# Pbutils

libgstpbutils is a general utility library for plugins and applications. It currently provides the following:

- human-readable description strings of codecs, elements, sources, decoders, encoders, or sinks from decoder/encoder caps, element names, or protocol names.

- support for applications to initiate installation of missing plugins (if this is supported by the distribution or operating system used)

- API for GStreamer elements to create missing-plugin messages in order to communicate to the application that a certain type of plugin is missing (decoder, encoder, URI protocol source, URI protocol sink, named element)

- API for applications to recognise and handle missing-plugin messages

## Linking to this library

You should obtain the required CFLAGS and LIBS using pkg-config on the gstreamer-plugins-base-1.0 module. You will then also need to add '-lgstreamer-pbutils-1.0' manually to your LIBS line.

## Library initialisation

Before using any of its functions, applications and plugins must call gst_pb_utils_init to initialise the library.

## Functions

### gst_pb_utils_init

    gst_pb_utils_init ()

Initialises the base utils support library. This function is not thread-safe. Applications should call it after calling gst_init, plugins should call it from their plugin_init function.

This function may be called multiple times. It will do nothing if the library has already been initialised.

### GstPbutils.prototype.pb_utils_init

    function GstPbutils.prototype.pb_utils_init(): {
        // javascript wrapper for 'gst_pb_utils_init'
    }

Initialises the base utils support library. This function is not thread-safe. Applications should call it after calling Gst.prototype.init, plugins should call it from their plugin_init function.

This function may be called multiple times. It will do nothing if the library has already been initialised.

### GstPbutils.pb_utils_init

    def GstPbutils.pb_utils_init ():
        #python wrapper for 'gst_pb_utils_init'

Initialises the base utils support library. This function is not thread-safe. Applications should call it after calling Gst.init, plugins should call it from their plugin_init function.

This function may be called multiple times. It will do nothing if the library has already been initialised.

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