[gstreamer-bugs] [Bug 392393] New: [API] add libgstbaseutils library for missing plugins messages and unified descriptions

[GStreamer (bugzilla.gnome.org)]

Do not reply to this via email (we are currently unable to handle email
responses and they get discarded).  You can add comments to this bug at
http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=392393

  GStreamer | gst-plugins-base | Ver: HEAD CVS

           Summary: [API] add libgstbaseutils library for missing plugins
                    messages and unified descriptions
           Product: GStreamer
           Version: HEAD CVS
          Platform: Other
        OS/Version: Linux
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: enhancement
          Priority: Normal
         Component: gst-plugins-base
        AssignedTo: gstreamer-bugs at lists.sourceforge.net
        ReportedBy: t.i.m at zen.co.uk
         QAContact: gstreamer-bugs at lists.sourceforge.net
OtherBugsDependingO 161922
             nThis:
     GNOME version: Unspecified
   GNOME milestone: Unspecified


For the automatic plugin/codec installation stuff (see bug #161922), I'd like
to add a libgstbaseutils library which, for now, provides the following:

  - creating and parsing of missing-plugin messages as defined in
         gstreamer/docs/random/draft-missing-plugins.txt
    and hiding the details from applications and from playbin.

  - a unified media_type/caps/protocol <=> Human-readable description
    mapping. This is required and/or useful for the following reasons:

      a) so applications can show half-way intelligible messages
         to the user about what it is exactly that is missing.

      b) provide consistent (and translated) descriptions for one
         and the same format, at least once demuxers are changed to
         use this for their codec tag stuff as well.

      c) saves duplication of all those descriptions in the various
         demuxers; not to mention that there would be a central
         place where to disable them for GStreamer users that have
         strict library size constraints.


This also allows applications to provide much better error messages in the
absence of automatic codec installation support: "You need a Theora decoder to
play this file" is much more informative than "You don't have the necessary
decoders installed to play this file".


-- 
Configure bugmail: http://bugzilla.gnome.org/userprefs.cgi?tab=email