Introduction to Songbird, the open source desktop media player and how to get started building add-ons (extensions and Feathers).

1. Songbird
Integrating Media & The Web
2009-04-19 Stephen Lau
stevel@songbirdnest.com

2. we mozilla
open standards
open web
open source

3. Songbird in One Slide
• Cross platform media player
• Built on Mozilla (XULRunner)
• Customisable
• Extensions
• Skins Feathers
• Open APIs
• Client side via extensions
• Web side via Webpage API
• Desktop client, NOT a web service

4. What If....
• You could only read your news from CNN
• You could only buy Sony laptops
• You could only buy BMW cars
• You could only browse the web with Internet Explorer
• You could only buy music from Apple’s iTunes Store
• You could only sync with an Apple iPod

5. AOL
(The Internet)

6. CompuServe
AOL
(en
larg
ed
100
x)
(The Internet)

8. Extensions
• Just like Firefox
• Can be easily ported (in most cases)
• Many Firefox extensions already support Songbird
• Full access to all of Songbird’s APIs
• Examples:
• Service Integration
• Device Support
• Media player functionality
• Easily integrate with the web:
• Pull in web content
• Push content up to the web

9. Mozilla Technologies & APIs
(aka the buzzword & acronym slide)
AJAX, Canvas, CSS, DOM, E4X, HTML, JS, RDF
RSS, SVG, XBL, XML, XPath, XSLT, XUL
SpiderMonkey, Gecko, XULRunner

10. What can I do with it?
Pros: Pretty much anything
Cons: Pretty much anything

11. Media Interaction
• APIs for querying metadata
• Controlling playback
• Creating local and remote media items
• Creating playlists
• Observers/listeners
• AJAX, and anything else “webby”

12. Songbird Points of Integration
Display Panes
Media Views
Faceplate
Browser Areas

13. Demo Time!
(sorry for anyone viewing the PDF)
just imagine a really compelling and cool demo
(and then imagine me delivering it)

14. mashTape Screenies
(in case the network is teh suck)

20. Last.fm Screenies
(#@$()#*@ network)

23. More Extension Screenies
(pity about the network)

26. The Songbird Library

27. Adding an item
// Get the library manager service
var libraryManager = Components.classes[quot;@songbirdnest.com/Songbird/library/Manager;1quot;]
.getService(Components.interfaces.sbILibraryManager);
// Get the user’s main library
var mainLib = libraryManager.mainLibrary;
// Need to construct an IO URI representing the actual resource (e.g. test.mp3)
var ioService = Components.classes[quot;@mozilla.org/network/io-service;1quot;]
.getService(Components.interfaces.nsIIOService);
var songURI = ioService.newURI(“http://whacked.net/test.mp3”, null, null);
// Set any properties we may want to set
var props = Components.classes[quot;@songbirdnest.com/Songbird/Properties/MutablePropertyArray;1quot;]
.createInstance(Ci.sbIMutablePropertyArray);
props.appendProperty(“http://whacked.net/#myWhizzyProperty, quot;OMG! BEST SONG EVER!quot;);
// Add the song to the user’s library
var mySong = mainLib.createMediaItem(songURI, props);

28. Finding an item
// If you know the GUID....
var mySong = mainLib.getItemByGuid(“some_guid_here”);
// ... or you can get it by index in the list/library
var mySong = mainLib.getItemByIndex(42);
// ... or you can enumerate it by a property
var myListener = {
items: [],
onEnumerationBegin: function() { },
onEnumeratedItem: function(list, item) {
this.items.push(item);
}
onEnumerationEnd: function() { }
};
mainLib.enumerateItemsByProperty(“http://whacked.net/#myWhizzyProperty”,
“OMG! BEST SONG EVER!”, myListener,
Components.interfaces.sbIMediaList.ENUMERATIONTYPE_LOCKING);
alert(myListener.items.length + “ items found with ‘Some Arbitrary Value’”);

29. Removing an item
// ... from previous slide
// iterate through each item that matched our enumeration
for (mySong in myListener.items) {
// remove it from the library
mainLib.remove(mySong);
}

30. Managing Playback

31. Media Core APIs

32. Media Core APIs

33. Mediacore Manager
IDL: http://src.songbirdnest.com/source/xref/client/components/mediacore/base/public/sbIMediacoreManager.idl
API Reference: http://developer.songbirdnest.com/add-on-api/docs/trunk/interfacesb_i_mediacore_manager.html
• Get a reference to the Mediacore Manager:
var gMM = Components.classes[quot;@songbirdnest.com/Songbird/Mediacore/Manager;1quot;]
.getService(Components.interfaces.sbIMediacoreManager);
• The central point for all media playback/event management
• Most playback/sequence/control handled by .playbackControl or .sequencer

34. Mediacore Manager
• Events:
• sbIMediacoreEvent
• http://developer.songbirdnest.com/add-on-api/docs/trunk/interfacesb_i_mediacore_event.html
• Sample events: Metadata change, Duration change, Track change
• Stream start, Stream End, etc.
• Add a listener:
const Ci = Components.interfaces;
var myListener = {
onMediacoreEvent: function(ev) {
switch (ev.type) {
case Ci.sbIMediacoreEvent.TRACK_CHANGE:
var mediaItem = ev.data;
alert(quot;track changed to: quot; + mediaItem.guid);
break;
case Ci.sbIMediacoreEvent.STREAM_END:
alert(quot;track has endedquot;);
break;
case Ci.sbIMediacoreEvent.STREAM_STOP:
alert(quot;track was stoppedquot;);
break;
}
}
gMM.addListener(myListener);

35. What’s going on?

36. Data Remotes
Asynchronously observe specific data remotes and trigger
listeners based on data changes in the player, e.g.
• Track change
• Play/pause state
• Volume change/mute
What’s playing?
• metadata.title
• metadata.artist
• metadata.album

37. Data Remotes
Example:
myObserver = {
observe: function ( aSubject, aTopic, aData) {
if (aTopic == “faceplate.playing” && aData == 1) {
var mediaItem = gMM.sequencer.currentItem;
var artist = mediaItem.getProperty(SBProperties.artistName);
alert(artist + “? weren’t they a one-hit wonder?”);
}
}
}
Components.utils.import(quot;resource://app/components/sbProperties.jsmquot;);
const SB_NewDataRemote = new Components.Constructor(
quot;@songbirdnest.com/Songbird/DataRemote;1quot;, quot;sbIDataRemotequot;, quot;initquot;);
var sbDataRemote = SB_NewDataRemote(“faceplate.playing”, null);
sbDataRemote.bindObserver(myObserver, true);

38. Songbird Audio Codec Architecture
Songbird
Songbird Media Cores
X
Windows Media SDK
GStreamer Quicktime ...
M4P* WMA*
GStreamer Plugins
X
FLAC Quicktime DirectShow ACM MP3 ...
AAC WMA MP3
... Extension points
MP3 ... ... *DRM protected formats
Windows only
...
X Mac only
Linux only
ACM Codecs
QT Plugins DShow Codecs

39. Feathers
• Customise Songbird’s appearance
• CSS, XUL
• Use Web technologies:
• Flash
• SVG
• Canvas
• Simple to customise: You don’t have to
be a developer to make a Feather

40. A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

41. Sparkle

42. YABS (Yet Another Black Skin)

43. Pure Player
Medium Player
Mini Player

44. Webpage API
• Javascript’able interactions with Songbird
• Integrate into user’s media player
• Build your site, not a media player
• Observe and interact with Songbird’s
media functionality

45. What can I do with it?
• Query what’s currently playing
• Attach asynchronous listeners/observers
to media player actions
• Enumerate and observe user library
• Build site-local libraries and playlists
• Download playlists and items to the
user’s main library

46. What’s happening right this minute
Metadata on the currently playing track:
• songbird.currentArtist
• songbird.currentTrack
• songbird.currentAlbum
Current activity and state:
• songbird.playing
• songbird.paused
• songbird.repeat
• songbird.shuffle
• songbird.position
• songbird.volume
• songbird.mute
Synchronous and asynchronous observers

47. List & Library Integration
• Use lists to represent playlists, or conceptual lists:
• Shopping cart
• Favourite songs/tracks
• Recommended tracks (“You might also like...”)
• Relevant songs (“Other people who bought also bought...”)
• Playback main library (e.g. the user’s) lists
• Playback site library (e.g. local to the website) lists
• Remote playlists, e.g. .m3u, .pls
• Playlists built programmatically using the Webpage API
• Download lists and individual media items to the user’s library

48. WebPlaylist
Can be populated either automatically (i.e. via Songbird’s automatic scraping)
or programmatically via Webpage API

50. Current Media Player Activity
<script type=”text/javascript”>
function onLoad() {
if (songbird.playing) {
alert(“I love ” + songbird.currentArtist + “ too”);
}
}
</script>

51. Observing Your Media Player
var obs = {
observe: function ( aSubject, aTopic, aData) {
if (aTopic == “metadata.artist”) {
alert(“Current artist:” + aData);
} else if (aTopic == “metadata.album”) {
alert(“Current album:” + aData);
} else if (aTopic == “metadata.title”) {
alert(“Current track:” + aData);
}
}
}
songbird.addListener(quot;metadata.titlequot;, obs);
songbird.addListener(quot;metadata.artistquot;, obs);
songbird.addListener(quot;metadata.albumquot;, obs);

52. Observing Your Media Player
More asynchronous events:
downloadstart
downloadcomplete
Fired when Songbird downloads triggered
by Library integration APIs (covered later)
are initiated or completed
beforetrackchange
trackchange
playerstopped
Fired when media track events happen.
event.item argument is the mediaItem

53. Enumerate User Libraries
User library:
• mediaItems (represent items/tracks)
• mediaLists (ordered lists of mediaItems)
• mediaLibraries (unordered collection of mediaItems & lists)
• songbird.mainLibrary
• .createMediaItem()
• .createSimpleMediaList()
• .getPlaylists()
• .getItemByGuid()
• .enumerateAllItems()
• .enumerateItemsByProperty()
• http://developer.songbirdnest.com/webpage-api/docs/files/
trunk/sbIRemoteLibrary-idl.html#Library

54. Enumerate User Libraries
var propArtist = quot;http://songbirdnest.com/data/1.0#artistNamequot;;
var listener = {
onEnumerationBegin: function() {
this.artists = new Object();
return true;
},
onEnumeratedItem: function(list, item) {
metadata = item.getProperty(propArtist);
if ((metadata != null) && (metadata != '') && (metadata != 'quot;quot;')) {
if (this.artists[metadata])
this.artists[metadata]++;
else
this.artists[metadata] = 1;
}
return true;
},
onEnumerationEnd: function() {
return true;
}
};
var mainlib = songbird.mainLibrary;
songbird.mainLibrary.enumerateAllItems(listener, 0);
for (artist in listener.artists) {
alert(quot;You have quot; + this.artists[artist] + quot; tracks by quot; + artist);
}

55. List & Library Integration
// Create a default site-specific library
var library = songbird.siteLibrary;
// Set the scope of the site library
songbird.setSiteScope(quot;whacked.netquot;, quot;/musicquot;);
// Create a media item and put it in the library
var mediaItem = library.createMediaItem(quot;http://whacked.net/music/wired-01.mp3quot;);
// Make a playlist
var mediaList = library.createSimpleMediaList(quot;TheWiredCDquot;);
mediaList.add(mediaItem);
// Let's be obnoxious and play it, whether the user requested it or not
songbird.playMediaList(mediaList);
// I'm sure the user loved it so much - let's integrate it into their library for them
songbird.downloadItem(mediaItem);

56. Download Event Monitoring
var trackNameProp = quot;http://songbirdnest.com/data/1.0#trackNamequot;
function onDlStart(aEvent) {
alert(aEvent.item.getProperty(trackNameProp) +
quot; started downloadingquot;)
}
function onDlComplete(aEvent) {
alert(aEvent.item.getProperty(trackNameProp) +
quot; finished downloadingquot;);
alert(aEvent.status);
}
document.addEventListener(quot;downloadstartquot;, onDlStart, false);
document.addEventListener(quot;downloadcompletequot;, onDlComplete, false);
songbird.downloadItem(mediaItem);

57. • Get involved in mozilla Taiwan!
• Localisation
• Testing/QA
• Development
http://moztw.org

58. Upcoming Events!
• Mozilla Firefox 3.5 New Developer Features: Overview
• 04/28 @ 19:00-21:00 Tim G.T. Chien
• http://go2.tw/moztwfirefox35
• JavaScript in Firefox (1)
• 05/05 @ 19:00-22:00 (othree)
• http://go2.tw/moztw5extprea
• JavaScript in Firefox (2)
• 05/07 @ 19:00-22:00 (othree)
• http:/go2.tw/moztw5extpreb
• Firefox Extension Development (1)
• 05/09 @ 09:00-17:00 (Littelbtc)
• http:/go2.tw/moztw5exta
• Firefox Extension Development (2)
• 05/23 @ 09:00-17:00 (Littelbtc)
• http:/go2.tw/moztw5extb

59. Thanks!
IRC:
•irc://irc.mozilla.org/#songbird
Developer List:
• http://groups.google.com/group/songbird-dev
User Support:
• http://getsatisfaction.com/songbird
Stephen Lau (stevel@songbirdnest.com)
http://whacked.net

60. Copyright 2009 Pioneers of the Inevitable, Inc. Some rights reserved.
All trademarks and logos are properties of their respective owners. Any use of non-POTI
trademarks or logos should not be construed as endorsement of or by Songbird or POTI, Inc.
This presentation is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
Cloud photo by saital: http://flickr.com/photos/saital/17949827/