Metadata

To handle content metadata, you can use the following features:

  • Metadata editing

    You can edit the metadata of several popular audio formats using the metadata editor. You can add and remove album art, or update the information for the audio file.

    The metadata editor supports editing the metadata of the MP3, MP4, WAV, FLAC and Ogg file formats. Image file editing is not supported.

  • Metadata extraction

    Media files, such as MP3 and MP4 files, contain extractable metadata. You can extract metadata from such media files with the metadata extractor.

    Figure: Getting metadata

    Getting metadata

    The metadata extractor can be used with video and audio files only. It is not supported for image files.

  • MIME type information

    You can get the MIME type for a file extension and get a list of extensions associated, for example, with an image or the JPEG MIME type.

Prerequisites

To enable your application to use the metadata functionality:

  1. To use the functions and data types of the Metadata Editor API (in mobile and wearable applications), include the <metadata_editor.h> header file in your application:

    #include <metadata_editor.h>
    
  2. To work with the Metadata Editor API, define a handle variable for the metadata editor:

    static metadata_editor_h g_metadata_h = NULL;
    

    This guide uses a global variable for the handle.

  3. Make sure you have access to the file whose metadata and artwork you want to edit.

    Note

    The metadata editor APIs can use both common content in the device storage (internal or external) and private content in your application data.

    This guide uses an MP3 audio file, which is accessed through its file path. The following example code uses an internal storage, so you must include the storage.h header file for the code to work.

    int internal_storage_id;
    char *internal_music_storage_path;
    char *music_file_name = "test_music.mp3";
    char *music_test_path;
    
    static bool
    storage_cb(int storage_id, storage_type_e type, storage_state_e state,
               const char *path, void *user_data)
    {
        if (type == STORAGE_TYPE_INTERNAL) {
            internal_storage_id = storage_id;
    
            return false;
        }
    
        return true;
    }
    
    void
    _get_internal_storage_path()
    {
        int error;
        char *path = NULL;
    
        error = storage_foreach_device_supported(storage_cb, NULL);
        error = storage_get_directory(internal_storage_id, STORAGE_DIRECTORY_MUSIC, &path);
        if (error == STORAGE_ERROR_NONE) {
            internal_music_storage_path = strdup(path);
            free(path);
        }
    }
    
    void
    _make_test_path()
    {
        int path_len = 0;
    
        path_len = strlen(internal_music_storage_path) + strlen(music_file_name) + 2;
        music_test_path = malloc(path_len);
        memset(music_test_path, 0x0, path_len);
    
        snprintf(music_test_path, path_len, "%s/%s", internal_music_storage_path, music_file_name);
    }
    
  4. To use the functions and data types of the Metadata Extractor API (in mobile and wearable applications), include the <metadata_extractor.h> header file in your application:

    #include <metadata_extractor.h>
    

    To ensure that a Metadata Extractor function has been executed properly, make sure that the return value is equal to METADATA_EXTRACTOR_ERROR_NONE.

  5. To work with the Metadata Extractor API, define a handle variable for the metadata extractor:

    static metadata_extractor_h g_metadata_h = NULL;
    

    This guide uses a global variable for the handle.

  6. Make sure you have access to the files whose metadata you want to extract, and make sure the files contain metadata, since the Metadata Extractor API only works on files with metadata.

    Note

    The Metadata Extractor functions can use both common content in the device storage (internal or external) and private content in your application data.

    This guide uses 2 files: an MP3 audio file and an MP4 video file, which are accessed through their file paths. The following example code uses an internal storage, so you must include the storage.h header file for the code to work.

    int internal_storage_id;
    char *internal_music_storage_path;
    char *internal_video_storage_path;
    char *music_file_name = "test_music.mp3";
    char *video_file_name = "test_video.mp4";
    char *music_test_path;
    char *video_test_path;
    
    static bool
    storage_cb(int storage_id, storage_type_e type, storage_state_e state,
               const char *path, void *user_data)
    {
        if (type == STORAGE_TYPE_INTERNAL) {
            internal_storage_id = storage_id;
    
            return false;
        }
    
        return true;
    }
    
    void
    _get_internal_storage_path()
    {
        int error;
        char *path = NULL;
    
        error = storage_foreach_device_supported(storage_cb, NULL);
        error = storage_get_directory(internal_storage_id, STORAGE_DIRECTORY_MUSIC, &path);
        if (error != STORAGE_ERROR_NONE) {
            internal_music_storage_path = strdup(path);
            free(path);
        }
    
        error = storage_get_directory(internal_storage_id, STORAGE_DIRECTORY_VIDEOS, &path);
        if (error != STORAGE_ERROR_NONE) {
            internal_video_storage_path = strdup(path);
            free(path);
        }
    }
    
    void
    _make_test_path()
    {
        int path_len = 0;
    
        path_len = strlen(internal_music_storage_path) + strlen(music_file_name) + 1;
        music_test_path = malloc(path_len);
        memset(music_test_path, 0x0, path_len);
    
        strncat(music_test_path, internal_music_storage_path, strlen(internal_music_storage_path));
        strncat(music_test_path, music_file_name, strlen(music_file_name));
    
        path_len = strlen(internal_video_storage_path) + strlen(video_file_name) + 1;
        video_test_path = malloc(path_len);
        memset(video_test_path, 0x0, path_len);
    
        strncat(video_test_path, internal_video_storage_path, strlen(internal_video_storage_path));
        strncat(video_test_path, video_file_name, strlen(video_file_name));
    }
    
  7. To use the functions and data types of the MIME Type API (in mobile and wearable applications), include the <mime_type.h> header file in your application:

    #include <mime_type.h>
    

Editing Metadata and Artwork

To edit the metadata and artwork in the file:

  1. Create the metadata editor handle using the metadata_editor_create() function:

    ret = metadata_editor_create(&g_metadata_h);
    
  2. Set the path to the file you want to edit using the metadata_editor_set_path() function:

    ret = metadata_editor_set_path(g_metadata_h, music_test_path);
    

    The function binds the metadata editor handle (first parameter) with the file specified in the music_test_path variable (second parameter).

  3. Edit the metadata in the file using the metadata_editor_set_metadata() function. Edit each piece of metadata (each metadata attribute) individually.

    As parameters, define the metadata editor handle, the attribute you want to edit, and the new value you want to set to the attribute. The possible attributes are defined in the metadata_editor_attr_e enumeration (in mobile and wearable applications).

    The following example code edits the title of the audio content. You can edit other attributes by defining a different attribute enumerator (and a corresponding new value).

    char *value = "My Song";
    
    ret = metadata_editor_set_metadata(g_metadata_h, METADATA_EDITOR_ATTR_TITLE, value);
    

    After calling the function, check whether the return value is METADATA_EDITOR_ERROR_NONE. If it is, you can check the updated metadata using the metadata_editor_get_metadata() function. Otherwise, the function failed because of an error, which you need to handle.

    Note

    The updated metadata is applied to the file only after you call the metadata_editor_update_metadata() function.

  4. Add artwork to the file using the metadata_editor_append_picture() function.

    As parameters, define the metadata editor handle and the path of the image file that contains the artwork. The image file must be in JPEG or PNG format. The image is added to the last image file position. You can add multiple image files to the same audio file.

    char *artwork = "append_image.jpg";
    
    ret = metadata_editor_append_picture(g_metadata_h, artwork);
    

    To remove artwork from the file, use the metadata_editor_remove_picture() function. As parameters, define the metadata editor handle and the index number of the image file you want to remove.

    To retrieve the number of images in the file, use the metadata_editor_get_metadata() function. To retrieve a specific image, use the metadata_editor_get_picture() function.

    int index = 0;
    
    ret = metadata_editor_remove_picture(g_metadata_h, index);
    

    Note

    The artwork is added to the file or removed from the file only after you call the metadata_editor_update_metadata() function.

  5. Apply the metadata and artwork edits to the file using the metadata_editor_update_metadata() function:

    ret = metadata_editor_update_metadata(g_metadata_h);
    
  6. When no longer needed, destroy the metadata editor handle using the metadata_editor_destroy() function:

    metadata_editor_destroy(g_metadata_h);
    

Retrieving Metadata

To retrieve metadata from the file:

  1. Create the metadata extractor handle using the metadata_extractor_create() function:

    ret = metadata_extractor_create(&g_metadata_h);
    
  2. Set the path to the file whose metadata you want to retrieve using the metadata_extractor_set_path() function:

    ret = metadata_extractor_set_path(g_metadata_h, video_test_path);
    
    /* Or */
    
    ret = metadata_extractor_set_path(g_metadata_h, music_test_path);
    

    The function binds the metadata extractor handle (first parameter) with the file specified in the path variable (second parameter).

  3. Retrieve the metadata from the file using the metadata_extractor_get_metadata() function. Retrieve each piece of metadata (each metadata attribute) individually.

    As parameters, define the metadata extractor handle, the attribute you want to retrieve, and a pointer to the char variable in which you want to store the attribute value. The possible attributes are defined in the metadata_extractor_attr_e enumeration (in mobileand wearable applications).

    The following example code retrieves the duration and prints it on the screen. You can retrieve other attributes by defining a different attribute enumerator as the second parameter.

    char *value = NULL;
    
    ret = metadata_extractor_get_metadata(g_metadata_h, METADATA_DURATION, &value);
    dlog_print(DLOG_DEBUG, LOG_TAG, "METADATA_DURATION: %s\n", value);
    if (value != NULL) {
        free(value);
        value = NULL;
    }
    

    To avoid memory leaks, release the value variable using the free() function when you no longer need the variable.

  4. For an audio file, retrieve the artwork from the file using the metadata_extractor_get_artwork() function.

    The retrieved artwork information is available in the 3 out parameters, which define the artwork image, image size, and MIME type.

    The following example code retrieves the artwork and prints the image size and MIME type on the screen:

    int artwork_size = 0;
    void *artwork = NULL;
    char *artwork_mime = NULL;
    
    ret = metadata_extractor_get_artwork(g_metadata_h, &artwork, &artwork_size, &artwork_mime);
    dlog_print(DLOG_DEBUG, LOG_TAG, "Artwork: size: %d, mime type: %s\n", artwork_size, artwork_mime);
    if (artwork != NULL) {
        free(artwork);
        artwork = NULL;
    }
    
    if (artwork_mime != NULL) {
        free(artwork_mime);
        artwork_mime = NULL;
    }
    

    To avoid memory leaks, release the artwork and artwork_mime variables using the free() function when you no longer need the variables.

  5. For an audio file, retrieve the synchronized lyrics from the file using the metadata_extractor_get_synclyrics() function.

    The following example code retrieves the synchronized lyrics from index number 1 and prints the time information and lyrics on the screen:

    unsigned long time_info = 0;
    char *lyrics = NULL;
    
    ret = metadata_extractor_get_synclyrics(g_metadata_h, 1, &time_info, &lyrics);
    if (lyrics != NULL) {
        dlog_print(DLOG_DEBUG, LOG_TAG, "Synclyrics: time_info: %d, lyrics: %s\n", time_info, lyrics);
        free(lyrics);
        lyrics = NULL;
    }
    

    To retrieve the synchronized lyrics index number, use the metadata_extractor_get_metadata() function with the METADATA_SYNCLYRICS_NUM attribute.

    To avoid memory leaks, release the lyrics variable using the free() function when you no longer need the variable.

  6. For a video file, retrieve frames from the file in one of the following ways:

    • To retrieve a frame without specifying the time when the frame appears, use the metadata_extractor_get_frame() function.
    • To retrieve a frame at a specified time, use the metadata_extractor_get_frame_at_time() function.

    The following example code first retrieves a frame at an unspecified time and prints the frame size, and then retrieves another frame at a specified time and prints its size:

    /* Use metadata_extractor_get_frame() */
    int frame_size = 0;
    void *frame = NULL;
    
    ret = metadata_extractor_get_frame(g_metadata_h, &frame, &frame_size);
    dlog_print(DLOG_DEBUG, LOG_TAG, "Frame: size: %d\n", frame_size);
    if (frame != NULL) {
        free(frame);
        frame = NULL;
    }
    
    /* Use metadata_extractor_get_frame_at_time() */
    unsigned long timestamp = 500;
    
    ret = metadata_extractor_get_frame_at_time(g_metadata_h, timestamp, true, &frame, &frame_size);
    dlog_print(DLOG_DEBUG, LOG_TAG, "Frame at %d: size: %d\n", timestamp, frame_size);
    if (frame != NULL) {
        free(frame);
        frame = NULL;
    }
    

    To avoid memory leaks, release the frame variable using the free() function when you no longer need the variable.

  7. When no longer needed, destroy the metadata extractor handle using the metadata_extractor_destroy() function:

    metadata_extractor_destroy(g_metadata_h);
    

Getting the MIME Type for a File Extension

To get the MIME types of all files in a directory when the extensions are known:

  • For an individual file extension:

    Use the mime_type_get_mime_type() function. The first parameter is the file extension without the leading dot and the second parameter is the MIME type for the given file extension.

    The MIME type is 'application/octet-stream' if the given file extension is not associated with any specific file format.

    #include <dirent.h>
    #include <string.h>
    
    char *mime_type;
    int error = mime_type_get_mime_type("jpg", &mime_type);
    
  • For the extensions of all files in the resource directory:

    1. To get the directory content, use the dirent structure available in the <dirent.h> header:
    struct dirent *pDirent = NULL;
    DIR *dir;
    char *res_path = app_get_resource_path();
    if (!res_path)
        /* Error handling */
    dir = opendir(res_path);
    if (dir) {
        while ((pDirent = readdir(dir)) != NULL) {
            if (pDirent->d_type != DT_REG) /* Only regular files */
                continue;
    
    1. Get the extension from a file name using the strrchr() function available in the <string.h> header. Incrementing the pointer address is necessary, so use the extension without a dot:

              char *extension = strrchr(pDirent->d_name, '.');
              if (!extension)
                  continue;
              extension++;
      
    2. Use the mime_type_get_mime_type() function to get the MIME type of each file using the extension pointer as an extension:

              mime_type_get_mime_type(extension, &mime_type);
              /* Here you have a MIME type in its variable */
              free(mime_type);
          }
          closedir(dir);
      }
      

Getting Extensions for a MIME Type

To get a list of extensions associated, for example, with an image or JPEG MIME type, use the mime_type_get_file_extension() function.

The function takes the MIME type as an input parameter, and fills the array of file extensions and the array length (marked as zero if empty) as the output parameters.

char **extension;
int length;
int error = mime_type_get_file_extension("image/jpeg", &extension, &length);

int i;
for (i = 0; i < length; i++)
    /* Use extension[i] */

for (i = 0; i < length; i++)
    free(extension[i]);
free(extension);

Editable Metadata Attributes

The following table lists the metadata you can edit.

Table: Editable metadata attributes

Attribute Description
METADATA_EDITOR_ATTR_ARTIST Artist of the audio content
METADATA_EDITOR_ATTR_TITLE Title of the audio content
METADATA_EDITOR_ATTR_ALBUM Album of the audio content
METADATA_EDITOR_ATTR_GENRE Genre of the audio content
METADATA_EDITOR_ATTR_AUTHOR Author of the audio content
METADATA_EDITOR_ATTR_COPYRIGHT Copyright of the audio content
METADATA_EDITOR_ATTR_DATE Date of the audio content
METADATA_EDITOR_ATTR_DESCRIPTION Description of the audio content
METADATA_EDITOR_ATTR_COMMENT Comment of the audio content
METADATA_EDITOR_ATTR_TRACK_NUM Track number of the audio content
METADATA_EDITOR_ATTR_PICTURE_NUM Picture number of the audio content
METADATA_EDITOR_ATTR_CONDUCTOR Conductor of the audio content
METADATA_EDITOR_ATTR_UNSYNCLYRICS Unsync lyrics of the audio content

Extractable Metadata Attributes

The following table lists the extractable metadata.

Table: Metadata extractor attributes

Attribute Description
METADATA_DURATION Duration of the content
METADATA_VIDEO_BITRATE Bitrate of the video content
METADATA_VIDEO_FPS FPS of the video content
METADATA_VIDEO_WIDTH Width of the video content
METADATA_VIDEO_HEIGHT Height of the video content
METADATA_HAS_VIDEO Whether the content has video stream
METADATA_AUDIO_BITRATE Bitrate of the audio content
METADATA_AUDIO_CHANNELS Channel of the audio content
METADATA_AUDIO_SAMPLERATE Sample rate of the audio content
METADATA_AUDIO_BITPERSAMPLE Bit per sample of the audio content
METADATA_HAS_AUDIO Whether the content has audio stream
METADATA_ARTIST Artist of the content
METADATA_TITLE Title of the content
METADATA_ALBUM Album of the content
METADATA_ALBUM_ARTIST Album artist of the content
METADATA_GENRE Genre of the content
METADATA_COMPOSER Composer of the content
METADATA_COPYRIGHT Copyright of the content
METADATA_DATE Date of the content
METADATA_DESCRIPTION Description of the content
METADATA_COMMENT Comment about the content
METADATA_TRACK_NUM Track number of the content
METADATA_CLASSIFICATION Classification of the content
METADATA_RATING Rating of the content
METADATA_LONGITUDE Longitude of the content
METADATA_LATITUDE Latitude of the content
METADATA_ALTITUDE Altitude of the content
METADATA_CONDUCTOR Conductor of the content
METADATA_UNSYNCLYRICS Asynchronous lyrics of the content
METADATA_SYNCLYRICS_NUM Synchronous lyrics of the content
METADATA_RECDATE Recorded date of the content
METADATA_ROTATE Orientation of the content
  • Dependencies
    • Tizen 2.4 and Higher for Mobile
    • Tizen 2.3.1 and Higher for Wearable