pulsectl 16.2.1

Python high-level interface and ctypes-based bindings for PulseAudio (libpulse)

Python (3.x and 2.x) high-level interface and ctypes-based bindings for PulseAudio (libpulse).

Forked from pulsemixer (which had this code bundled) to re-use this awesome stuff in other projects.

Contents

• Usage

• Installation

• Links

Usage

Simple example:

from pulsectl import Pulse

with Pulse('volume-increaser') as pulse:
  for sink in pulse.sink_list():
    pulse.volume_change_all_chans(sink, 10)

Listening for server state change events:

from pulsectl import Pulse, PulseLoopStop

with Pulse('event-printer') as pulse:
  # print 'Event types:', ', '.join(pulse.event_types)
  # print 'Event facilities:', ', '.join(pulse.event_facilities)
  # print 'Event masks:', ', '.join(pulse.event_masks)

  def print_events(ev):
    print 'Pulse event:', ev
    ### Raise PulseLoopStop for event_listen() to return before timeout (if any)
    # raise PulseLoopStop

  pulse.event_mask_set('all')
  pulse.event_callback_set(print_events)
  pulse.event_listen(timeout=10)

Misc other tinkering:

>>> from pulsectl import Pulse
>>> pulse = Pulse('my-client-name')

>>> pulse.sink_list()
[<PulseSinkInfo at 7f85cfd053d0 - desc='Built-in Audio', index=0L, mute=0, name='alsa-speakers', channels=2, volumes='44.0%, 44.0%'>]

>>> pulse.sink_input_list()
[<PulseSinkInputInfo at 7fa06562d3d0 - index=181L, mute=0, name='mpv Media Player', channels=2, volumes='25.0%, 25.0%'>]

>>> pulse.sink_input_list()[0].proplist
{'application.icon_name': 'mpv',
 'application.language': 'C',
 'application.name': 'mpv Media Player',
 ...
 'native-protocol.version': '30',
 'window.x11.display': ':1.0'}

>>> pulse.source_list()
[<PulseSourceInfo at 7fcb0615d8d0 - desc='Monitor of Built-in Audio', index=0L, mute=0, name='alsa-speakers.monitor', channels=2, volumes='100.0%, 100.0%'>,
 <PulseSourceInfo at 7fcb0615da10 - desc='Built-in Audio', index=1L, mute=0, name='alsa-mic', channels=2, volumes='100.0%, 100.0%'>]

>>> sink = pulse.sink_list()[0]
>>> pulse.volume_change_all_chans(sink, -10)
>>> pulse.volume_set_all_chans(sink, 50)

>>> help(pulse)
...

Current code logic is that all methods are invoked through the Pulse instance, and everything returned from these are “Pulse-Something-Info” objects - thin wrappers around C structs that describe the thing, without any methods attached.

Module is relatively new and these high-level interfaces might change in the future.

Installation

It’s a regular package for Python (3.x or 2.x).

Using pip is the best way:

% pip install pulsectl

If you don’t have it, use:

% easy_install pip
% pip install pulsectl

Alternatively (see also pip2014.com and pip install guide):

% curl https://raw.github.com/pypa/pip/master/contrib/get-pip.py | python2
% pip install pulsectl

Or, if you absolutely must:

% easy_install pulsectl

But, you really shouldn’t do that.

Current-git version can be installed like this:

% pip install 'git+https://github.com/mk-fg/python-pulse-control.git#egg=pulsectl'

Note that to install stuff in system-wide PATH and site-packages, elevated privileges are often required. Use “install –user”, ~/.pydistutils.cfg or virtualenv to do unprivileged installs into custom paths.

Links

• pulsemixer - initial source for this project (embedded in the tool).

• libpulseaudio - low-level bindings module, auto-generated from pulseaudio header files.

  Branches there have bindings for different (newer) pulseaudio versions.