/ 
Alien-VideoLAN-LibVLC-0.0_5
/ Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC

NAME

Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC - building, finding and using VLC binaries

VERSION

Version 0.0_5

SYNOPSIS

Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC tries (in given order) during its installation:

  • Locate an already installed VLC via pkg-config.

  • Download prebuilt VLC binaries (if available for your platform). Not implemented.

  • Build VLC binaries from source codes (if possible on your system). Not implemented.

Later you can use Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC in your module that needs to link agains LibVLC and/or related libraries like this:

# Sample Makefile.pl
use ExtUtils::MakeMaker;
use Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC;

WriteMakefile(
  NAME         => 'Any::VLC::Module',
  VERSION_FROM => 'lib/Any/VLC/Module.pm',
  LIBS         => Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->config('libs', [-lAdd_Lib]),
  INC          => Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->config('cflags'),
  # + additional params
);

DESCRIPTION

Please see Alien for the manifesto of the Alien namespace.

In short Alien::LibVLC can be used to detect and get configuration settings from an installed VLC and related libraries. Based on your platform it (doesn't currently) offers the possibility to download and install prebuilt binaries or to build VLC & co. from source codes.

The important facts:

  • The module does not modify in any way the already existing VLC installation on your system.

  • If you reinstall VLC libs on your system you do not need to reinstall Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC (providing that you use the same directory for the new installation).

  • The prebuild binaries and/or binaries built from sources are always installed into perl module's 'share' directory.

  • If you use prebuild binaries and/or binaries built from sources it happens that some of the dynamic libraries (*.so, *.dll) will not automaticly loadable as they will be stored somewhere under perl module's 'share' directory. To handle this scenario Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC offers some special functionality (see below).

METHODS

config()

This function is the main public interface to this module. These functions return string:

Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->config('prefix');
Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->config('version');
Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->config('includedir');

These functions return lists of strings:

Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->config('ldflags');
Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->config('cflags');

On top of that this function supports special parameters:

Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->config('ld_shared_libs');

Returns a reference to a list of full paths to shared libraries (*.so, *.dll) that will be required for running the resulting binaries you have linked with VLC libs.

Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->config('ld_paths');

Returns a reference to a list of full paths to directories with shared libraries (*.so, *.dll) that will be required for running the resulting binaries you have linked with VLC libs.

NOTE: config('ld_<something>') return an empty list/hash if you have decided to use VLC libraries already installed on your system. This concerns pkg-config usage.

check_header()

This function checks the availability of given header(s) when using compiler options provided by "Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->config('cflags')".

Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->check_header('vlc.h');
Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->check_header('vlc.h', 'libvlc_media.h');

Returns 1 if all given headers are available, 0 otherwise.

get_header_version()

Tries to find a header file specified as a param in VLC prefix direcotry and based on "#define" macros inside this header file tries to get a version triplet. Only libvlc_version.h makes sense.

Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->get_header_version('libvlc_version.h');

Returns string like '1.2.3' or undef if not able to find and parse version info.

find_libvlc (deprecated)

Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->find_libvlc();
Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->find_libvlc(version => '>= 1.1.9');
Alien::VideoLAN::LibVLC->find_libvlc(version => '= 1.1.10',
                                     suppress_error_message => 1);

Finds installed libvlc.

If version parameter is specified, required version is needed. Check documentation of pkg-config for format of version.

If suppress_error_message parameter is specified and is true, nothing will be put to STDERR if libvlc is not found.

Returns hash with following fields:

  • version

    a string with version.

  • cflags

    arrayref of strings, e.g. ['-I/foo/bar']

  • ldflags

    arrayref of strings, e.g. ['-L/foo/baz', '-lvlc']

If libvlc of specified version isn't found, croaks.

BUGS

Please post issues and bugs at http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/Bugs.html?Dist=Alien-VideoLAN-LibVLC

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to authors of other Alien modules.
Since 0.05 this module is based on L<Alien::SDL>.

COPYRIGHT

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.

The full text of the license can be found in the LICENSE file included with this module.