Libcanberra

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^AUR, 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^AUR, 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=freedestop

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

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

hallo_world.sh

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

C

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

hallo_world.c

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

Genie

• Dependency: libcanberra
• Makedependency: vala
• Build with: valac --pkg libcanberra hallo_world.gs

hallo_world.gs

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

Vala

• Dependency: libcanberra
• Makedependency: vala
• Build with: valac --pkg libcanberra hallo_world.vala

hallo_world.vala

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

See also

• Libcanberra Reference Manual