Making a script to enable my camera

I'm using a sony a6400 which needs some trickery to work as a webcam.

I need to run:

1.

sudo modprobe v4l2loopback

sudo modprobe v4l2loopback

sudo modprobe v4l2loopback

sudo modprobe v4l2loopback at least once (doing it more times is fine)
2.

pkill -f gphoto2

pkill -f gphoto2

pkill -f gphoto2

pkill -f gphoto2 to kill any instance of gphoto2 that was left over
3.

photo2 --stdout --capture-movie | ffmpeg -hwaccel nvdec -c:v mjpeg_cuvid -i - -vcodec rawvideo -pix_fmt yuv420p -threads 0 -f v4l2 /dev/video0

photo2 --stdout --capture-movie | ffmpeg -hwaccel nvdec -c:v mjpeg_cuvid -i - -vcodec rawvideo -pix_fmt yuv420p -threads 0 -f v4l2 /dev/video0

photo2 --stdout --capture-movie | ffmpeg -hwaccel nvdec -c:v mjpeg_cuvid -i - -vcodec rawvideo -pix_fmt yuv420p -threads 0 -f v4l2 /dev/video0

photo2 --stdout --capture-movie | ffmpeg -hwaccel nvdec -c:v mjpeg_cuvid -i - -vcodec rawvideo -pix_fmt yuv420p -threads 0 -f v4l2 /dev/video0

inside distrobox, which will make the camera work until i stop it.

To do so, i changed the last one to be:

distrobox-enter -n Ubuntu -- gphoto2 --stdout --capture-movie | ffmpeg -hwaccel nvdec -c:v mjpeg_cuvid -i - -vcodec rawvideo -pix_fmt yuv420p -threads 0 -f v4l2 /dev/video0

distrobox-enter -n Ubuntu -- gphoto2 --stdout --capture-movie | ffmpeg -hwaccel nvdec -c:v mjpeg_cuvid -i - -vcodec rawvideo -pix_fmt yuv420p -threads 0 -f v4l2 /dev/video0

distrobox-enter -n Ubuntu -- gphoto2 --stdout --capture-movie | ffmpeg -hwaccel nvdec -c:v mjpeg_cuvid -i - -vcodec rawvideo -pix_fmt yuv420p -threads 0 -f v4l2 /dev/video0

distrobox-enter -n Ubuntu -- gphoto2 --stdout --capture-movie | ffmpeg -hwaccel nvdec -c:v mjpeg_cuvid -i - -vcodec rawvideo -pix_fmt yuv420p -threads 0 -f v4l2 /dev/video0

However if i run the .sh file with these commands nothing happens!
But it will work if i open the .sh file from my host terminal...

So i'm trying to open the terminal and make it execute those 3 commands, to hopefully keep it open.
From the docs,

ptyxis --new-window -x

ptyxis --new-window -x

ptyxis --new-window -x

ptyxis --new-window -x should open a new window and execute the following command.

However i'm having issues with that part, as it's refusing to run the command correctly.

I've tried

ptyxis -x top ; echo a

ptyxis -x top ; echo a

ptyxis -x top ; echo a

ptyxis -x top ; echo a which opens top, then prints a when closing it.
I've also tried

ptyxis -x "top ; echo a"

ptyxis -x "top ; echo a"

ptyxis -x "top ; echo a"

ptyxis -x "top ; echo a" but that tells me ; is not a valid parameter of top, wut.

What can i do?

iv2bOP•12/7/25, 10:49 PM

working script (if opened from terminal) + previous attempts

iv2bOP•12/7/25, 10:49 PM

i think the problem is that -x

ludrol•12/7/25, 11:13 PM

if you want you can add a file to /etc/modpreobe.d/etc/modpreobe.d or /etc/modules-load.d/etc/modules-load.d so the module will load on boot.

ludrol•12/7/25, 11:30 PM

from my testing you can't pipe commands after ---- but you could do distrobox enter -nw -n Ubuntu -- ./test.shdistrobox enter -nw -n Ubuntu -- ./test.sh

ludrol•12/7/25, 11:31 PM

run pwdpwd to make sure where to put the script as -nw-nw option always starts at container's home

iv2bOP•12/7/25, 11:57 PM

i'll try to mess with -nw, ty

Lludrol run `pwd` to make sure where to put the script as `-nw` option always starts at ...

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 12:46 AM

doesn't seem to work, clicking on the file does nothing apparent
and running it from terminal does the same

Iiv2b doesn't seem to work, clicking on the file does nothing apparent and running it ...

ludrol•12/8/25, 8:23 AM

What commands and what file?

Lludrol What commands and what file?

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 9:49 AM

The distrobox-enter command, but with -nw added to it

And the file is the .sh

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 9:50 AM

It works if I run it from an existing terminal but it doesn't if I just double click the file

ludrol•12/8/25, 9:56 AM

The script needs to run inside the distrobox

I would so something like this:
Host.sh that has distrobox-enter command that executes camera.sh inside the distrobox.

You double click host script and it should execute your camera script in the correct place.

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 10:11 AM

But the distrobox-enter command can take another command as parameter

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 10:11 AM

So it can enter and instantly execute it

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 10:11 AM

It does work on a host terminal, by typing in the path of the sh

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 10:12 AM

It just doesn't when running the file directly

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 10:12 AM

So I want to open a new terminal window and have it execute the commands, but ptyxis is being weird about it

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 10:13 AM

If I tell it to run "echo a" it does exactly that
But if I tell it to run "echo a ; echo b" then it says ; isn't valid for echo, wut

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 10:13 AM

While "echo a ; echo b" work on their own

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 10:24 AM

this worked (the other script is just the one i sent earlier), but idk why i'd even need 2 sh files for this

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 10:24 AM

it should work with 1

ludrol•12/8/25, 11:05 AM

host.sh:

#!/bin/bash
distrobox-enter -nw arch-distrobox -- /home/ludrol/test.sh

#!/bin/bash
distrobox-enter -nw arch-distrobox -- /home/ludrol/test.sh

test.sh:

#!/bin/bash

# opens VScode
code

#!/bin/bash

# opens VScode
code

double clicking on host.sh opens VScode inside the distrobox

ludrol•12/8/25, 11:07 AM

can you provide all your scripts and paths so I could begin to troubleshoot? you are making it harder for yourself to help you.

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 1:34 PM

#!/bin/sh
ptyxis --new-window -x /home/iv2b/Scripts/helpers/enableCameraHelper.sh

#!/bin/sh
ptyxis --new-window -x /home/iv2b/Scripts/helpers/enableCameraHelper.sh

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 1:35 PM

this one runs the other script in a new window

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 1:35 PM

#!/bin/sh
sudo modprobe v4l2loopback
pkill -f gphoto2
distrobox-enter -n Ubuntu -- gphoto2 --stdout --capture-movie | ffmpeg -hwaccel nvdec -c:v mjpeg_cuvid -i - -vcodec rawvideo -pix_fmt yuv420p -threads 0 -f v4l2 /dev/video0
pkill -f gphoto2

#!/bin/sh
sudo modprobe v4l2loopback
pkill -f gphoto2
distrobox-enter -n Ubuntu -- gphoto2 --stdout --capture-movie | ffmpeg -hwaccel nvdec -c:v mjpeg_cuvid -i - -vcodec rawvideo -pix_fmt yuv420p -threads 0 -f v4l2 /dev/video0
pkill -f gphoto2

this is the script (i kill gphoto2 before and after to ensure it always works)

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 1:35 PM

i'd like to not have to use 2 sh files

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 1:36 PM

in theory i can run 2 commands in one with ;
like this

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 1:36 PM

but it doesnt work with ptyxis --new-window -x

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 1:37 PM

former only does echo a inside the new terminal
latter has the terminal open and close instantly

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 1:38 PM

even adding ; top ; top (so it'd do something that forces the terminal to stay open still has it close instantly

ludrol•12/8/25, 1:47 PM

enableCamera.sh

#!/bin/sh
sudo modprobe v4l2loopback
#this pkill might or might not work 
pkill -f gphoto2
distrobox-enter -nw -n Ubuntu -- path/to/camera-distrobox.sh

#!/bin/sh
sudo modprobe v4l2loopback
#this pkill might or might not work 
pkill -f gphoto2
distrobox-enter -nw -n Ubuntu -- path/to/camera-distrobox.sh

camera-distrobox.sh:

#!/bin/sh
gphoto2 --stdout --capture-movie | ffmpeg -hwaccel nvdec -c:v mjpeg_cuvid -i - -vcodec rawvideo -pix_fmt yuv420p -threads 0 -f v4l2 /dev/video0
pkill -f gphoto2

#!/bin/sh
gphoto2 --stdout --capture-movie | ffmpeg -hwaccel nvdec -c:v mjpeg_cuvid -i - -vcodec rawvideo -pix_fmt yuv420p -threads 0 -f v4l2 /dev/video0
pkill -f gphoto2

try something like that

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 1:50 PM

what i have right now works, i just wanted to use a single .sh

iv2bOP•12/8/25, 1:50 PM

instead of 2

ludrol•12/8/25, 1:50 PM

This is beyond my abilieties then. the doubleclicking on enableCamera.sh will work

Making a script to enable my camera

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