Option to auto rerender and play videos when their source code is modified

[godalming123]

Description of proposed feature

This would be useful, since it would save a couple keystrokes when you want to preview how a video looks with a change applied to it. There would also be an optional delay where manim would only start rendering the video after the source code hadn't been changed for a short period of time to avoid unnecessarily wasting CPU to render videos that never get looked at.

How can the new feature be used?

A flag for the manim render command.

This feature would be especially useful for fine tuning where the user is previewing there code in between every small adjustment to there code, say a delay within a LaggedStart.

[uwezi]

Manim itself as a Python library cannot achieve this, but there is Manim Sideview, which has this option.
https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Rickaym.manim-sideview

There might also exist plugins or tools for your operating system which can automatically run an application when a change in a file are detected.

[godalming123]

Manim itself as a Python library cannot achieve this

Can't you use something like watchdog to detect changes in the source code, and then use the existing rendering code to rerender and preview the new video whenever the source code changes?

[uwezi]

Can't you use something like watchdog to detect changes in the source code, and then use the existing rendering code to rerender and preview the new video whenever the source code changes?

Manim is not running between renderings.
Have you looked into Manim Sideview?

[godalming123]

I don't want to use manim sideview because I don't use VS code, although there is an editor agnostic command which uses entr:

echo main.py | entr -cr manim render MANIM_RENDER_OPTIONS

[uwezi]

there is an editor agnostic command which uses entr:

echo main.py | entr -cr manim render MANIM_RENDER_OPTIONS

editor agnostic, but not operating system agnostic...