TestClock

GstTestClock is an implementation of Clock which has different behaviour compared to SystemClock.

Time for SystemClock advances according to the system time, while time for TestClock changes only when set_time or advance_time are called. TestClock provides unit tests with the possibility to precisely advance the time in a deterministic manner, independent of the system time or any other external factors.

typeof (unichar2)typeof (unichar2) Advancing the time of a TestClock

	#include <gst/gst.h>
	#include <gst/check/gsttestclock.h>

	GstClock *clock;
	GstTestClock *test_clock;

	clock = gst_test_clock_new ();
	test_clock = GST_TEST_CLOCK (clock);
	GST_INFO ("Time: %" GST_TIME_FORMAT, GST_TIME_ARGS (gst_clock_get_time (clock)));
	gst_test_clock_advance_time ( test_clock, 1 * GST_SECOND);
	GST_INFO ("Time: %" GST_TIME_FORMAT, GST_TIME_ARGS (gst_clock_get_time (clock)));
	g_usleep (10 * G_USEC_PER_SEC);
	GST_INFO ("Time: %" GST_TIME_FORMAT, GST_TIME_ARGS (gst_clock_get_time (clock)));
	gst_test_clock_set_time (test_clock, 42 * GST_SECOND);
	GST_INFO ("Time: %" GST_TIME_FORMAT, GST_TIME_ARGS (gst_clock_get_time (clock)));
	...

Clock allows for setting up single shot or periodic clock notifications as well as waiting for these notifications synchronously (using id_wait) or asynchronously (using id_wait_async or id_wait_async). This is used by many GStreamer elements, among them GstBaseSrc and GstBaseSink.

TestClock keeps track of these clock notifications. By calling wait_for_next_pending_id or wait_for_multiple_pending_ids a unit tests may wait for the next one or several clock notifications to be requested. Additionally unit tests may release blocked waits in a controlled fashion by calling process_next_clock_id. This way a unit test can control the inaccuracy (jitter) of clock notifications, since the test can decide to release blocked waits when the clock time has advanced exactly to, or past, the requested clock notification time.

There are also interfaces for determining if a notification belongs to a TestClock or not, as well as getting the number of requested clock notifications so far.

N.B.: When a unit test waits for a certain amount of clock notifications to be requested in wait_for_next_pending_id or wait_for_multiple_pending_ids then these functions may block for a long time. If they block forever then the expected clock notifications were never requested from TestClock , and so the assumptions in the code of the unit test are wrong. The unit test case runner in gstcheck is expected to catch these cases either by the default test case timeout or the one set for the unit test by calling tcase_set_timeout\(\).

The sample code below assumes that the element under test will delay a buffer pushed on the source pad by some latency until it arrives on the sink pad. Moreover it is assumed that the element will at some point call id_wait to synchronously wait for a specific time. The first buffer sent will arrive exactly on time only delayed by the latency. The second buffer will arrive a little late (7ms) due to simulated jitter in the clock notification.

typeof (unichar2)typeof (unichar2) Demonstration of how to work with clock notifications and TestClock

	#include <gst/gst.h>
	#include <gst/check/gstcheck.h>
	#include <gst/check/gsttestclock.h>

	GstClockTime latency;
	GstElement *element;
	GstPad *srcpad;
	GstClock *clock;
	GstTestClock *test_clock;
	GstBuffer buf;
	GstClockID pending_id;
	GstClockID processed_id;

	latency = 42 * GST_MSECOND;
	element = create_element (latency, ...);
	srcpad = get_source_pad (element);

	clock = gst_test_clock_new ();
	test_clock = GST_TEST_CLOCK (clock);
	gst_element_set_clock (element, clock);

	GST_INFO ("Set time, create and push the first buffer\n");
	gst_test_clock_set_time (test_clock, 0);
	buf = create_test_buffer (gst_clock_get_time (clock), ...);
	gst_assert_cmpint (gst_pad_push (srcpad, buf), ==, GST_FLOW_OK);

	GST_INFO ("Block until element is waiting for a clock notification\n");
	gst_test_clock_wait_for_next_pending_id (test_clock, &pending_id);
	GST_INFO ("Advance to the requested time of the clock notification\n");
	gst_test_clock_advance_time (test_clock, latency);
	GST_INFO ("Release the next blocking wait and make sure it is the one from element\n");
	processed_id = gst_test_clock_process_next_clock_id (test_clock);
	g_assert (processed_id == pending_id);
	g_assert_cmpint (GST_CLOCK_ENTRY_STATUS (processed_id), ==, GST_CLOCK_OK);
	gst_clock_id_unref (pending_id);
	gst_clock_id_unref (processed_id);

	GST_INFO ("Validate that element produced an output buffer and check its timestamp\n");
	g_assert_cmpint (get_number_of_output_buffer (...), ==, 1);
	buf = get_buffer_pushed_by_element (element, ...);
	g_assert_cmpint (GST_BUFFER_TIMESTAMP (buf), ==, latency);
	gst_buffer_unref (buf);
	GST_INFO ("Check that element does not wait for any clock notification\n");
	g_assert (!gst_test_clock_peek_next_pending_id (test_clock, NULL));

	GST_INFO ("Set time, create and push the second buffer\n");
	gst_test_clock_advance_time (test_clock, 10 * GST_SECOND);
	buf = create_test_buffer (gst_clock_get_time (clock), ...);
	gst_assert_cmpint (gst_pad_push (srcpad, buf), ==, GST_FLOW_OK);

	GST_INFO ("Block until element is waiting for a new clock notification\n");
	(gst_test_clock_wait_for_next_pending_id (test_clock, &pending_id);
	GST_INFO ("Advance past 7ms beyond the requested time of the clock notification\n");
	gst_test_clock_advance_time (test_clock, latency + 7 * GST_MSECOND);
	GST_INFO ("Release the next blocking wait and make sure it is the one from element\n");
	processed_id = gst_test_clock_process_next_clock_id (test_clock);
	g_assert (processed_id == pending_id);
	g_assert_cmpint (GST_CLOCK_ENTRY_STATUS (processed_id), ==, GST_CLOCK_OK);
	gst_clock_id_unref (pending_id);
	gst_clock_id_unref (processed_id);

	GST_INFO ("Validate that element produced an output buffer and check its timestamp\n");
	g_assert_cmpint (get_number_of_output_buffer (...), ==, 1);
	buf = get_buffer_pushed_by_element (element, ...);
	g_assert_cmpint (GST_BUFFER_TIMESTAMP (buf), ==,
			10 * GST_SECOND + latency + 7 * GST_MSECOND);
	gst_buffer_unref (buf);
	GST_INFO ("Check that element does not wait for any clock notification\n");
	g_assert (!gst_test_clock_peek_next_pending_id (test_clock, NULL));
	...

Since TestClock is only supposed to be used in unit tests it calls assert, assert_cmpint or assert_cmpuint to validate all function arguments. This will highlight any issues with the unit test code itself.