[FFmpeg-devel] [PATCH] doc/developer: Basic documentation for Source Plugins (PR #20197)

[michaelni]

PR #20197 opened by michaelni
URL: https://code.ffmpeg.org/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/pulls/20197
Patch URL: https://code.ffmpeg.org/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/pulls/20197.patch

Signed-off-by: Michael Niedermayer <michael at niedermayer.cc>


From 23b2e9eac15db42517c977bcaa7fa9446cb54507 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Michael Niedermayer <michael at niedermayer.cc>
Date: Sat, 9 Aug 2025 16:15:55 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] doc/developer: Basic documentation for Source Plugins

Signed-off-by: Michael Niedermayer <michael at niedermayer.cc>
---
 doc/developer.texi | 32 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 32 insertions(+)

diff --git a/doc/developer.texi b/doc/developer.texi
index 10a2de00df..e346c7b57a 100644
--- a/doc/developer.texi
+++ b/doc/developer.texi
@@ -1142,4 +1142,36 @@ Publish the news entry.
 Send an announcement to the mailing list.
 @end enumerate
 
+ at anchor{Source Plugins}
+ at chapter Source Plugins
+
+ at section What are Source Plugins
+
+Source plugins are a way to maintain features outside FFmpeg.
+
+Each is basically an automatically mergable git fork of FFmpeg.
+
+ at section Checklist to be listed in merge-all-source-plugins
+
+ at enumerate
+ at item
+Supporting master and the latest release branch (with security fixes, when vulnerabilities are discovered)
+Supporting older release branches is optional.
+
+ at item
+under LGPL or GPL license (that is a compatible Free software license)
+and adds the needed dependancy to the --enable-gpl switch if its GPL.
+ at end enumerate
+
+ at section How to make a Source Plugin
+
+To be automatically mergable it is important to keep all changes clean and well separated.
+If you want to create a new source plugin, look at an existing one, or simply fork FFmpeg,
+name the repository "sourceplugin-..." and add it to tools/merge-all-source-plugins
+and try running it. Also check that it works with the latest releases.
+
+ at section merge Source Plugins
+
+tools/merge-all-source-plugins
+
 @bye
-- 
2.49.1