Tvheadend

I run TVHeadend on a Pi 4 running Ubuntu Server 22.04.1 arm 64-bit.
I want to use an IDE to edit, debug and compile TVHeadend source code on the Pi 4. But Ubuntu Server has no desktop environment.
Here is a solution where I run the IDE (Visual Studio Code) on a separate machine (Laptop) for remote development of TVHeadend source code on the Pi 4.
Target Audience is beginners/hobbyists with an interest in coding.

Instructions¶

Re-requisites¶

• A Pi 4 running Ubuntu Server 22.04.1 arm 64-bit.
• A second machine running Visual Studio Code (VSC)

Set up TVHeadend build environment on Pi 4¶

• Here is a tutorial on how to build TVHeadend on a Pi 4 using the TVHeadend Autobuild script https://tvheadend.org/boards/4/topics/48584
• If this is successful then you should have the TVHeadend sources in somewhere like: /home/ubuntu/buildir/tvheadend
• In ../buildir/tvheadend will also be the Makefile, configure script, the .config.mk file etc... needed to build TVHeadend.
• Successfully built TVHeadend binary will appear in ../buildir/tvheadend/build.linux

Install Visual Studio Code on another machine¶

• In my case I installed visual-studio-code-bin from “Add/Remove Software” in Manjaro but it could be installed on other Linux Distros, Windows or Mac.
• I installed these plugins: Remote-SSH plugin, C/C++ Extension Pack, C/C++ Themes, Remote Explorer, Remote - SSH: Editing Configuration Files, C/C++, CMake, CMake Tools, Makefile Tools

Configure Visual Studio Code to SSH to the Pi 4¶

• I followed these instructions https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-use-visual-studio-code-for-remote-development-via-the-remote-ssh-plugin
• The link explains how to Configure the Remote-SSH Plugin to connect to the Pi 4 so you can navigate to the TVHeadend source code directory that is on the Pi 4 but from within VSC.

Tell VSC what compiler to use¶

• I confirmed the location of the binary of the cc compiler I am using on Ubuntu
ubuntu@ubuntu:~/buildir/tvheadend$ which cc
/usr/bin/cc
• Connect to the Pi from VSC using the SSH-Plugin.
• From VSC type... CTRL + Left SHIFT + P then type in “C/C++: Edit configurations (UI)”
• I filled in the details below...
• When you save this a file is created: ../buildir/tvheadend/.vscode/c_cpp_properties.json

{
    "configurations": [
        {
            "name": "Linux",
            "includePath": [
                "${workspaceFolder}/**" 
            ],
            "defines": [],
            "compilerPath": "/usr/bin/cc",
            "cStandard": "c17",
            "cppStandard": "c++14",
            "intelliSenseMode": "linux-gcc-arm64",
            "configurationProvider": "ms-vscode.makefile-tools" 
        }
    ],
    "version": 4
}

Tell VSC to build TVHeadend¶

• Click on the "Explorer" icon in the VSC left menu and in the “src” dir I clicked on “main.c”
• Type CTRL + Shift + P then type “Build” in to the search box then select Makefile: Build the current Target makefile.buildTarget
• This immediately starts building tvheadend.

Simplify the build process with VSC Tasks¶

• Visual Studio Code Tasks https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/tasks
• A "Task" simplifies the build process in VSC so for instance you can build tvheadend by selecting... File Menu > Terminal > Run Build Task (or Ctrl+Shift+B)
• After the above step when VSC builds TVHeadend it should automatically create a tasks.json file in...
• ../buildir/tvheadend/.vscode/tasks.json
• This is the contents of my tasks.json

{
    // See https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=733558
    // for the documentation about the tasks.json format
    "version": "2.0.0",
    "tasks": [
        {
            "label": "Build",
            "type": "shell",
            "command": "make",
            "problemMatcher": [],
            "group": {
                "kind": "build",
                "isDefault": true
            }
        }
    ]
}

• The “isDefault”: true means that you can now get VSC to build tvheadend by selecting... File Menu > Terminal > Run Build Task (or Ctrl+Shift+B)
• "command": "make" basically means that this process causes VSC to execute the make command!
• To create a new task from scratch type: [Ctrl + Shift + p] then type “tasks” > select “Tasks: Configure Tasks” > Create Tasks.json file from template > Others

A compound task¶

• Visual Studio Code Compound Tasks https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/tasks#_compound-tasks
• This is not essential but basically a compound tasks automates execution of several steps that may need to occur prior to building TVHeadend for instance:

make distclean
./configure
make -j$(nproc)

• This is the tasks.json file to execute the above three steps one after another...

{
    // See https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=733558
    // for the documentation about the tasks.json format
    "version": "2.0.0",
    "tasks": [
        {
            "label": "Run Make distclean command",
            "type": "shell",
            "command": "make distclean",
            "problemMatcher": [],
            "group": "build" 
        },
        {
            "label": "Run Config script",
            "type": "shell",
            "command": "./configure",
            "args": [
                "--enable-hdhomerun_client",
                "--disable-hdhomerun_static",
                "--disable-dvbscan",
                "--enable-libav",
                "--disable-ffmpeg_static",
                "--enable-libx264",
                "--disable-libx264_static",
                "--enable-libx265",
                "--disable-libx265_static",
                "--enable-libvpx",
                "--disable-libvpx_static",
                "--enable-libtheora",
                "--disable-libtheora_static",
                "--enable-libvorbis",
                "--disable-libvorbis_static",
                "--enable-libfdkaac",
                "--disable-libfdkaac_static",
                "--enable-libopus",
                "--disable-libopus_static",
                "--enable-vaapi",
                "--enable-omx",
                "--enable-dvbcsa",
                "--enable-dvben50221",
                "--enable-libsystemd_daemon",
                "--enable-pcre2",
                "--enable-pngquant",
                "--python=/usr/bin/python3" 
            ],
            "problemMatcher": [],
            "group": "build" 
        },
        {
            "label": "Run Make command",
            "type": "shell",
            "command": "make",
            "args": [
                "-j$(nproc)" 
            ],
            "problemMatcher": [],
            "group": "build" 
        },
        {
            "label": "Build TVH",
            "dependsOrder": "sequence",
            "dependsOn": [
                "Run Make distclean command",
                "Run Config script",
                "Run Make command" 
            ],
            "problemMatcher": [],
            "group": {
                "kind": "build",
                "isDefault": true
            }
        }
    ]
}

• To make this Task the Default Build Task...
• File Menu > Terminal > Configure Default Build Task > Then choose the task with the label: “Build TVH”.
• To run this task... Ctrl + Shift + P > tasks: Run Task > Select the task label: “Build TVH”.
• Or simply Ctrl +Shift + B

Debugging TVHeadend from Visual Studio Code¶

• Remote Debugging with gdb in Visual Studio Code https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/debugging
• Install gdb in Ubuntu, check if it is installed already, if not then install it...

which gdb
sudo apt update
sudo apt install gdb

• In VSC click the Debugger icon on the left most menu (fourth one down, looks a bit like a Play icon) OR by typing Ctrl + Shift + D.
• I got to a window where I clicked on “Create a launch.json file".
• Here I chose: node.js debugger. That created the file: launch.json in ../buildir/tvheadend/.vscode/launch.json

{
    // Use IntelliSense to learn about possible attributes.
    // Hover to view descriptions of existing attributes.
    // For more information, visit: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=830387
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [    
    {
        // for Linux
        "name": "(gdb) Launch TVH",
        "type": "cppdbg",
        "request": "launch",
        "program": "${workspaceRoot}/build.linux/tvheadend",
        "args": [],
        "stopAtEntry": false,
        "cwd": "${workspaceRoot}/build.linux",
        "environment": [],
        "externalConsole": false,
        "MIMode": "gdb",
        "preLaunchTask": "Build TVH",
        "setupCommands": [
          {
            "description": "Enable pretty-printing for gdb",
            "text": "-enable-pretty-printing",
            "ignoreFailures": true
          }
        ]
     }
  ]
}

• A key point is that it must have the line: "preLaunchTask": "Build TVH",
• This makes it refer back to the Task you use to build TVHeadend using the correct label of that task: “Build TVH”.
• To test the remote debugging...
• Go to main.c in the “src” dir of tvheadend in VSC, find a line of code anywhere in the "main" method and make a breakpoint by clicking on a faint RED DOT to the left of the line number.
• Click on the Run Menu > Start Debugging in VSC.
• After recompiling the code (the preLaunchTask in launch.json refers back to the name of the build task in tasks.json), Tvheadend is launched and execution stops at that breakpoint.
• Now you can do things like variable inspection.

In Conclusion¶

• Many thanks to @Adrian Smith for this idea and explanations!
• I hope this helps someone and saves them time.
• Comments, feedback or corrections very welcome.

Useful Links¶

• Remote Development with Visual Studio Code https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/remote/remote-overview
• More on Remote Development with Visual Studio Code https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-use-visual-studio-code-for-remote-development-via-the-remote-ssh-plugin
• Compile and test tvheadend from an IDE? https://tvheadend.org/boards/4/topics/48330