Bigloo

19. Bigloo The Programming Language (4.7a) User manual for version 4.7a February 2026 -- Multimedia

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Multimedia
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| Bigloo provides various facilities for programming multimedia applications. It provides functions for parsing images and sounds and functions for controlling music players. All the functions, variables, and classes presented in the document are accessible via the `multimedia` library. Here is an example of module that uses this library:
    ;; Extract the thumbnail of a digital photography.
    (module thumbnail
       (library multimedia)
       (main main))

    (define (main argv)
       (when (and (pair? (cdr argv)) (file-exists? (cadr argv)))
          (let ((ex (jpeg-exif (cadr argv))))
              (when (exif? ex)
                 (display (exif-thumbnail ex))))))
### 19.1 Photography
The multimedia library provides functions for accessing the metadata generated by digital camera.
jpeg-exif file-name | bigloo multimedia procedure
The function `jpeg-exif` extracts the EXIF (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exif) metadata of a JPEG file as created by digital camera. The argument `file-name` is the name of the JPEG file. If the file contains an EXIF section it is returned as an instance of the `exif` class. Otherwise, this function returns `#f`.
jpeg-exif-comment-set! file-name text | bigloo multimedia procedure
Set the comment of the EXIF metadata section of the file file-name to `text`.
exif | bigloo multimedia class
    (class exif
       (version (default #f))
       (jpeg-encoding (default #f))
       (jpeg-compress (default #f))
       (comment (default #f))
       (commentpos (default #f))
       (commentlen (default #f))
       (date (default #f))
       (make (default #f))
       (model (default #f))
       (orientation (default 'landscape))
       (width (default #f))
       (height (default #f))
       (ewidth (default #f))
       (eheight (default #f))
       (xresolution (default #f))
       (yresolution (default #f))
       (resolution-unit (default #f))
       (focal-length (default #f))
       (flash (default #f))
       (fnumber (default #f))
       (iso (default #f))
       (shutter-speed-value (default #f))
       (exposure-time (default #f))
       (exposure-bias-value (default #f))
       (aperture (default #f))
       (metering-mode (default #f))
       (cdd-width (default #f))
       (focal-plane-xres (default #f))
       (focal-plane-units (default #f))
       (thumbnail (default #f))
       (thumbnail-path (default #f))
       (thumbnail-offset (default #f))
       (thumbnail-length (default #f)))
The instance of the `exif` class maps the EXIF metadata found in JPEG files into Bigloo objects. Since all fields are optional they are untyped.
exif-date->date | bigloo multimedia procedure
Parses an exif date, i.e., a string of characters, and returns corresponding date. Raises an `&io-parse-error` if the string does not represents an exif date whose syntax is given by the following regular expression:
      [0-9][0-9][0-9]:[0-9][0-9]:[0-9][0-9] :[0-9][0-9]:[0-9][0-9]:[0-9][0-9]
### 19.2 Music
The multimedia library provides an extensive set of functions for dealing with music. It provides functions for accessing the metadata of certain music file formats, it provides functions for controlling the volume of the hardware mixers and it provides functions for playing and controlling music playback.
### 19.2.1 Metadata and Playlist
read-m3u input-port | bigloo multimedia procedure
write-m3u list output-port | bigloo multimedia procedure
The function `read-m3u` reads a playlist expressed in the M3U format from `input-port` and returns a list of songs. The function `write-m3u` encode such a list encoded in the M3U format to an output port.
file-musictag file-name | bigloo multimedia procedure
mp3-musictag file-name | bigloo multimedia procedure
ogg-musictag file-name | bigloo multimedia procedure
flac-musictag file-name | bigloo multimedia procedure
These functions extract the metadata of a music file named `file-name`. The function `mp3-musictag` returns the ID3 tag section if it exists. Otherwise, it returns `#f`. The function `ogg-musictag` and `flac-musictag` returns the vorbis comment if it exists.
musictag | bigloo multimedia class
    (abstract-class musictag
       (title::bstring read-only)
       (artist::bstring read-only)
       (orchestra::obj read-only (default #f))
       (interpret::obj read-only (default #f))
       (album::bstring read-only)
       (year::int read-only)
       (comment::bstring read-only)
       (genre::bstring read-only)
       (track::int (default -1)))
This class is used as the base class of music tag formats.
id3::musictag | bigloo multimedia class
    (class id3::musictag
       version::bstring
       (orchestra::obj read-only (default #f))
       (conductor::obj read-only (default #f))
       (recording read-only (default #f))
       (cd::obj (default #f)))
This class is used to reify the ID3 metadata used in the MP3 format.
vorbis::musictag | bigloo multimedia class
    (class vorbis::musictag)
This class is used to reify the Vorbis comments of OGG and Flac files.
### 19.2.2 Mixer
Bigloo proposes various functions and classes for controlling the audio volume of sound cards.
mixer | bigloo multimedia class
    (class mixer
       (devices::pair-nil (default '())))
The field `devices` is a list of available channels.
mixer-close mix | bigloo multimedia procedure
Closes a mixer. The argument `mix` must be an instance of the `mixer` class.
mixer-volume-get mix channel | bigloo multimedia procedure
mixer-volume-set! mix channel leftv rightv | bigloo multimedia procedure
The function `mixer-volume-get` returns the left and right volume levels (two values) of the `channel` of the mixer `mix`. The `channel` is denoted by its name and is represented as a string of characters. The argument `mix` is an instance of the `mixer` class. The function `mixer-volume-set!` changes the audio level of a mixer channel.
soundcard::mixer | bigloo multimedia class
    (class soundcard::mixer
       (device::bstring read-only))
The instances of the class `soundcard`, a subclass of the `mixer` class, are used to access physical soundcard as supported by operating systems. The class field `device` stands for the name of the system device (e.g., `"/dev/mixer"` for the Linux OS). During the initialization of the instance, the device is opened and initialized.
### 19.2.3 Playback
Bigloo supports various functions for playing music. These functions rely on two data structure: music players and music status. The first ones are used to control player back-ends. The second ones are used to get information about the music being played. The following example shows how a simple music player using either MPlayer, MPG123, or MPC can be programmed with Bigloo.
    (module musicplay
       (library multimedia)
       (main main))

    (define (main args)
       (let ((files '())
    	 (backend 'mplayer)
    	 (command #f))
          (args-parse (cdr args)
    	 (("--mpg123" (help "Select the mpg123 back-end"))
    	  (set! backend 'mpg123))
    	 (("--mpc" (help "Select the mpc back-end"))
    	  (set! backend 'mpc))
    	 (("--mplayer" (help "Select the mplayer back-end"))
    	  (set! backend 'mplayer))
    	 (("--command" ?cmd (help "Set the command path"))
    	  (set! command cmd))
    	 (("--help" (help "This help"))
    	  (print "usage: music [options] file ...")
    	  (args-parse-usage #f)
    	  (exit 0))
    	 (else
    	  (set! files (cons else files))))
          ;; create a music player
          (let ((player (case backend
    		       ((mpg123)
    			(if command
    			    (instantiate::mpg123
    			       (path command))
    			    (instantiate::mpg123)))
    		       ((mplayer)
    			(if command
    			    (instantiate::mplayer
    			       (path command))
    			    (instantiate::mplayer)))
    		       ((mpc)
    			(instantiate::mpc)))))
             ;; fill the music play list
    	 (for-each (lambda (p) (music-playlist-add! player p)) (reverse files))
             ;; start playing
    	 (music-play player)
             ;; run an event loop with call-backs associated to some events
    	 (music-event-loop player
                :onstate (lambda (status)
                            (with-access::musicstatus status (state song volume)
                               (print "state   : " state)
                               (print "song    : " song)))
    	    :onmeta (lambda (meta)
    		       (print "meta    : " meta))
    	    :onvolume (lambda (volume)
    		       (print "volume  : " volume))))))
music | bigloo multimedia abstract class
    (abstract-class music
       (frequency::long (default 2000000))
This abstract class is the root class of all music players.
musicproc::music | bigloo multimedia class
    (class musicproc::music
       (charset::symbol (default 'ISO-LATIN-1)))
This class is used to reify player that are run in an external process.
mplayer::musicproc | bigloo multimedia class
    (class mplayer::musicproc
       (path::bstring read-only (default "mplayer"))
       (args::pair-nil read-only (default '("-vo" "null" "-quiet" "-slave" "-idle")))
       (ao::obj read-only (default #unspecified))
       (ac::obj read-only (default #unspecified)))
A player based on the external software `MPlayer`. Creating such a player spawns in background a MPlayer process.
mpg123::musicproc | bigloo multimedia class
    (class mpg123::musicproc
       (path::bstring read-only (default "mpg123"))
       (args::pair-nil read-only (default '("--remote"))))
A player based on the external software `mpg123`.
mpc::music | bigloo multimedia class
    (class mpc::music
       (hello read-only (default #f))
       (host read-only (default "localhost"))
       (port read-only (default 6600))
       (timeout read-only (default 10008993))
       (prefix (default #f)))
A MPC client. `hello`: an optional string written when the connection is establish with the MPD server. `prefix`: an optional path prefix to be removed from music playlist. This is needed because MPD can only play music files registered in is private database. The file names used by MPD are relative a root directory used to fill the database. The `prefix` field allows programmer to write portable code that manages play list file names independently of the player selected.
musicstatus | bigloo multimedia class
    (class musicstatus
       (state::symbol (default 'stop))
       (volume::obj (default -1))
       (repeat::bool (default #f))
       (random::bool (default #f))
       (playlistid::int (default -1))
       (playlistlength::int (default 0))
       (xfade::int (default 0))
       (song::int (default 0))
       (songid::int (default 0))
       (songpos (default 0))
       (songlength::int (default 0))
       (bitrate::int (default 0))
       (khz::int (default 0))
       (err::obj (default #f)))
The instances of the class `musicstatus` denote that state of a player.
music-close music | bigloo multimedia procedure
music-reset! music | bigloo multimedia procedure
music-closed? music | bigloo multimedia procedure
Closes, resets, and tests the state of a music player.
music-playlist-get music | bigloo multimedia procedure
music-playlist-add! music song | bigloo multimedia procedure
music-playlist-delete! music int | bigloo multimedia procedure
music-playlist-clear! music | bigloo multimedia procedure
These functions controls the playlist used by a player. Note: The `song` argument is an UTF8 encoded string (see Section Unicode (UCS-2) Strings) whatever the local file system encoding is. The function `music-playlist-get` returns a list of UTF8 encoded names. `music-playlist-get`: returns the list of songs (UTF8 names) of the current playlist. `music-playlist-add!`: adds an extra song (UTF8 name) at the end of the playlist. `music-delete!`: removes the song number `int` from the playlist. `music-clear!`: erases the whole playlist.
music-play music [song] | bigloo multimedia procedure
music-seek music time [song] | bigloo multimedia procedure
music-stop music | bigloo multimedia procedure
music-pause music | bigloo multimedia procedure
music-next music | bigloo multimedia procedure
music-prev music | bigloo multimedia procedure
These functions changes the state of the music player. The function `music-seek` seeks the playback position to the position `time`, which is an integer denoting a number of seconds.
music-crossfade music int | bigloo multimedia procedure
music-random-set! music bool | bigloo multimedia procedure
music-repeat-set! music bool | bigloo multimedia procedure
These functions controls how songs playback should follow each other.
music-volume-get music | bigloo multimedia procedure
music-volume-set! music vol | bigloo multimedia procedure
Get and set the audio volume of a player. Some player use the native mixer supported by the operating system some others use a software mixer unrelated to the hardware.
music-status music | bigloo multimedia procedure
music-update-status! music status | bigloo multimedia procedure
The function `music-status` returns an instance of the `musicstatus` class which denotes the state of the player. The function `music-update-status!` updates this status.
music-song music | bigloo multimedia procedure
music-songpos music | bigloo multimedia procedure
These two functions return the number of the song being played and the position in the song. These functions are somehow redundant with the function `music-status` because the status also contains information about the playback song and playback position. However, for some players getting the music song and the playback position is cheaper than getting the whole player status.
music-meta music | bigloo multimedia procedure
Returns the metadata the current song.
music-reset-error! music | bigloo multimedia procedure
Reset the previous errors detected by a player.
music-event-loop music [:onstate] [:onmeta] [:onerror] [:onvolume] | bigloo multimedia procedure
The function `music-event-loop` enable event notifications when the state of a player changes. The keyword arguments are: `:onstate`, a function of one parameter. When the player state changes, this function is called with an instance of `musicstatus` as first actual parameter. `:onmeta`, a function of two parameters. This function is called when a metadata is detected in the music currently played. `:onerror`, a function of one parameter, invoked when an error is detected. `:onvolume`, a function of one parameter, invoked when the volume changes.
### 19.2.4 Music Player Daemon
Music Player Daemon (MPD in short) allows remote access for playing music http://www.musicpd.org. MPD is designed for integrating a computer into a stereo system that provides control for music playback over a local network. The Bigloo class `mpc` implements a `mpd` client. All Bigloo players can be access via the MPD protocol, using the The following example shows how to access a MPlayer music player using the MPD protocol with a simple Bigloo program:
    (module mpd
       (library multimedia pthread)
       (main main))

    (define (main argv)
       (let ((db (instantiate::mpd-database
    		(directories (cdr argv))))
    	 (serv (make-server-socket 6600))
    	 (music (instantiate::mplayer)))
          (let loop ()
    	 (thread-start! (make-mpd-connection-thread music db sock))
    	 (loop))))

    (define (make-mpd-connection-thread music db sock)
       (instantiate::pthread
          (body (lambda ()
    	       (let ((pi (socket-input sock))
    		     (po (socket-output sock)))
    		  (input-timeout-set! pi 10000)
    		  (output-timeout-set! po 10000)
    		  (unwind-protect
    		     (mpd music pi po db)
    		     (socket-close sock)))))))
mpd music input-port output-port database [:log] | bigloo multimedia procedure
The function `mpd` implements a MPD server. It reads commands from the `input-port` and write results to `output-port`. The argument `database`, an instance of the `mpd-database` class, describes the music material that can be delivered by this player.
mpd-database | bigloo multimedia class
    (class mpd-database
       (directories::pair-nil read-only)
The field `directories` contains the list of the directories that contains music files.
### 19.3 Color
The multimedia library provides functions for dealing with colors.
hsv->rgb h s v | bigloo multimedia procedure
hsl->rgb h s l | bigloo multimedia procedure
rgb-hsv r g b | bigloo multimedia procedure
rgb-hsl r g b | bigloo multimedia procedure
These procedures converts from and to HSV, HSL, and RGB representations. The argument `h` is an integer in the range `[0..360]`, the arguments `s`, `v`, and `l` in the range `[0..100]`. The arguments `r`, `g`, and `b` are in the range `[0..255]`. These procedures returns multiple-values.
    (multiple-value-bind (r g b)
       (hsv->rgb 340 34 56)
       (list r g b)) => (143 94 110)
    (multiple-value-bind (h s v)
       (rgb->hsv 255 0 0)
       (list h s v)) => (0 100 100)

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