VLCKit-SPM

Swift Package Manager support for VLCKit with full API access.

Version

This package tracks official MobileVLCKit 3.6.0 from VideoLAN (pod 'MobileVLCKit' 3.6.0).

Installation

Add to your Package.swift:

dependencies: [
    .package(url: "https://github.com/rsaleass/VLCKit-SPM", from: "3.6.0")
]

Or in Xcode:

1. File → Add Package Dependencies
2. Enter: https://github.com/rsaleass/VLCKit-SPM
3. Select version 3.6.0 or later

Usage

import VLCKitSPM

// Create a media player
let mediaPlayer = VLCMediaPlayer()

// Load media from URL
let media = VLCMedia(url: URL(string: "https://example.com/video.mp4")!)
mediaPlayer.media = media

// Play
mediaPlayer.play()

Features

✅ Complete VLCKit API access (including VLCMediaDiscoverer)
✅ iOS, tvOS support (iOS 11+, tvOS 11+)
✅ Pre-built XCFramework (~200MB, managed with Git LFS)
✅ Swift Package Manager native
✅ All advanced features included

What's Included

This package includes ALL VLCKit APIs, unlike other SPM wrappers:

Core Components

• VLCMediaPlayer - Main media playback engine
• VLCMedia - Media resource handling with metadata parsing
• VLCMediaList - Playlist and media list management
• VLCMediaListPlayer - Playlist player functionality

Network & Discovery

• VLCMediaDiscoverer - Network browsing (UPnP, Bonjour, etc.)
• VLCRendererDiscoverer - Chromecast and AirPlay discovery
• Network streaming protocols (HTTP, RTSP, etc.)

Advanced Features

• Audio/video filters and effects
• Subtitle handling and text rendering
• Chapter and title navigation
• Audio/video track selection
• Equalizer and audio processing
• Screenshot and thumbnail generation
• Media parsing with subitems (for playlists, directories)

Missing from Other Packages

Many existing SPM wrappers for VLCKit omit crucial APIs like:

• ❌ VLCMediaDiscoverer (network browsing)
• ❌ Advanced media parsing
• ❌ Renderer discovery
• ❌ Complete filter system

This package provides 100% API coverage.

Building from Source

Prerequisites

• Xcode 13+
• macOS 12+ (for building)
• Git LFS installed (brew install git-lfs)

Quick Build (Recommended)

# Clone this repository
git clone https://github.com/rsaleass/VLCKit-SPM.git
cd VLCKit-SPM

# Download prebuilt MobileVLCKit 3.6.0 from CocoaPods (fast)
./build-scripts/download-mobilevlckit.sh

Build from Source (Advanced)

# Build from VideoLAN source (takes 30-60 minutes)
./build-scripts/build-xcframework.sh

The quick script will:

1. Download prebuilt MobileVLCKit 3.6.0 via CocoaPods
2. Create XCFramework for SPM distribution
3. Verify framework integrity

The source build script will:

1. Clone official VLCKit 3.6.0 source from VideoLAN
2. Build for iOS/tvOS (MobileVLCKit)
3. Build for macOS (VLCKit)
4. Create universal XCFramework
5. Show build information and size

Git LFS Setup

This package uses Git LFS to handle the large XCFramework (~200MB):

# Initialize Git LFS (one time setup)
git lfs install

# Track framework files  
git lfs track "*.xcframework"
git lfs track "*.framework"

# Verify LFS is working
git lfs ls-files

Version Strategy

This package follows VLCKit's official versioning:

• 3.6.0 - Matches VLCKit 3.6.0 exactly
• 3.6.0-spm.1 - SPM-specific patches if needed
• 3.6.x - Future 3.6.x releases from VideoLAN

Platform Support

Platform	Minimum Version	Architecture
iOS	11.0	arm64, x86_64, i386
tvOS	11.0	arm64

Examples

Media Discovery (Network Browsing)

import VLCKitSPM

// Discover UPnP/DLNA servers
let discoverer = VLCMediaDiscoverer(name: "upnp")
discoverer?.delegate = self
discoverer?.startDiscovering()

// VLCMediaDiscovererDelegate
func mediaDiscoverer(_ aDiscoverer: VLCMediaDiscoverer, 
                    didDiscoverMedia media: VLCMedia) {
    print("Found media: \\(media.metaData.title)")
    
    // Parse media for subitems (folders, playlists)
    media.parseWithOptions(.parseNetwork)
}

Advanced Media Parsing

// Parse a playlist or folder
let media = VLCMedia(url: playlistURL)
media.delegate = self
media.parseWithOptions([.parseNetwork, .parseLocal])

// VLCMediaDelegate
func mediaDidFinishParsing(_ media: VLCMedia) {
    // Access subitems (files in folder, playlist entries)
    let subitems = media.subitems
    print("Found \\(subitems.count) items")
}

Renderer Discovery (Chromecast/AirPlay)

// Discover Chromecast devices
let rendererDiscoverer = VLCRendererDiscoverer(name: "chromecast")
rendererDiscoverer?.delegate = self
rendererDiscoverer?.start()

Comparison with Other Packages

Package	API Coverage	Network Discovery	Active Maintenance	VLCKit Version
rsaleass/VLCKit-SPM	✅ 100%	✅ Full	✅ Yes	3.6.0
tylerjonesio/vlckit-spm	❌ ~60%	❌ Missing	❌ Stale	3.3.0
Others	❌ Limited	❌ Missing	❌ Various	Mixed

License

LGPL v2.1 - Same as VLCKit

This package redistributes VLCKit under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation.

Credits

• VLCKit: Official media framework by VideoLAN
• VLC: The renowned open-source media player
• Package: Community SPM wrapper by @rsaleass

Built from official VLCKit 3.6.0: https://code.videolan.org/videolan/VLCKit

Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• VLCKit Documentation: VideoLAN Wiki
• VLC Forum: VideoLAN Forum

---

This package fills the gap until VideoLAN releases official SPM support in VLCKit v4.0.