@section API
@itemize @bullet
@item libavcodec is the library containing the codecs (both encoding and
-decoding). Look at @file{libavcodec/apiexample.c} to see how to use it.
+decoding). Look at @file{doc/examples/decoding_encoding.c} to see how to use
+it.
@item libavformat is the library containing the file format handling (mux and
-demux code for several formats). Look at @file{avplay.c} to use it in a
-player. See @file{libavformat/output-example.c} to use it to generate
-audio or video streams.
+demux code for several formats). Look at @file{ffplay.c} to use it in a
+player. See @file{doc/examples/muxing.c} to use it to generate audio or video
+streams.
@end itemize
-@section Integrating libav in your program
-
-Shared libraries should be used whenever is possible in order to reduce
-the effort distributors have to pour to support programs and to ensure
-only the public api is used.
-
-You can use Libav in your commercial program, but you must abide to the
-license, LGPL or GPL depending on the specific features used, please refer
-to @uref{http://libav.org/legal.html, our legal page} for a quick checklist and to
-the following links for the exact text of each license:
-@uref{http://git.libav.org/?p=libav.git;a=blob;f=COPYING.GPLv2, GPL version 2},
-@uref{http://git.libav.org/?p=libav.git;a=blob;f=COPYING.GPLv3, GPL version 3},
-@uref{http://git.libav.org/?p=libav.git;a=blob;f=COPYING.LGPLv2.1, LGPL version 2.1},
-@uref{http://git.libav.org/?p=libav.git;a=blob;f=COPYING.LGPLv3, LGPL version 3}.
-Any modification to the source code can be suggested for inclusion.
-The best way to proceed is to send your patches to the
-@uref{https://lists.libav.org/mailman/listinfo/libav-devel, libav-devel}
-mailing list.
+@section Integrating libavcodec or libavformat in your program
+
+You can integrate all the source code of the libraries to link them
+statically to avoid any version problem. All you need is to provide a
+'config.mak' and a 'config.h' in the parent directory. See the defines
+generated by ./configure to understand what is needed.
+
+You can use libavcodec or libavformat in your commercial program, but
+@emph{any patch you make must be published}. The best way to proceed is
+to send your patches to the FFmpeg mailing list.
+
+@section Contributing
+
+There are 3 ways by which code gets into ffmpeg.
+@itemize @bullet
+@item Submitting Patches to the main developer mailing list
+ see @ref{Submitting patches} for details.
+@item Directly committing changes to the main tree.
+@item Committing changes to a git clone, for example on github.com or
+ gitorious.org. And asking us to merge these changes.
+@end itemize
+
+Whichever way, changes should be reviewed by the maintainer of the code
+before they are committed. And they should follow the @ref{Coding Rules}.
+The developer making the commit and the author are responsible for their changes
+and should try to fix issues their commit causes.
@anchor{Coding Rules}
@section Coding Rules
@subsection Code formatting conventions
-The code is written in K&R C style. That means the following:
-@itemize @bullet
-@item
-The control statements are formatted by putting space between the statement
-and parenthesis in the following way:
-@example
-for (i = 0; i < filter->input_count; i++) @{
-@end example
-@item
-The case statement is always located at the same level as the switch itself:
-@example
-switch (link->init_state) @{
-case AVLINK_INIT:
- continue;
-case AVLINK_STARTINIT:
- av_log(filter, AV_LOG_INFO, "circular filter chain detected");
- return 0;
-@end example
-@item
-Braces in function declarations are written on the new line:
-@example
-const char *avfilter_configuration(void)
-@{
- return LIBAV_CONFIGURATION;
-@}
-@end example
-@item
-Do not check for NULL values by comparison, @samp{if (p)} and
-@samp{if (!p)} are correct; @samp{if (p == NULL)} and @samp{if (p != NULL)}
-are not.
-@item
-In case of a single-statement if, no curly braces are required:
-@example
-if (!pic || !picref)
- goto fail;
-@end example
-@item
-Do not put spaces immediately inside parentheses. @samp{if (ret)} is
-a valid style; @samp{if ( ret )} is not.
-@end itemize
There are the following guidelines regarding the indentation in files:
@itemize @bullet
@end itemize
The presentation is one inspired by 'indent -i4 -kr -nut'.
-The main priority in Libav is simplicity and small code size in order to
+The main priority in FFmpeg is simplicity and small code size in order to
minimize the bug count.
@subsection Comments
@subsection C language features
-Libav is programmed in the ISO C90 language with a few additional
+FFmpeg is programmed in the ISO C90 language with a few additional
features from ISO C99, namely:
@itemize @bullet
@item
@end itemize
@subsection Naming conventions
-All names are using underscores (_), not CamelCase. For example,
-@samp{avfilter_get_video_buffer} is a valid function name and
-@samp{AVFilterGetVideo} is not. The only exception from this are structure
-names; they should always be in the CamelCase
+All names are using underscores (_), not CamelCase. For example, @samp{avfilter_get_video_buffer} is
+a valid function name and @samp{AVFilterGetVideo} is not. The exception from this are type names, like
+for example structs and enums; they should always be in the CamelCase
+
There are following conventions for naming variables and functions:
@itemize @bullet
@end itemize
@subsection Editor configuration
-In order to configure Vim to follow Libav formatting conventions, paste
+In order to configure Vim to follow FFmpeg formatting conventions, paste
the following snippet into your @file{.vimrc}:
@example
-" indentation rules for libav: 4 spaces, no tabs
+" indentation rules for FFmpeg: 4 spaces, no tabs
set expandtab
set shiftwidth=4
set softtabstop=4
For Emacs, add these roughly equivalent lines to your @file{.emacs.d/init.el}:
@example
-(c-add-style "libav"
+(c-add-style "ffmpeg"
'("k&r"
(c-basic-offset . 4)
(indent-tabs-mode . nil)
(statement-cont . (c-lineup-assignments +)))
)
)
-(setq c-default-style "libav")
+(setq c-default-style "ffmpeg")
@end example
@section Development Policy
an "or any later version" clause is also acceptable, but LGPL is
preferred.
@item
- All the patches MUST be reviewed in the mailing list before they are
- committed.
-@item
- The Libav coding style should remain consistent. Changes to
- conform will be suggested during the review or implemented on commit.
-@item
- Patches should be generated using @code{git format-patch} or directly sent
- using @code{git send-email}.
- Please make sure you give the proper credit by setting the correct author
- in the commit.
+ You must not commit code which breaks FFmpeg! (Meaning unfinished but
+ enabled code which breaks compilation or compiles but does not work or
+ breaks the regression tests)
+ You can commit unfinished stuff (for testing etc), but it must be disabled
+ (#ifdef etc) by default so it does not interfere with other developers'
+ work.
@item
- The commit message should have a short first line in the form of
- @samp{topic: short description} as header, separated by a newline
- from the body consting in few lines explaining the reason of the patch.
- Referring to the issue on the bug tracker does not exempt to report an
- excerpt of the bug.
-@item
- Work in progress patches should be sent to the mailing list with the [WIP]
- or the [RFC] tag.
-@item
- Branches in public personal repos are advised as way to
- work on issues collaboratively.
-@item
- You do not have to over-test things. If it works for you and you think it
- should work for others, send it to the mailing list for review.
- If you have doubt about portability please state it in the submission so
- people with specific hardware could test it.
+ You do not have to over-test things. If it works for you, and you think it
+ should work for others, then commit. If your code has problems
+ (portability, triggers compiler bugs, unusual environment etc) they will be
+ reported and eventually fixed.
@item
Do not commit unrelated changes together, split them into self-contained
pieces. Also do not forget that if part B depends on part A, but A does not
Keeping changes well split into self-contained parts makes reviewing and
understanding them on the commit log mailing list easier. This also helps
in case of debugging later on.
-@item
- Patches that change behavior of the programs (renaming options etc) or
- public API or ABI should be discussed in depth and possible few days should
- pass between discussion and commit.
- Changes to the build system (Makefiles, configure script) which alter
- the expected behavior should be considered in the same regard.
+ Also if you have doubts about splitting or not splitting, do not hesitate to
+ ask/discuss it on the developer mailing list.
+@item
+ Do not change behavior of the programs (renaming options etc) or public
+ API or ABI without first discussing it on the ffmpeg-devel mailing list.
+ Do not remove functionality from the code. Just improve!
+
+ Note: Redundant code can be removed.
+@item
+ Do not commit changes to the build system (Makefiles, configure script)
+ which change behavior, defaults etc, without asking first. The same
+ applies to compiler warning fixes, trivial looking fixes and to code
+ maintained by other developers. We usually have a reason for doing things
+ the way we do. Send your changes as patches to the ffmpeg-devel mailing
+ list, and if the code maintainers say OK, you may commit. This does not
+ apply to files you wrote and/or maintain.
+@item
+ We refuse source indentation and other cosmetic changes if they are mixed
+ with functional changes, such commits will be rejected and removed. Every
+ developer has his own indentation style, you should not change it. Of course
+ if you (re)write something, you can use your own style, even though we would
+ prefer if the indentation throughout FFmpeg was consistent (Many projects
+ force a given indentation style - we do not.). If you really need to make
+ indentation changes (try to avoid this), separate them strictly from real
+ changes.
+
+ NOTE: If you had to put if()@{ .. @} over a large (> 5 lines) chunk of code,
+ then either do NOT change the indentation of the inner part within (do not
+ move it to the right)! or do so in a separate commit
+@item
+ Always fill out the commit log message. Describe in a few lines what you
+ changed and why. You can refer to mailing list postings if you fix a
+ particular bug. Comments such as "fixed!" or "Changed it." are unacceptable.
+ Recommended format:
+ area changed: Short 1 line description
+
+ details describing what and why and giving references.
+@item
+ Make sure the author of the commit is set correctly. (see git commit --author)
+ If you apply a patch, send an
+ answer to ffmpeg-devel (or wherever you got the patch from) saying that
+ you applied the patch.
@item
When applying patches that have been discussed (at length) on the mailing
list, reference the thread in the log message.
@item
- Subscribe to the
- @uref{https://lists.libav.org/mailman/listinfo/libav-devel, libav-devel} and
- @uref{https://lists.libav.org/mailman/listinfo/libav-commits, libav-commits}
- mailing lists.
- Bugs and possible improvements or general questions regarding commits
- are discussed on libav-devel. We expect you to react if problems with
- your code are uncovered.
+ Do NOT commit to code actively maintained by others without permission.
+ Send a patch to ffmpeg-devel instead. If no one answers within a reasonable
+ timeframe (12h for build failures and security fixes, 3 days small changes,
+ 1 week for big patches) then commit your patch if you think it is OK.
+ Also note, the maintainer can simply ask for more time to review!
+@item
+ Subscribe to the ffmpeg-cvslog mailing list. The diffs of all commits
+ are sent there and reviewed by all the other developers. Bugs and possible
+ improvements or general questions regarding commits are discussed there. We
+ expect you to react if problems with your code are uncovered.
@item
Update the documentation if you change behavior or add features. If you are
- unsure how best to do this, send an [RFC] patch to libav-devel.
+ unsure how best to do this, send a patch to ffmpeg-devel, the documentation
+ maintainer(s) will review and commit your stuff.
@item
- All discussions and decisions should be reported on the public developer
- mailing list, so that there is a reference to them.
- Other media (e.g. IRC) should be used for coordination and immediate
- collaboration.
+ Try to keep important discussions and requests (also) on the public
+ developer mailing list, so that all developers can benefit from them.
@item
Never write to unallocated memory, never write over the end of arrays,
always check values read from some untrusted source before using them
- as array index or other risky things. Always use valgrind to doublecheck.
+ as array index or other risky things.
@item
- Remember to check if you need to bump versions for the specific libav
+ Remember to check if you need to bump versions for the specific libav*
parts (libavutil, libavcodec, libavformat) you are changing. You need
to change the version integer.
Incrementing the first component means no backward compatibility to
Incrementing the third component means a noteworthy binary compatible
change (e.g. encoder bug fix that matters for the decoder).
@item
- Compiler warnings indicate potential bugs or code with bad style.
+ Compiler warnings indicate potential bugs or code with bad style. If a type of
+ warning always points to correct and clean code, that warning should
+ be disabled, not the code changed.
+ Thus the remaining warnings can either be bugs or correct code.
If it is a bug, the bug has to be fixed. If it is not, the code should
be changed to not generate a warning unless that causes a slowdown
or obfuscates the code.
- If a type of warning leads to too many false positives, that warning
- should be disabled, not the code changed.
@item
If you add a new file, give it a proper license header. Do not copy and
paste it from a random place, use an existing file as template.
We think our rules are not too hard. If you have comments, contact us.
-Note, some rules were borrowed from the MPlayer project.
+Note, these rules are mostly borrowed from the MPlayer project.
+@anchor{Submitting patches}
@section Submitting patches
First, read the @ref{Coding Rules} above if you did not yet, in particular
the rules regarding patch submission.
-As stated already, please do not submit a patch which contains several
-unrelated changes.
+When you submit your patch, please use @code{git format-patch} or
+@code{git send-email}. We cannot read other diffs :-)
+
+Also please do not submit a patch which contains several unrelated changes.
Split it into separate, self-contained pieces. This does not mean splitting
file by file. Instead, make the patch as small as possible while still
keeping it as a logical unit that contains an individual change, even
if it spans multiple files. This makes reviewing your patches much easier
for us and greatly increases your chances of getting your patch applied.
-Use the patcheck tool of Libav to check your patch.
+Use the patcheck tool of FFmpeg to check your patch.
The tool is located in the tools directory.
-Run the @ref{Regression Tests} before submitting a patch in order to verify
+Run the @ref{Regression tests} before submitting a patch in order to verify
it does not cause unexpected problems.
Patches should be posted as base64 encoded attachments (or any other
encoding which ensures that the patch will not be trashed during
-transmission) to the
-@uref{https://lists.libav.org/mailman/listinfo/libav-devel, libav-devel}
-mailing list.
+transmission) to the ffmpeg-devel mailing list, see
+@url{http://lists.ffmpeg.org/mailman/listinfo/ffmpeg-devel}
It also helps quite a bit if you tell us what the patch does (for example
'replaces lrint by lrintf'), and why (for example '*BSD isn't C99 compliant
-and has no lrint()'). This kind of explanation should be the body of the
-commit message.
+and has no lrint()')
Also please if you send several patches, send each patch as a separate mail,
do not attach several unrelated patches to the same mail.
-Use @code{git send-email} when possible since it will properly send patches
-without requiring extra care.
-
Your patch will be reviewed on the mailing list. You will likely be asked
to make some changes and are expected to send in an improved version that
incorporates the requests from the review. This process may go through
-several iterations. Once your patch is deemed good enough, it will be
-committed to the official Libav tree.
+several iterations. Once your patch is deemed good enough, some developer
+will pick it up and commit it to the official FFmpeg tree.
Give us a few days to react. But if some time passes without reaction,
send a reminder by email. Your patch should eventually be dealt with.
Did you register it in @file{allcodecs.c} or @file{allformats.c}?
@item
Did you add the AVCodecID to @file{avcodec.h}?
+ When adding new codec IDs, also add an entry to the codec descriptor
+ list in @file{libavcodec/codec_desc.c}.
@item
- If it has a fourcc, did you add it to @file{libavformat/riff.c},
+ If it has a fourCC, did you add it to @file{libavformat/riff.c},
even if it is only a decoder?
@item
Did you add a rule to compile the appropriate files in the Makefile?
- Remember to do this even if you are just adding a format to a file that
- is already being compiled by some other rule, like a raw demuxer.
+ Remember to do this even if you're just adding a format to a file that is
+ already being compiled by some other rule, like a raw demuxer.
@item
Did you add an entry to the table of supported formats or codecs in
@file{doc/general.texi}?
@enumerate
@item
- Does @code{make check} pass with the patch applied?
+ Does @code{make fate} pass with the patch applied?
+@item
+ Was the patch generated with git format-patch or send-email?
+@item
+ Did you sign off your patch? (git commit -s)
+ See @url{http://kerneltrap.org/files/Jeremy/DCO.txt} for the meaning
+ of sign off.
+@item
+ Did you provide a clear git commit log message?
@item
- Is the patch against latest Libav git master branch?
+ Is the patch against latest FFmpeg git master branch?
@item
- Are you subscribed to the
- @uref{https://lists.libav.org/mailman/listinfo/libav-devel, libav-devel}
- mailing list? (Only list subscribers are allowed to post.)
+ Are you subscribed to ffmpeg-devel?
+ (the list is subscribers only due to spam)
@item
Have you checked that the changes are minimal, so that the same cannot be
achieved with a smaller patch and/or simpler final code?
If the patch fixes a bug, did you provide enough information, including
a sample, so the bug can be reproduced and the fix can be verified?
Note please do not attach samples >100k to mails but rather provide a
- URL, you can upload to ftp://upload.libav.org
+ URL, you can upload to ftp://upload.ffmpeg.org
@item
Did you provide a verbose summary about what the patch does change?
@item
patch easily?
@item
If you added a new file, did you insert a license header? It should be
- taken from Libav, not randomly copied and pasted from somewhere else.
+ taken from FFmpeg, not randomly copied and pasted from somewhere else.
@item
You should maintain alphabetical order in alphabetically ordered lists as
long as doing so does not break API/ABI compatibility.
@item
Lines with similar content should be aligned vertically when doing so
improves readability.
+@item
+ Consider to add a regression test for your code.
+@item
+ If you added YASM code please check that things still work with --disable-yasm
@item
Make sure you check the return values of function and return appropriate
- error codes. Especially memory allocation functions like @code{malloc()}
+ error codes. Especially memory allocation functions like @code{av_malloc()}
are notoriously left unchecked, which is a serious problem.
@end enumerate
@section Patch review process
-All patches posted to the
-@uref{https://lists.libav.org/mailman/listinfo/libav-devel, libav-devel}
-mailing list will be reviewed, unless they contain a
+All patches posted to ffmpeg-devel will be reviewed, unless they contain a
clear note that the patch is not for the git master branch.
Reviews and comments will be posted as replies to the patch on the
mailing list. The patch submitter then has to take care of every comment,
We will review all submitted patches, but sometimes we are quite busy so
especially for large patches this can take several weeks.
-When resubmitting patches, if their size grew or during the review different
-issues arisen please split the patch so each issue has a specific patch.
+If you feel that the review process is too slow and you are willing to try to
+take over maintainership of the area of code you change then just clone
+git master and maintain the area of code there. We will merge each area from
+where its best maintained.
+
+When resubmitting patches, please do not make any significant changes
+not related to the comments received during review. Such patches will
+be rejected. Instead, submit significant changes or new features as
+separate patches.
+
+@anchor{Regression tests}
+@section Regression tests
+
+Before submitting a patch (or committing to the repository), you should at least
+test that you did not break anything.
-@anchor{Regression Tests}
-@section Regression Tests
+Running 'make fate' accomplishes this, please see @url{fate.html} for details.
-Before submitting a patch (or committing to the repository), you should at
-least make sure that it does not break anything.
+[Of course, some patches may change the results of the regression tests. In
+this case, the reference results of the regression tests shall be modified
+accordingly].
-If the code changed has already a test present in FATE you should run it,
-otherwise it is advised to add it.
+@subsection Adding files to the fate-suite dataset
-Improvements to codec or demuxer might change the FATE results. Make sure
-to commit the update reference with the change and to explain in the comment
-why the expected result changed.
+When there is no muxer or encoder available to generate test media for a
+specific test then the media has to be inlcuded in the fate-suite.
+First please make sure that the sample file is as small as possible to test the
+respective decoder or demuxer sufficiently. Large files increase network
+bandwidth and disk space requirements.
+Once you have a working fate test and fate sample, provide in the commit
+message or introductionary message for the patch series that you post to
+the ffmpeg-devel mailing list, a direct link to download the sample media.
-Please refer to @url{fate.html}.
@bye