gstreamer/docs/design/part-probes.txt

Probes
------

 Probes are callbacks that can be installed by the application and will notify
 the application about the states of the dataflow.


Requirements
------------

Applications should be able to monitor and control the dataflow on pads. We
identify the following types:

 - be notified when the pad is/becomes idle and make sure the pad stays idle.
   This is essential to be able to implement dynamic relinking of elements
   without breaking the dataflow.

 - be notified when data, events or queries are pushed or sent on a pad. It
   should also be possible to inspect and modify the data.
 
 - be able to drop, pass and block on data based on the result of the callback.

 - be able to drop, pass data on blocking pads based on methods performed by
   the application thread.


Overview
--------

 The function gst_pad_add_probe() is used to add a probe to a pad. It accepts a
 probe type mask and a callback.

   gulong  gst_pad_add_probe    (GstPad *pad,
                                 GstPadProbeType mask,
                                 GstPadProbeCallback callback,
                                 gpointer user_data,
                                 GDestroyNotify destroy_data);

 The function returns a gulong that uniquely identifies the probe and that can
 be used to remove the probe with gst_pad_remove_probe():

   void    gst_pad_remove_probe (GstPad *pad, gulong id);

 The mask parameter is a bitwise or of the following flags:
  
    typedef enum
    {
      GST_PAD_PROBE_TYPE_INVALID          = 0,

      /* flags to control blocking */
      GST_PAD_PROBE_TYPE_IDLE             = (1 << 0),
      GST_PAD_PROBE_TYPE_BLOCK            = (1 << 1),

      /* flags to select datatypes */
      GST_PAD_PROBE_TYPE_BUFFER           = (1 << 4),
      GST_PAD_PROBE_TYPE_BUFFER_LIST      = (1 << 5),
      GST_PAD_PROBE_TYPE_EVENT_DOWNSTREAM = (1 << 6),
      GST_PAD_PROBE_TYPE_EVENT_UPSTREAM   = (1 << 7),
      GST_PAD_PROBE_TYPE_EVENT_FLUSH      = (1 << 8),
      GST_PAD_PROBE_TYPE_QUERY_DOWNSTREAM = (1 << 9),
      GST_PAD_PROBE_TYPE_QUERY_UPSTREAM   = (1 << 10),

      /* flags to select scheduling mode */
      GST_PAD_PROBE_TYPE_PUSH             = (1 << 12),
      GST_PAD_PROBE_TYPE_PULL             = (1 << 13),

    } GstPadProbeType;

 When adding a probe with the IDLE or BLOCK flag, the probe will become a
 blocking probe (see below). Otherwise the probe will be a DATA probe.

 The datatype and scheduling selector flags are used to select what kind of
 datatypes and scheduling modes should be allowed in the callback.
 
 The blocking flags must match the triggered probe exactly.

 The probe callback is defined as:

   GstPadProbeReturn (*GstPadProbeCallback) (GstPad *pad, GstPadProbeInfo *info,
                                          gpointer user_data);

 A probe info structure is passed as an argument and its type is guaranteed
 to match the mask that was used to register the callback. The data item in the
 info contains type specific data, which is usually the data item that is blocked
 or NULL when no data item is present.  
 
 The probe can return any of the following return values:

   typedef enum
   {
     GST_PAD_PROBE_DROP,
     GST_PAD_PROBE_OK,
     GST_PAD_PROBE_REMOVE,
     GST_PAD_PROBE_PASS,
   } GstPadProbeReturn;

 GST_PAD_PROBE_OK is the normal return value.  DROP will drop the item that is
 currently being probed. GST_PAD_PROBE_REMOVE the currently executing probe from the
 list of probes. 
 
 GST_PAD_PROBE_PASS is relevant for blocking probes and will temporarily unblock the
 pad and let the item trough, it will then block again on the next item.


Blocking probes
---------------

  Blocking probes are probes with BLOCK or IDLE flags set. They will always
  block the dataflow and trigger the callback according to the following rules:

  When the IDLE flag is set, the probe callback is called as soon as no data is
  flowing over the pad. If at the time of probe registration, the pad is idle,
  the callback will be called immediately from the current thread. Otherwise,
  the callback will be called as soon as the pad becomes idle in the streaming
  thread.

  The IDLE probe is useful to perform dynamic linking, it allows to wait for for
  a safe moment when an unlink/link operation can be done. Since the probe is a
  blocking probe, it will also make sure that the pad stays idle until the probe
  is removed.

  When the BLOCK flag is set, the probe callback will be called when new data
  arrives on the pad and right before the pad goes into the blocking state. This
  callback is thus only called when there is new data on the pad.

  The blocking probe is removed with gst_pad_remove_probe() or when the probe
  callback return GST_PAD_PROBE_REMOVE. In both cases, and if this was the last
  blocking probe on the pad, the pad is unblocked and dataflow can continue.


Non-Blocking probes
--------------------

  Non-blocking probes or DATA probes are probes triggered when data is flowing
  over the pad. The are called after the blocking probes are run and always with
  data.


Push dataflow
-------------

Push probes have the GST_PAD_PROBE_TYPE_PUSH flag set in the callbacks.

In push based scheduling, the blocking probe is called first with the data item.
Then the data probes are called before the peer pad chain or event function is
called.

The data probes are called before the peer pad is checked. This allows for
linking the pad in either the BLOCK or DATA probes on the pad.

Before the peerpad chain or event function is called, the peer pad block and
data probes are called.

Finally, the IDLE probe is called on the pad after the data was sent to the
peer pad.

The push dataflow probe behavior is the same for buffers and bidirectional events.


                     pad                           peerpad
                      |                               |
 gst_pad_push() /     |                               |
 gst_pad_push_event() |                               |
 -------------------->O                               |
                      O                               | 
        flushing?     O                               | 
        FLUSHING      O                               |
        < - - - - - - O                               | 
                      O-> do BLOCK probes             | 
                      O                               | 
                      O-> do DATA probes              | 
         no peer?     O                               |
        NOT_LINKED    O                               | 
        < - - - - - - O                               |
                      O   gst_pad_chain() /           | 
                      O   gst_pad_send_event()        | 
                      O------------------------------>O
                      O                   flushing?   O 
                      O                   FLUSHING    O 
                      O< - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -O 
                      O                               O-> do BLOCK probes
                      O                               O 
                      O                               O-> do DATA probes
                      O                               O 
                      O                               O---> chainfunc /
                      O                               O     eventfunc
                      O< - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -O 
                      O                               |
                      O-> do IDLE probes              | 
                      O                               | 
        < - - - - - - O                               | 
                      |                               | 


Pull dataflow
-------------

Pull probes have the GST_PAD_PROBE_TYPE_PULL flag set in the callbacks.

The gst_pad_pull_range() call will first trigger the BLOCK probes without a DATA
item. This allows the pad to be linked before the peer pad is resolved. It also
allows the callback to set a data item in the probe info.

After the blocking probe and the getrange function is called on the peer pad
and there is a data item, the DATA probes are called.

When control returns to the sinkpad, the IDLE callbacks are called. The IDLE
callback is called without a data item so that it will also be called when there
was an error.

If there is a valid DATA item, the DATA probes are called for the item.


                 srcpad                          sinkpad
                   |                               |
                   |                               | gst_pad_pull_range()
                   |                               O<---------------------
                   |                               O
                   |                               O  flushing?
                   |                               O  FLUSHING 
                   |                               O - - - - - - - - - - >
                   |             do BLOCK probes <-O
                   |                               O   no peer?
                   |                               O  NOT_LINKED
                   |                               O - - - - - - - - - - >
                   |          gst_pad_get_range()  O
                   O<------------------------------O
                   O                               O
                   O flushing?                     O
                   O FLUSHING                      O
                   O- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >O
 do BLOCK probes <-O                               O
                   O                               O
  getrangefunc <---O                               O
                   O  flow error?                  O
                   O- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >O
                   O                               O
  do DATA probes <-O                               O
                   O- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >O
                   |                               O 
                   |              do IDLE probes <-O               
                   |                               O   flow error?
                   |                               O - - - - - - - - - - >
                   |                               O
                   |              do DATA probes <-O  
                   |                               O - - - - - - - - - - >
                   |                               |


Queries
-------

Query probes have the GST_PAD_PROBE_TYPE_QUERY_* flag set in the callbacks.


                     pad                           peerpad
                      |                               |
 gst_pad_peer_query() |                               |
 -------------------->O                               |
                      O                               | 
                      O-> do BLOCK probes             | 
                      O                               | 
                      O-> do QUERY | PUSH probes      | 
         no peer?     O                               |
           FALSE      O                               | 
        < - - - - - - O                               |
                      O   gst_pad_query()             | 
                      O------------------------------>O
                      O                               O-> do BLOCK probes
                      O                               O 
                      O                               O-> do QUERY | PUSH probes
                      O                               O 
                      O                               O---> queryfunc
                      O                    error      O 
        <- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -O 
                      O                               O 
                      O                               O-> do QUERY | PULL probes
                      O< - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -O 
                      O                               |
                      O-> do QUERY | PULL probes      | 
                      O                               | 
        < - - - - - - O                               | 
                      |                               | 

For queries, the PUSH ProbeType is set when the query is traveling to the object
that will answer the query and the PULL type is set when the query contains the
answer.

Use-cases
---------

Prerolling a partial pipeline
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 .---------.      .---------.                .----------.
 | filesrc |      | demuxer |     .-----.    | decoder1 |
 |        src -> sink      src1 ->|queue|-> sink       src 
 '---------'      |         |     '-----'    '----------' X
                  |         |                .----------.
                  |         |     .-----.    | decoder2 |
                  |        src2 ->|queue|-> sink       src
                  '---------'     '-----'    '----------' X


The purpose is to create the pipeline dynamically up to the
decoders but not yet connect them to a sink and without losing
any data.

To do this, the source pads of the decoders is blocked so that no
events or buffers can escape and we don't interrupt the stream.

When all of the dynamic pad are created (no-more-pads emited by the
branching point, ie, the demuxer or the queues filled) and the pads
are blocked (blocked callback received) the pipeline is completely
prerolled.

It should then be possible to perform the following actions on the
prerolled pipeline:

- query duration/position
- perform a flushing seek to preroll a new position
- connect other elements and unblock the blocked pads.


dynamically switching an element in a PLAYING pipeline
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


  .----------.      .----------.      .----------.
  | element1 |      | element2 |      | element3 |
 ...        src -> sink       src -> sink       ...
  '----------'      '----------'      '----------'
                    .----------.
                    | element4 |
                   sink       src                  
                    '----------'                     

The purpose is to replace element2 with element4 in the PLAYING 
pipeline. 

  1) block element1 src pad.
  2) inside the block callback nothing is flowing between
     element1 and element2 and nothing will flow until unblocked.
  3) unlink element1 and element2
  4) optional step: make sure data is flushed out of element2:
     4a) pad event probe on element2 src
     4b) send EOS to element2, this makes sure that element2 flushes
         out the last bits of data it holds.
     4c) wait for EOS to appear in the probe, drop the EOS.
     4d) remove the EOS pad event probe.
  5) unlink element2 and element3
     5a) optionally element2 can now be set to NULL and/or removed from the
         pipeline.
  6) link element4 and element3
  7) link element1 and element4
  8) make sure element4 is in the same state as the rest of the elements. The
     element should at least be PAUSED.
  9) unblock element1 src

The same flow can be used to replace an element in a PAUSED pipeline. Of
course in a PAUSED pipeline there might not be dataflow so the block might
not immediately happen.