter for typed editor ergonomics. Exposed both as a named export from `@hyperframes/core` and on `window.__hyperframes.getVariables` for vanilla compositions.

- **CLI flag** (`packages/cli/src/commands/render.ts`): `--variables '<json>'` and `--variables-file <path>`. `parseVariablesArg` is split out as a pure function (returns a discriminated `{ ok: true } | { ok: false }` union) so all validation paths are unit-testable; the side-effecting `resolveVariablesArg` wraps it with `errorBox` + `process.exit`. Mutually exclusive with `--variables-file`; fail-fast on conflicts, missing file, unparseable JSON, or non-object payloads (string, number, array, null).

- **Engine injection** (`packages/engine/src/services/frameCapture.ts`): added an `evaluateOnNewDocument` step right after the `__name` polyfill that sets `window.__hfVariables` to the parsed JSON before any page script runs. Skipped when payload is empty so we don't add pointless init scripts. Plumbed through `CaptureOptions.variables` and `RenderConfig.variables`. Docker mode forwards the flag to the in-container CLI via `dockerRunArgs`.

- **Why a separate `__hfVariables` global** instead of writing into `__hyperframes.getVariables()` directly: the helper is an IIFE that has to be defined before composition scripts execute, but the *override* needs to land before *that*. `evaluateOnNewDocument` is the only reliable hook that runs before the runtime IIFE evaluates. Storing the raw value on `__hfVariables` and merging in the helper keeps both paths order-independent.

## Test plan

- [x] Unit tests added/updated
  - 9 jsdom tests for `getVariables()` covering empty state, declared defaults only, override merge, override-wins, declared-only, invalid JSON, non-array payloads, non-object overrides, typed generic.
  - 7 tests for `parseVariablesArg` covering all validation paths.
  - 2 integration tests for `renderLocal` confirming `variables` reach `createRenderJob`.
  - 3 new `dockerRunArgs` assertions for `--variables` passthrough (set / not-set / empty-object).
  - All existing tests green: core 611, cli 208, engine 519.
- [x] Manual testing performed
  - `npx tsx packages/cli/src/cli.ts render --help` shows both flags + the two new examples.
- [x] Documentation updated
  - `docs/packages/cli.mdx` — added flags to the table and a "Parametrized renders" section with a worked example.
  - `docs/concepts/data-attributes.mdx` — added `data-composition-variables` row.

## Backwards compatibility

Fully backwards compatible. Compositions without `data-composition-variables` work unchanged; `getVariables()` returns `{}` and the engine skips the injection step.

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
2026-05-04 12:41:18 -07:00
..
2026-05-03 22:53:04 -07:00
2026-03-21 22:43:56 -07:00

@hyperframes/engine

Seekable web-page-to-video rendering engine built on Puppeteer and FFmpeg.

Framework-agnostic: works with GSAP, Lottie, Three.js, CSS animations, or any web content that implements the window.__hf seek protocol.

Install

npm install @hyperframes/engine

Requirements: Node.js >= 22, Chrome/Chromium (auto-downloaded by Puppeteer), FFmpeg

What it does

The engine opens your HTML composition in a headless Chrome instance, seeks frame-by-frame using Chrome's HeadlessExperimental.beginFrame API, captures screenshots, and encodes them into video with FFmpeg.

Key services

Service Description
browserManager Launches and pools headless Chrome instances (chrome-headless-shell)
frameCapture Manages capture sessions — seek, screenshot, buffer lifecycle
screenshotService BeginFrame-based capture with CDP (Chrome DevTools Protocol)
chunkEncoder FFmpeg encoding with chunked concat, GPU detection, faststart
streamingEncoder Pipe frames to FFmpeg in real time (no intermediate PNGs on disk)
audioMixer Parse <audio> elements and mix audio tracks via FFmpeg
videoFrameExtractor Extract frames from <video> elements for compositing
parallelCoordinator Split frame ranges across worker processes
fileServer Serve local HTML files to the browser via Hono

Usage

import {
  acquireBrowser,
  releaseBrowser,
  createCaptureSession,
  initializeSession,
  captureFrame,
  closeCaptureSession,
} from "@hyperframes/engine";

// 1. Launch browser
const browser = await acquireBrowser({ captureMode: "beginFrame" });

// 2. Open a capture session
const session = createCaptureSession({
  browser: browser.browser,
  url: "http://localhost:3000/my-composition.html",
  width: 1920,
  height: 1080,
  fps: 30,
});
await initializeSession(session);

// 3. Capture frames
for (let i = 0; i < totalFrames; i++) {
  await captureFrame(session, i, `/tmp/frames/frame-${i}.png`);
}

// 4. Clean up
await closeCaptureSession(session);
await releaseBrowser(browser);

Most users should use @hyperframes/producer or the hyperframes CLI instead of calling the engine directly.

Documentation

Full documentation: hyperframes.heygen.com/packages/engine