# Libcanberra

Related articles

- GTK+
- Libnotify

Libcanberra is a simple abstract interface for playing event sounds. It implements the XDG Sound Theme and Naming Specifications for generating event sounds on free desktops, such as GNOME. Further description here

## Installation

Libcanberra can be installed with the package libcanberra, available in the Official repositories. It contains the library and a GTK+ module.

You have to choose a backend to play sounds:

- ALSA backend is included in libcanberra package
- GStreamer backend can be installed with package libcanberra-gstreamer, available in the Official repositories.
- PulseAudio backend can be installed with package libcanberra-pulse, available in the Official repositories.
- OSS backend can be installed with the package libcanberra-oss, available in the Arch User Repository.

Also, you have to install a sound theme in order to hear any event sound:

- The default sound theme is 'freedesktop', which can be installed with the package sound-theme-freedesktop, available in the Official repositories.
- Alternatively, you can install ubuntu-sounds, available in the Arch User Repository.

## Configuration

By default, the GTK+ module is loaded automatically, when a GTK+ application launched. You can overwrite default settings in user's GtkSettings file:

    $HOME/.gtkrc-2.0 and $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/gtk-3.0/settings.ini

    gtk-enable-event-sounds=true
    gtk-enable-input-feedback-sounds=true
    gtk-sound-theme-name=freedesktop

In GNOME, these settings are managed by gnome-settings-daemon, and the configuration is available in GSettings under org.gnome.desktop.sound schema.

## Systemd

To enable bootup, shutdown and reboot sounds using canberra, run:

`# systemctl enable canberra-system-bootup.service`

## Tips and tricks

### Write your own canberra app

You can write your own libcanberra sound events easily in some programming languages, or you can simply use bash.

#### Bash

- Dependency: libcanberra

    hello_world.sh

    #!/bin/bash
    canberra-gtk-play -i phone-incoming-call -d "hello world"

#### C

- Dependency: libcanberra
- Build with: `gcc hello_world.c -o hello_world `pkg-config --cflags --libs glib-2.0 libcanberra``

    hello_world.c

    #include <glib.h>
    #include <canberra.h>
    void main () {
    	ca_context * hello;
    	ca_context_create (&hello);
    	ca_context_play (hello, 0,
    		CA_PROP_EVENT_ID, "phone-incoming-call",
    		CA_PROP_EVENT_DESCRIPTION, "hello world",
    		NULL);
    	g_usleep (2000000);
    }

#### Genie

- Dependency: libcanberra
- Makedependency: vala
- Build with: `valac --pkg libcanberra hello_world.gs`

    hello_world.gs

    uses
    	Canberra
    init
    	hello: Context
    	Context.create(out hello)
    	hello.play (0,
    		PROP_EVENT_ID, "phone-incoming-call",
    		PROP_EVENT_DESCRIPTION, "hello world")
    	Thread.usleep (2000000)

#### Vala

- Dependency: libcanberra
- Makedependency: vala
- Build with: `valac --pkg libcanberra hello_world.vala`

    hello_world.vala

    using Canberra;
    public class HelloWorld {
    	static void main () {
    	Context hello;
    	Context.create(out hello);
    	hello.play (0,
    		PROP_EVENT_ID, "phone-incoming-call",
    		PROP_EVENT_DESCRIPTION, "hello world");
    	Thread.usleep (2000000);
    	}
    }

## See also

- Libcanberra Reference Manual

Category:

- Development