PyObjC ImageCaptureCore Framework Bindings

Warnings

• breaking PyObjC versions are tightly coupled with supported Python versions. PyObjC 12.0 dropped support for Python 3.9, requiring Python 3.10 or newer. PyObjC 11.0 dropped support for Python 3.8.
  Fix: Ensure your Python environment is version 3.10 or newer. Always check the `requires_python` metadata for the PyObjC version you intend to use.
• gotcha PyObjC framework bindings are macOS-specific. Attempting to import or use `pyobjc-framework-imagecapturecore` on non-macOS operating systems will result in import errors or runtime failures.
  Fix: Run PyObjC applications exclusively on macOS platforms.
• gotcha Many ImageCaptureCore operations are asynchronous and rely on delegate callbacks. To receive these callbacks and keep your application responsive, you must run a Cocoa event loop (e.g., using `PyObjCTools.AppHelper.runConsoleEventLoop()` for console apps or within a GUI application's main loop).
  Fix: Integrate your ImageCaptureCore interactions within a running Cocoa event loop. For simple console scripts, `AppHelper.runConsoleEventLoop()` is the idiomatic way.
• gotcha When subclassing Objective-C classes in Python with PyObjC, the interaction between `__new__` and `__init__` can be nuanced. If your Python subclass (or one of its superclasses) explicitly defines `__new__`, then `__init__` will be called. However, if `__new__` is *not* explicitly overridden by the user, `__init__` will *not* be called. This can lead to objects not being initialized as expected.
  Fix: Carefully review the PyObjC documentation on subclassing Objective-C classes in Python, especially regarding `__new__` and `init` methods, to ensure correct object initialization and avoid uninitialized objects.
• gotcha PyObjC 11.1 introduced a change in how it models initializer methods to align with Clang's Automatic Reference Counting (ARC). Methods in the 'init' family (e.g., `init` methods) now correctly 'steal' the reference to `self` and return a new reference. This change can affect complex object graphs or manual reference counting scenarios in Python subclasses.
  Fix: If you have complex Python subclasses that override Objective-C `init` methods, review their reference counting behavior to ensure it aligns with ARC semantics after the PyObjC 11.1 update.

Install

• pip install pyobjc-framework-imagecapturecore Install only ImageCaptureCore bindings
• pip install pyobjc Install all PyObjC frameworks (including ImageCaptureCore)

Imports

• ImageCaptureCore

  import ImageCaptureCore

  The framework's classes are typically accessed as attributes of the imported module, e.g., `ImageCaptureCore.ICDeviceBrowser`.
• ICDeviceBrowser

  from ImageCaptureCore import ICDeviceBrowser

Quickstart

This quickstart demonstrates how to use `ICDeviceBrowser` to discover image capture devices on macOS. It sets up a delegate to receive callbacks for device additions and removals and runs a console event loop to keep the application responsive. Note that `PyObjCTools.AppHelper` requires `pyobjc-framework-AppKit` to be installed.

import ImageCaptureCore
import objc
from PyObjCTools import AppHelper

class MyDeviceBrowserDelegate(objc.NSObject):
    def deviceBrowser_didAddDevice_moreComing_(self, browser, device, moreComing):
        print(f"[*] Found device: {device.name()} (UUID: {device.uuid()})")
        # You can access device properties here, e.g., device.type(), device.icon().

    def deviceBrowser_didRemoveDevice_moreComing_(self, browser, device, moreComing):
        print(f"[-] Removed device: {device.name()} (UUID: {device.uuid()})")

def main():
    browser = ImageCaptureCore.ICDeviceBrowser.alloc().init()
    delegate = MyDeviceBrowserDelegate.alloc().init()
    browser.setDelegate_(delegate)
    
    print("Starting ImageCaptureCore device browser. Press Ctrl+C to exit.")
    print("Detected devices will be printed as they are found or removed.")
    
    browser.start()
    # Run the Cocoa event loop indefinitely to receive delegate callbacks.
    # This keeps the script alive and responsive to system events.
    AppHelper.runConsoleEventLoop(installInterrupt=True)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()