[Openal] HOWTO specify a backend/output at runtime?

[Jason Daly]

Dirk wrote:
> How do I get an array of strings for possible output-devices/backends I
> can/could use with alcOpenDevice() ? So If I want to use SDL instead of,
> let's say ALSA, how do I find out it is active and how do I know which
> string to use with alcOpenDevice()?
>   

The quick way to get SDL is to put this:

(define devices '(sdl alsa null))

into a file called .openalrc in your home directory.  If SDL isn't found 
it falls back to ALSA and then nothing.


According to spec, you can use this line of code:

alcGetString(NULL, ALC_DEVICE_SPECIFIER, devices);

to get a NULL-delimited list of devices (terminated with a double-NULL) 
available on the system.

Until recently, the sample implementation didn't have a real version of 
this enumeration mechanism (just a fake one that returned made-up device 
descriptions like the one above). Chris Robinson has recently 
contributed a patch to implement enumeration for real, but it hasn't 
been integrated yet.  (We don't currently have a full-time maintainer, 
just a few guys with real jobs who do this in their non-existent free 
time :-) ).

Hopefully within a week or two, the capability you're looking for will 
be there.

-- 

--"J"

"I'm a castaway stranded in a desolate land,
 I can see the footprints in the virtual sand."
	--Neil Peart