docs/faq/developing.xml

<sect1 id="chapter-developing">
  <title id="title-developing">Developing applications with GStreamer</title>

  <qandaset>

    <qandaentry>
      <question id="developing-compile-programs">
        <para>How do I compile programs that use GStreamer ?</para>
      </question>

      <answer>
        <para>
GStreamer uses pkg-config to assist applications with compilationa and 
linking flags. 
pkg-config is already used by GTK+, GNOME, SDL, and others; so if you are 
familiar with using it for any of those, you're set.
        </para>
        <para>
If you're not familiar with pkg-config to compile and link a small 
one-file program, pass the --cflags and --libs arguments to pkg-config.
For example:
<programlisting>
$ libtool --mode=link gcc `pkg-config --cflags --libs gstreamer-&GST_MAJORMINOR;` -o myprog myprog.c
</programlisting>
would be sufficient for a gstreamer-only program. 
If (for example) your app also used GTK+ 2.0, you could use
<programlisting>
$ libtool --mode=link gcc `pkg-config --cflags --libs gstreamer-&GST_MAJORMINOR; gtk+-2.0` -o myprog myprog.c
</programlisting>
Those are back-ticks (on the same key with the tilde on US keyboards), 
not single quotes.
        </para>
        <para>
For bigger projects, you should integrate pkg-config use in your Makefile,
or integrate with autoconf using the pkg.m4 macro.
        </para>
      </answer>
    </qandaentry>

    <qandaentry>
      <question id="developing-uninstalled-gstreamer">
        <para>How do I develop against an uninstalled GStreamer copy ?</para>
      </question>

      <answer>
        <para>
It is possible to develop and compile against an uninstalled copy of
gstreamer and gst-plugins (for example, against CVS copies).
The easiest way to do this is to use a script like this (for bash):

<programlisting>
&gst-uninstalled;
</programlisting>
If you put this script in your path, and symlink it to gst-cvs (if you want
to develop against cvs HEAD) or to gst-0.6 (if you want to develop against the
0.6 branch), it will automatically use the uninstalled version from that
directory.
        </para>
        <para>
This requires you to have put your checkouts of gstreamer and gst-plugins
under ~/gst/cvs (for the HEAD version).  The program is easily modifiable
if this isn't the case.
        </para>
        <para>
After running this script, you'll be in an environment where you can
use the uninstalled tools, and where gst-register registers the uninstalled
plugins by default.  Also, pkg-config wil detect the uninstalled copies
before any installed copies.
        </para>
      </answer>
    </qandaentry>

     
     <qandaentry>
      <question id="developing-gconf">
        <para>How can I use GConf to get the system-wide defaults ?</para>
      </question>

      <answer>
        <para>
It's a good idea to use GConf to use default ways of outputting audio and
video.  Since GStreamer's GConf keys can be more than
just one element, but a whole pipeline, it would be a good idea
to use the gstgconf library.  It provides functions to parse the GConf key
to a usable pipeline.
        </para>
        <para>
To link against gstgconf, use pkg-config to query the gstreamer-libs-&GST_MAJORMINOR;.pc file
for link flags, and add -lgstgconf to the link flags.
This fragment of configure.ac shows how to use pkg-config to get the LIBS:
        </para>
<programlisting>
dnl check for GStreamer helper libs
PKG_CHECK_MODULES(GST_HELPLIBS, gstreamer-libs-&GST_MAJORMINOR; >= $GSTREAMER_REQ,,exit)
AC_SUBST(GST_HELPLIBS_LIBS)
AC_SUBST(GST_HELPLIBS_CFLAGS)
</programlisting>
        <para>
This fragment of a Makefile.am file shows how to make your application link
to it:
        </para>
<programlisting>
bin_PROGRAMS = application

application_LDADD = $(GST_LIBS) $(GST_HELPLIBS_LIBS) -lgstgconf
application_CFLAGS = $(GST_CFLAGS) $(GST_HELPLIBS_CFLAGS)
</programlisting>
      </answer>
    </qandaentry>

    <qandaentry>
      <question id="developing-libtool-scripts">
        <para>
How do I debug these funny shell scripts that libtool makes ?
        </para>
      </question>

      <answer>
        <para>
When you link a program against uninstalled GStreamer using libtool, 
funny shell scripts are made to modify your shared object search path 
and then run your program. For instance, to debug gst-launch, try 
<programlisting>
libtool gdb /path/to/gstreamer-launch
</programlisting>. 
If this does not work, you're probably using a broken version of libtool. 
        </para>
      </answer>
    </qandaentry>

    <qandaentry>
      <question id="developing-mail-gstreamer-devel">
        <para>Why is mail traffic so low on gstreamer-devel ?</para>
      </question>

      <answer>
        <para>
Our main arena for coordination and discussion is IRC, not email. 
Join us in #gstreamer on irc.freenode.net
For larger picture questions or getting more input from more persons,
a mail to gstreamer-devel is never a bad idea.
However, we do archive our IRC discussions, which you may find in the 
gstreamer-daily mailing list archives.
        </para>
      </answer>
    </qandaentry>

    <qandaentry>
      <question id="developing-versioning">
        <para>What kind of versioning scheme does GStreamer use ?</para>
      </question>

      <answer>
        <para>
For public releases, GStreamer uses a standard MAJOR.MINOR.MICRO version 
scheme.  If the release consists of mostly bug fixes or incremental changes, 
the MICRO version is incremented.
If the release contains big changes, the MINOR version is incremented.
If we're particularly giddy, we might even increase the MAJOR number.  
Don't hold your breath for that though.
        </para>
        <para>
During the development cycle, GStreamer also uses a fourth or NANO number.
If this number is 1, then it's a CVS version.  
Any tarball or package that has a nano number of 1 is made from CVS and thus 
not supported.  Additionally, if you didn't get this package or tarball from
the GStreamer team, don't have high hopes on it doing whatever you want it
to do.
        </para>
        <para>
If the number is 2 or higher, it's an official pre-release in preparation 
of an actual complete release.  Your help in testing these tarballs and
packages is very much appreciated.
        </para>
      </answer>
    </qandaentry>

    <qandaentry>
      <question id="developing-coding-style">
        <para>What is the coding style for GStreamer core ?</para>
      </question>

      <answer>
        <para>
The core is basically coded in K&amp;R with 2-space indenting. 
Just follow what's already there and you'll be fine. 
The core could use a code cleanup though at this point.
        </para>
        <para>
Individual plugins in gst-plugins or plugins that you want considered for
addition to the gst-plugins module should be coded in the same style.
It's easier if everything is consistent. Consistency is, of course, the goal. 
        </para>
        <para>
If you use emacs, try these lines:
<programlisting>
(defun gstreamer-c-mode ()
  "C mode with adjusted defaults for use with GStreamer."
  (interactive)
  (c-mode)
  (c-set-style "K&amp;R")
  (setq c-basic-offset 2))

(setq auto-mode-alist (cons '("gst.*/.*\\.[ch]$" . gstreamer-c-mode)
                       auto-mode-alist))
</programlisting>
        </para>
        <para>
Or, run your code through 
<programlisting>
indent -br -bad -cbi0 -cli2 -bls -l100 -ut -ce
</programlisting>
before submitting a patch (FIXME: check if these are indeed the proper options).
        </para>
        <para>
As for the code itself, the 
<ulink url="http://developer.gnome.org/doc/guides/programming-guidelines/book1.html">GNOME coding guidelines</ulink> is a good read.
Where possible, we try to adhere to the spirit of GObject and use similar
coding idioms.
        </para>
      </answer>
    </qandaentry>
  </qandaset>
</sect1>