The sample cache provides a simple way of overcoming high network latencies and reducing bandwidth. Instead of streaming a sound precisely when it should be played, it is stored on the server and only the command to start playing it needs to be sent.
To create a sample, the normal stream API is used (see Audio Streams). The function pa_stream_connect_upload() will make sure the stream is stored as a sample on the server.
To complete the upload, pa_stream_finish_upload() is called and the sample will receive the same name as the stream. If the upload should be aborted, simply call pa_stream_disconnect().
To play back a sample, simply call pa_context_play_sample():
pa_operation *o; o = pa_context_play_sample(my_context, "sample2", // Name of my sample NULL, // Use default sink PA_VOLUME_NORM, // Full volume NULL, // Don't need a callback NULL ); if (o) pa_operation_unref(o);
When a sample is no longer needed, it should be removed on the server to save resources. The sample is deleted using pa_context_remove_sample().