There’s a nice tutorial for generating Vala bindings that serves as a good starting point. The process basically involves running a tool called vapigen, which examines your headers and libraries, and generates a GIR file from them (it’s an XML file describing your GObject-based API). It then converts this GIR file into a “VAPI” file which describes the API in a format that Vala can understand. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

Now if only it were that simple :). The introspected file is not perfect, which means you need to manually annotate some bits to make sure the generated VAPI accurately represents the C API. These annotations are specified in a metadata file. You need to include things like “the string returned by this function must be freed by the caller” (that’s a transfer_ownership), or, object type Foo is derived from object type FooDaddy (specified using the base_class directive). Not all these directives are documented, so you might need to grok around the sources (specifically, vapigen/valagidlparser.vala) and ask on IRC (#vala on irc.gnome.org).

All said and done, the process really is quite straightforward. The work is in [my gst-convenience repository][arun-gst-conv-ks.git] right now (should be merged with the main repository soon). I really must thank all the folks on #vala who helped me with all the questions and some of the bugs that I discovered. Saved me a lot of frustration!

I’ve already got Rygel using these bindings, though that’s not been integrated yet. More updates in days to come.

As some of you might already know, my next step, which has had me bouncing off the walls for the last month, is to join the great folks at Collabora Multimedia working on the PulseAudio sound server. I’ll be working from home here, in Bangalore (in your face, 1.5-hour commute!). It is incredibly exciting for me to be working with a talented bunch of folks and actively contributing to open source software as part of my work!

More updates as they happen. :)

Okay, so maybe it’s time for some updates

• Li’l while back, I (after promising not to) went to Blossom and (after, again, promising not to), bought books. Three of ‘em. Larry Niven’s The Ringworld Engineers, Michael Moore’s Dude, Where’s My Country, and Gary Zakov’s The Dancing Wu Li Masters. In a shocking turn of circumstances, I’ve finished reading all of them too. *gasp* (they’re all quite decent (barring the slight let-down of the Ringworld sequel) — *pats self on the back for displaying such remarkable taste)
• Am now reading Robert Pirsig’s Lila. The metaphysical parts of the book (which started out being quite reasonable in ZAMM) have become spotty and hollow in this, but the character of Lila is (as intended?) quite intriguing
• I’m self-interfering with parentheses again. :-)
• I didn’t make it to the IISc MS programme. I’m starting to get good at botching up interviews
• Python is a rather uncomfortable language to look at (particularly w.r.t. scoping rules, absolute disregard for encapsulation and so forth)
• In random order, watched Bang, Bang You’re Dead, Man On The Moon, Annie Hall, Cruel Intentions (uggggh!), Samsara, and Gori Vatra — good stuff (barring the absolute dross that was Cruel Intentions).

And I’ve quit Synopsys, what with my plan to pursue “higher” “studies” in this government college in UP. ‘Twas most agonizing, particularly leaving good friends behind.

Am now in the market for a laptop, subject to successful scrounging of funds. Looking at the HP Pavilion dv5118tx/dv52xxtx, if I can get a good deal. The only competitor, the Dell Inspiron 6400 (a.k.a. E1505) lost out due to pathetic reliability of Dell laptops (Earth to Michael Dell — are you listening?).

Much cleaning, packing to do. Can’t believe I’m leaving Bangalore. Youch.