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22c66f1afb
Original commit message from CVS: + updating docs to reflect the connect->link api change, closes bug#103843
39 lines
1.7 KiB
XML
39 lines
1.7 KiB
XML
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<!-- ############ chapter ############# -->
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<chapter id="cha-basics-elements">
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<title>Elements, Plugins, and Filters</title>
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<para>
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In the &GStreamer; framework, a <emphasis>plugin</emphasis> is a specific
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sort of code module that gets loaded when a program requests the
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functionality that the plugin provides. A plugin is essentially a shared
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code library.
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<emphasis>Filters</emphasis> are an
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important subset of plugins that process data, as opposed to producing or
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consuming data. (Producers and consumers of data are called
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<emphasis>source</emphasis> and <emphasis>sink</emphasis> plugins,
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respectively.)
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</para>
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<para>
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Elements are at the core of &GStreamer;. Without elements, &GStreamer; is
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just a bunch of pipe fittings with nothing to link. A large number of
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elements (filters, sources, and sinks) ship with &GStreamer;, but extra
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elements can also be written. The purpose of this guide is to help you
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learn to create new elements.
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</para>
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<para>
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An element may be constructed in several different ways, but all must
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conform to the same basic rules. This guide presents one basic way to build
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a filter elementA simple filter may be built with the
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FilterFactory, where the only code that need be written is the actual filter
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code. A more complex filter, or a source or sink, will need to be written
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out fully for complete access to the features and performance possible with
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&GStreamer;.
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</para>
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<para>
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The implementation of a new element will be contained in a plugin: a single
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plugin may contain the implementation of several elements, or just a single
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one.
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</para>
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</chapter>
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