Debian Bug report logs - #688349
flite can't write to stdout (or any non-file, e.g. fifo)

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Message #5 received at submit@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: "Wesley J. Landaker" <wjl@icecavern.net>

To: Debian Bug Tracking System <submit@bugs.debian.org>

Subject: flite can't write to stdout (or any non-file, e.g. fifo)

Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2012 15:20:12 -0600

Package: flite
Version: 1.4-release-6
Severity: important

flite is not able to write to stdout, which is very important when
trying to use it as part of a scripted toolchain.

For example, I wanted to have flite's generated wav data piped directly
into an ogg encoder. This works perfectly with most on-the-fly
text-to-speech systems, but not flite.

I tried every dirty trick (using "-" as the name of the output file (it
just makes a file called that), pointing it at a fifo, bash redirects to
/dev/stdout, /dev/fd/n after an "exec n>whatever", lots more things) but
to no avail. flite absolutely resists any attempt to pipe it's wav
output to anything but a file.

Obviously I could use libflite and write my own program to do just this
one thing, but it would be best if flite could be fixed to just work
like most programs and be able to output to stdout (or at least a
fifo!) in some simple way.

-- System Information:
Debian Release: wheezy/sid
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (40, 'experimental')
Architecture: i386 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 3.4-trunk-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash

Versions of packages flite depends on:
ii  dpkg          1.16.8
ii  install-info  4.13a.dfsg.1-10
ii  libasound2    1.0.25-4
ii  libc6         2.13-35
ii  libflite1     1.4-release-6

flite recommends no packages.

Versions of packages flite suggests:
ii  alsa-base  1.0.25+2+nmu2

-- no debconf information

Message #10 received at 688349@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Samuel Thibault <sthibault@debian.org>

To: "Wesley J. Landaker" <wjl@icecavern.net>, 688349@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#688349: flite can't write to stdout (or any non-file, e.g. fifo)

Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2012 17:05:25 +0200

Wesley J. Landaker, le Fri 21 Sep 2012 15:20:12 -0600, a écrit :
> I tried every dirty trick [...] bash redirects to /dev/stdout,

I'm not sure what you tried exactly, but

flite test.txt /dev/stdout > test.wav

does work for me (although it is true that a "-" shortcut would be
convenient).

Samuel

Message #15 received at 688349@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Samuel Thibault <sthibault@debian.org>

To: "Wesley J. Landaker" <wjl@icecavern.net>

Cc: 688349@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#688349: flite can't write to stdout (or any non-file, e.g. fifo)

Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2012 22:29:33 +0200

Wesley J. Landaker, le Sun 23 Sep 2012 13:31:29 -0600, a écrit :
> Examples of things that DON'T work:
> 
>   flite test.txt /dev/stdout | cat > test.wav

That's why the reportbug template asks "exactly what did you do" :)

Ok, I'll have a look.

Samuel

Message #20 received at 688349@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: "Wesley J. Landaker" <wjl@icecavern.net>

To: Samuel Thibault <sthibault@debian.org>

Cc: 688349@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#688349: flite can't write to stdout (or any non-file, e.g. fifo)

Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2012 13:36:16 -0600

On Sunday, September 23, 2012 13:31:29 Wesley J. Landaker wrote:
> On Sunday, September 23, 2012 09:05:25 Samuel Thibault wrote:
> > Wesley J. Landaker, le Fri 21 Sep 2012 15:20:12 -0600, a écrit :
> > > I tried every dirty trick [...] bash redirects to /dev/stdout,
> > 
> > I'm not sure what you tried exactly, but
> > 
> > flite test.txt /dev/stdout > test.wav
> > 
> > does work for me (although it is true that a "-" shortcut would be
> > convenient).
> 
> Yes, but this only works if you do that, one, literal,
> non-useful-in-any-way thing. Your example is equivalent to "flite
> test.txt test.wav", which obviously works.

Note that *even this* doesn't work:

  flite test.txt /dev/stdout

It writes a few bytes then just hangs.

Message #25 received at 688349@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Samuel Thibault <sthibault@debian.org>

To: "Wesley J. Landaker" <wjl@icecavern.net>, 688349@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#688349: flite can't write to stdout (or any non-file, e.g. fifo)

Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2012 22:40:35 +0200

I've had a quick look, and it'll probably be hard to fix: what flite
actually does is writing part of the file, then reopen it, append some
data, etc.  That's why it can only work on actual files.  Fixing this
will not be easy, and thus not for Wheezy.  I'll have a look at raising
the issue to upstream.

Samuel

Message #30 received at 688349@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: "Wesley J. Landaker" <wjl@icecavern.net>

To: Samuel Thibault <sthibault@debian.org>

Cc: 688349@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#688349: flite can't write to stdout (or any non-file, e.g. fifo)

Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2012 13:31:29 -0600

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

On Sunday, September 23, 2012 09:05:25 Samuel Thibault wrote:
> Wesley J. Landaker, le Fri 21 Sep 2012 15:20:12 -0600, a écrit :
> > I tried every dirty trick [...] bash redirects to /dev/stdout,
> 
> I'm not sure what you tried exactly, but
> 
> flite test.txt /dev/stdout > test.wav
> 
> does work for me (although it is true that a "-" shortcut would be
> convenient).

Yes, but this only works if you do that, one, literal, non-useful-in-any-way 
thing. Your example is equivalent to "flite test.txt test.wav", which 
obviously works.

If you try to do anything with stdout execpt shove it directly into a file 
(like pipe the result to another program) it doesn't work *at all*.

Examples of things that DON'T work:

  flite test.txt /dev/stdout | cat > test.wav
  flite test.txt /dev/stdout | oggenc - -o test.ogg

  mkfifo /some/fifo
  flite test.txt /some/fifo &
  cat /some/fifo > test.wav

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Message #35 received at 688349@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: "Wesley J. Landaker" <wjl@icecavern.net>

To: Samuel Thibault <sthibault@debian.org>

Cc: 688349@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#688349: flite can't write to stdout (or any non-file, e.g. fifo)

Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2012 15:42:57 -0600

On Sunday, September 23, 2012 14:40:35 Samuel Thibault wrote:
> I've had a quick look, and it'll probably be hard to fix: what flite
> actually does is writing part of the file, then reopen it, append some
> data, etc.  That's why it can only work on actual files.  Fixing this
> will not be easy, and thus not for Wheezy.  I'll have a look at raising
> the issue to upstream.

Okay, thanks for looking into it! =)

Message #42 received at 688349@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Denis Briand <debian@denis-briand.fr>

To: bug <688349@bugs.debian.org>, Samuel Thibault <sthibault@debian.org>

Cc: submitter <688349-submitter@bugs.debian.org>

Subject: flite can't write to stdout (or any non-file, e.g. fifo)

Date: Sun, 3 Jan 2016 11:46:29 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Hello Samuel,

Have we got a feedback from upstream since 2012?
regards

Denis Briand

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Message #50 received at 688349@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Samuel Thibault <sthibault@debian.org>

To: Denis Briand <debian@denis-briand.fr>

Cc: bug <688349@bugs.debian.org>, submitter <688349-submitter@bugs.debian.org>

Subject: Re: flite can't write to stdout (or any non-file, e.g. fifo)

Date: Sun, 3 Jan 2016 14:08:26 +0100

Hello,

Denis Briand, on Sun 03 Jan 2016 11:46:29 +0100, wrote:
> Have we got a feedback from upstream since 2012?

Nope.  I've just pinged the maintainer again.

Samuel

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