CDDB • man page

CDDB (3)

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NAME

CDDB.pm - a high-level interface to cddb protocol servers (freedb and CDDB)

VERSION

version 1.222

SYNOPSIS

  use CDDB;

  ### Connect to the cddbp server.
  my $cddbp = new CDDB(
    Host  => 'freedb.freedb.org', # default
    Port  => 8880,                # default
    Login => $login_id,           # defaults to %ENV's
  ) or die $!;

  ### Retrieve known genres.
  my @genres = $cddbp->get_genres();

  ### Calculate cddbp ID based on MSF info.
  my @toc = (
    '1    0  2 37',           # track, CD-i MSF (space-delimited)
    '999  1 38 17',           # lead-out track MSF
    '1000 0  0 Error!',       # error track (don't include if ok)
  );
  my (
    $cddbp_id,      # used for further cddbp queries
    $track_numbers, # padded with 0's (for convenience)
    $track_lengths, # length of each track, in MM:SS format
    $track_offsets, # absolute offsets (used for further cddbp queries)
    $total_seconds  # total play time, in seconds (for cddbp queries)
   ) = $cddbp->calculate_id(@toc);

  ### Query discs based on cddbp ID and other information.
  my @discs = $cddbp->get_discs($cddbp_id, $track_offsets, $total_seconds);
  foreach my $disc (@discs) {
    my ($genre, $cddbp_id, $title) = @$disc;
  }

  ### Query disc details (usually done with get_discs() information).
  my $disc_info     = $cddbp->get_disc_details($genre, $cddbp_id);
  my $disc_time     = $disc_info->{'disc length'};
  my $disc_id       = $disc_info->{discid};
  my $disc_title    = $disc_info->{dtitle};
  my @track_offsets = @{$disc_info->{offsets}};
  my @track_seconds = @{$disc_info->{seconds}};
  my @track_titles  = @{$disc_info->{ttitles}};
  # other information may be returned... explore!

  ### Submit a disc via e-mail. (Requires MailTools)

  die "can't submit a disc (no mail modules; see README)"
    unless $cddbp->can_submit_disc();

  # These are useful for prompting the user to fix defaults:
  print "I will send mail through: ", $cddbp->get_mail_host(), "\n";
  print "I assume your e-mail address is: ", $cddbp->get_mail_address(), "\n";

  # Actually submit a disc record.
  $cddbp->submit_disc(
    Genre       => 'classical',
    Id          => 'b811a20c',
    Artist      => 'Various',
    DiscTitle   => 'Cartoon Classics',
    Offsets     => $disc_info->{offsets},   # array reference
    TrackTitles => $disc_info->{ttitles},   # array reference
    From        => 'login@host.domain.etc', # will try to determine
  );

DESCRIPTION

CDDB

protocol (cddbp) servers provide compact disc information for programs that need it. This allows such programs to display disc and track titles automatically, and it provides extended information like liner notes and lyrics.

This module provides a high-level Perl interface to cddbp servers. With it, a Perl program can identify and possibly gather details about a

based on its ``table of contents'' (the disc's track times and offsets).

Disc details have been useful for generating

catalogs, naming mp3 files, printing

liners, or even just playing discs in an automated jukebox.

Despite the module's name, it connects to FreeDB servers by default. This began at version 1.04, when cddb.com changed its licensing model to support end-user applications, not third-party libraries. Connections to cddb.com may still work, and patches are welcome to maintain that functionality, but it's no longer officially supported.

PUBLIC METHODS

new PARAMETERS

Creates a high-level interface to a cddbp server, returning a handle to it. The handle is not a filehandle. It is an object. The new() constructor provides defaults for just about everything, but everything is overrideable if the defaults aren't appropriate.

The interface will not actually connect to a cddbp server until it's used, and a single cddbp interface may actually make several connections (to possibly several servers) over the course of its use.

The new() constructor accepts several parameters, all of which have reasonable defaults.

Host and Port describe the cddbp server to connect to. These default to 'freedb.freedb.org' and 8880, which is a multiplexor for all the other freedb servers.

Utf8 is a boolean flag. If true, utf-8 will be used when submitting

info, and for interpreting the data reveived. This requires the Encode module (and probably perl version at least 5.8.0). The default is true if the Encode module can be loaded. Otherwise, it will be false, meaning we fall back to

ASCII.

Protocol_Version sets the cddbp version to use.

CDDB

.pm will not connect to servers that don't support the version specified here. The requested protocol version defaults to 1 if Utf8 is off, and to 6 if it is on.

Login is the login

you want to advertise to the cddbp server. It defaults to the login

your computer assigns you, if that can be determined. The default login

is determined by the presence of a

LOGNAME

USER

environment variable, or by the getpwuid() function. On Windows systems, it defaults to ``win32usr'' if no default method can be found and no Login parameter is set.

Submit_Address is the e-mail address where new disc submissions go. This defaults to 'freedb-submit@freedb.org'. Note, that testing submissions should be done via "test-submit@freedb.org".

Client_Name and Client_Version describe the client software used to connect to the cddbp server. They default to '

CDDB

.pm' and

CDDB

.pm's version number. If developers change this, please consult freedb's web site for a list of client names already in use.

Debug enables verbose operational information on

STDERR

when set to true. It's normally not needed, but it can help explain why a program is failing. If someone finds a reproduceable bug, the Debug output and a test program would be a big help towards having it fixed. In case of submission, if this flag is on, a copy of the submission e-mail will be sent to the From address.

get_genres

Takes no parameters. Returns a list of genres known by the cddbp server, or undef if there is a problem retrieving them.

calculate_id TOC

The cddb protocol defines an

as a hash of track lengths and the number of tracks, with an added checksum. The most basic information required to calculate this is the

table of contents (the CD-i track offsets, in ``

MSF''

[Minutes, Seconds, Frames] format).

Note however that there is no standard way to acquire this information from a CD-ROM device. Therefore this module does not try to read the

TOC

itself. Instead, developers must combine

CDDB

.pm with a

library which works with their system. The AudioCD suite of modules is recommended: it has system specific code for MacOS, Linux and FreeBSD.

CDDB

.pm's author has used external programs like dagrab to fetch the offsets. Actual CDs aren't always necessary: the author has heard of people generating

TOC

information from mp3 file lengths.

That said, see parse_cdinfo() for a routine to parse ``cdinfo'' output into a table of contents list suitable for calculate_id().

calculate_id() accepts

TOC

information as a list of strings. Each string contains four fields, separated by whitespace:

offset 0: the track number

Track numbers start with 1 and run sequentially through the number of tracks on a disc. Note: data tracks count on hybrid audio/data CDs.

CDDB

.pm understands two special track numbers. Track 999 holds the lead-out information, which is required by the cddb protocol. Track 1000 holds information about errors which have occurred while physically reading the disc.

offset 1: the track start time, minutes field

Tracks are often addressed on audio CDs using ``

MSF''

offsets. This stands for Minutes, Seconds, and Frames (fractions of a second). The combination pinpoints the exact disc frame where a song starts.

Field 1 contains the M part of

MSF.

It is ignored for error tracks, but it still must contain a number. Zero is suggested.

offset 2: the track start time, seconds field

This field contains the S part of

MSF.

It is ignored for error tracks, but it still must contain a number. Zero is suggested.

offset 3: the track start time, frames field

This field contains the F part of

MSF.

For error tracks, it contains a description of the error.

Example track file. Note: the comments should not appear in the file.

     1   0  2 37  # track 1 starts at 00:02 and 37 frames
     2   1 38 17  # track 2 starts at 01:38 and 17 frames
     3  11 57 30  # track 3 starts at 11:57 and 30 frames
     ...
   999  75 16  5  # leadout starts at 75:16 and  5 frames

Track 1000 should not be present if everything is okay:

  1000   0  0  Error reading TOC: no disc in drive

In scalar context, calculate_id() returns just the cddbp

ID.

In a list context, it returns an array containing the following values:

  (
    $cddbp_id,
    $track_numbers,
    $track_lengths,
    $track_offsets,
    $total_seconds
  ) = $cddbp->calculate_id(@toc);

  print(
    "cddbp ID      = $cddbp_id\n",        # b811a20c
    "track numbers = @$track_numbers\n",  # 001 002 003 ...
    "track lengths = @$track_lengths\n",  # 01:36 10:19 04:29 ...
    "track offsets = @$track_offsets\n",  # 187 7367 53805 ...
    "total seconds = $total_seconds\n",   # 4514
  );

CDDBP_ID

The 0th returned value is the hashed cddbp

ID,

required for any queries or submissions involving this disc.

TRACK_NUMBERS

The 1st returned value is a reference to a list of track numbers, one for each track (excluding the lead-out), padded to three characters with leading zeroes. These values are provided for convenience, but they are not required by cddbp servers.

TRACK_LENGTHS

The 2nd returned value is a reference to a list of track lengths, one for each track (excluding the lead-out), in

HH:MM

format. These values are returned as a convenience. They are not required by cddbp servers.

TRACK_OFFSETS

The 3rd returned value is a reference to a list of absolute track offsets, in frames. They are calculated from the

MSF

values, and they are required by get_discs() and submit_disc().

TOTAL_SECONDS

The 4th and final value is the total playing time for the

CD,

in seconds. The get_discs() function needs it.

get_discs CDDBP_ID, TRACK_OFFSETS, TOTAL_SECONDS

get_discs() asks the cddbp server for a summary of all the CDs matching a given cddbp

ID,

track offsets, and total playing time. These values can be retrieved from calculade_id().

  my @id_info       = $cddbp->calculate_id(@toc);
  my $cddbp_id      = $id_info->[0];
  my $track_offsets = $id_info->[3];
  my $total_seconds = $id_info->[4];

get_discs() returns an array of matching discs, each of which is represented by an array reference. It returns an empty array if the query succeeded but did not match, and it returns undef on error.

  my @discs = $cddbp->get_discs( $cddbp_id, $track_offsets, $total_seconds );
  foreach my $disc (@discs) {
    my ($disc_genre, $disc_id, $disc_title) = @$disc;
    print(
      "disc id    = $disc_id\n",
      "disc genre = $disc_genre\n",
      "disc title = $disc_title\n",
    );
  }

DISC_GENRE

is the genre this disc falls into, as determined by whoever submitted or last edited the disc. The genre is required when requesting a disc's details. See get_genres() for how to retrieve a list of cddbp genres.

CDDBP_ID

is the cddbp

of this disc. Cddbp servers perform fuzzy matches, returning near misses as well as direct hits on a cddbp

ID,

so knowing the exact

for a disc is important when submitting changes or requesting a particular near-miss' details.

DISC_TITLE

is the disc's title, which may help a human to pick the correct disc out of several close mathches.

get_discs_by_toc TOC

This function acts as a macro, combining calculate_id() and get_discs() calls into one function. It takes the same parameters as calculate_id(), and it returns the same information as get_discs().

get_discs_by_query QUERY_STRING

Fetch discs by a pre-built cddbp query string. Some disc querying programs report this string, and get_discs_by_query() is a convenient way to use that.

Cddb protocol query strings look like:

  cddb query $cddbp_id $track_count @offsets $total_seconds

get_disc_details DISC_GENRE, CDDBP_ID

This function fetches a disc's detailed information from a cddbp server. It takes two parameters: the

DISC_GENRE

and the

CDDP_ID.

These parameters usually come from a call to get_discs().

The disc's details are returned in a reference to a fairly complex hash. It includes information normally stored in comments. The most common entries in this hash include:

  $disc_details = get_disc_details( $disc_genre, $cddbp_id );

$disc_details->{``disc length''}

The disc length is commonly stored in the form ``### seconds'', where ### is the disc's total playing time in seconds. It may hold other time formats.

$disc_details->{discid}

This is a rehash (get it?) of the cddbp

ID.

It should match the

CDDBP_ID

given to get_disc_details().

$disc_details->{dtitle}

This is the disc's title. I do not know whether it will match the one returned by get_discs().

$disc_details->{offsets}

This is a reference to a list of absolute disc track offsets, similar to the

TRACK_OFFSETS

returned by calculate_id().

$disc_details->{seconds}

This is a reference to a list of track length, in seconds.

$disc_details->{ttitles}

This is a reference to a list of track titles. These are the droids you are looking for.

$disc_details->{``processed by''}

This is a comment field identifying the name and version of the cddbp server which accepted and entered the disc record into the database.

$disc_details->{revision}

This is the disc record's version number, used as a sanity check (semaphore?) to prevent simultaneous revisions. Revisions start at 0 for new submissions and are incremented for every correction. It is the responsibility of the submitter (be it a person or a program using

CDDB

.pm) to provide a correct revision number.

$disc_details->{``submitted via''}

This is the name and version of the software that submitted this cddbp record. The main intention is to identify records that are submitted by broken software so they can be purged or corrected.

$disc_details->{xmcd_record}

The xmcd_record field contains a copy of the entire unprocessed cddbp response that generated all the other fields.

$disc_details->{genre}

This is merely a copy of

DISC_GENRE,

since it's otherwise not possible to determine it from the hash.

parse_xmcd_file XMCD_FILE_CONTENTS, [ GENRE ]

Parses an array ref of lines read from an

XMCD

file into the disc_details hash described above. If the

GENRE

parameter is set it will be included in disc_details.

can_submit_disc

Returns true or false, depending on whether

CDDB

.pm has enough dependent modules to submit discs. If it returns false, you are missing Mail::Internet, Mail::Header, or MIME::QuotedPrint.

get_mail_address

Returns what

CDDB

.pm thinks your e-mail address is, or what it was last set to. It was added to fetch the default e-mail address so users can see it and have an opportunity to correct it.

  my $mail_from = $cddb->get_mail_address();
  print "New e-mail address (or blank to keep <$mail_from>): ";
  my $new_mail_from = <STDIN>;
  $new_mail_from =~ s/^\s+//;
  $new_mail_from =~ s/\s+$//;
  $new_mail_from =~ s/\s+/ /g;
  $mail_from = $new_mail_from if length $new_mail_from;

  $cddbp->submit_disc(
    ...,
    From => $mail_from,
  );

get_mail_host

Returns what

CDDB

.pm thinks your

SMTP

host is, or what it was last set to. It was added to fetch the default e-mail transfer host so users can see it and have an opportunity to correct it.

  my $mail_host = $cddb->get_mail_host();
  print "New e-mail host (or blank to keep <$mail_host>): ";
  my $new_mail_host = <STDIN>;
  $new_mail_host =~ s/^\s+//;
  $new_mail_host =~ s/\s+$//;
  $new_mail_host =~ s/\s+/ /g;
  $mail_host = $new_mail_host if length $new_mail_host;

  $cddbp->submit_disc(
    ...,
    Host => $mail_host,
  );

parse_cdinfo CDINFO_FILE

Generates a table of contents suitable for calculate_id() based on the output of a program called ``cdinfo''.

CDINFO_FILE

may either be a text file, or it may be the cdinfo program itself.

  my @toc = parse_cdinfo("cdinfo.txt"); # read cdinfo.txt
  my @toc = parse_cdinfo("cdinfo|");    # run cdinfo directly

The table of contents can be passed directly to calculate_id().

submit_disc DISC_DETAILS

submit_disc() submits a disc record to a cddbp server. Currently it only uses e-mail, although it will try different ways to send that. It returns true or false depending on whether it was able to send the submission e-mail.

The rest of

CDDB

.pm will work without the ability to submit discs. While cddbp submissions are relatively rare, most

collections will have one or two discs not present in the system. Please submit new discs to the system: the amazing number of existing discs got there because others submitted them before you needed them.

submit_disc() takes six required parameters and two optional ones. The parameters are named, like hash elements, and can appear in any order.

Genre =>

DISC_GENRE

This is the disc's genre. It must be one of the genres that the server knows. See get_genres().

Id =>

CDDBP_ID

This is the cddbp

that identifies the disc. It should come from calculate_id() if this is a new submission, or from get_disc_details() if this is a revision.

Artist =>

DISC_ARTIST

This is the disc's artist, a freeform text field describing the party responsible for the album. It will need to be entered from the disc's notes for new submissions, or it can come from get_disc_details() on subsequent revisions.

DiscTitle =>

DISC_TITLE

This is the disc's title, a freeform text field describing the album. It must be entered from the disc's notes for new submissions. It can come from get_disc_details() on subsequent revisions.

Offsets =>

TRACK_OFFSETS

This is a reference to an array of absolute track offsets, as provided by calculate_id().

TrackTitles =>

TRACK_TITLES

This is a reference to an array of track titles, either entered by a human or provided by get_disc_details().

From =>

EMAIL_ADDRESS

This is the disc submitter's e-mail address. It's not required, and

CDDB

.pm will try to figure one out on its own if an address is omitted. It may be more reliable to provide your own, however.

The default return address may not be a deliverable one, especially if

CDDB

.pm is being used on a dial-up machine that isn't running its own

MTA.

If the current machine has its own

MTA,

problems still may occur if the machine's Internet address changes.

Host =>

SMTP_HOST

This is the

SMTP

host to contact when sending mail. It's not required, and

CDDB

.pm will try to figure one out on its own. It will look at the

SMTPHOSTS

environment variable is not defined, it will try 'mail' and 'localhost' before finally failing.

Revision =>

REVISION

The revision number. Should be 1 for new submissions, and one higher than the previous one for updates. The previous revision number is available as the "revision" field in the hash returned by get_disc_details().

PRIVATE METHODS

Documented as being not documented.

EXAMPLES

Please see the cddb.t program in the t (tests) directory. It exercises every aspect of

CDDB

.pm, including submissions.

COMPATIBILITY

CDDB

.pm uses standard Perl modules. It has been tested at one point or another on

OS/2,

MacOS and FreeBSD systems, as well as the systems listed at:

  testers.cpan.org/search?request=dist&dist=CDDB

If you want to submit disc information to the

CDDB,

you will need to install two other modules:

  Mail::Internet will allow CDDB.pm to send email submissions, and it
  automagically includes Mail::Header.

  MIME::QuotedPrint will allow CDDB.pm to send non-ASCII text
  unscathed.  Currently only ISO-8859-1 and ASCII are supported.

All other features will work without these modules.

KNOWN TEST FAILURES

The last test in the ``make test'' suite will try to send a sample submission to the

CDDB

if MailTools is present. It expects to find an

SMTP

host in the

SMTPHOST

environment variable. It will fall back to ``mail'' if

SMTPHOST

doesn't exist. If neither works, the test will be skipped. To see why it's skipped:

  make test TEST_VERBOSE=1

Some of the tests (most notably numbers 25, 27 and 29) compare data returned by a cddbp server against a stored copy of a previous query. These tests fail occasionally since the database is constantly in flux. Starting with version 1.00, the test program uses fuzzy comparisons that should fail less. Version 1.04 saw even fuzzier comparisons. Please report any problems so they can be fixed.

CDDB • man page

CDDB • man page

CDDB (3)

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NAME

VERSION

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

PUBLIC METHODS

PRIVATE METHODS

EXAMPLES

COMPATIBILITY

KNOWN TEST FAILURES

LINKS

BUG TRACKER

REPOSITORY

OTHER RESOURCES

CONTACT AND COPYRIGHT

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