Make PipeWire node.description more human readable

[RafaelKr]

This is now an issue: #1812

Running pw-cli ls Node has the following output for me:

	id 28, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "28"
 		factory.id = "10"
 		priority.driver = "20000"
 		node.name = "Dummy-Driver"
	id 29, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "29"
 		factory.id = "10"
 		priority.driver = "19000"
 		node.name = "Freewheel-Driver"
	id 37, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "38"
 		factory.id = "10"
 		client.id = "32"
 		node.name = "Midi-Bridge"
 		media.class = "Midi/Bridge"
	id 46, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "47"
 		object.path = "v4l2:/dev/video0"
 		factory.id = "10"
 		client.id = "32"
 		device.id = "42"
 		node.description = "Integrated Camera"
 		node.name = "v4l2_input.pci-0000_05_00.3-usb-0_3_1.0"
 		media.class = "Video/Source"
 		media.role = "Camera"
	id 51, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "81"
 		object.path = "alsa:pcm:0:hdmi:0:playback"
 		factory.id = "18"
 		client.id = "32"
 		device.id = "44"
 		priority.session = "696"
 		priority.driver = "696"
 		node.description = "GA104 High Definition Audio Controller Digital Stereo (HDMI)"
 		node.name = "alsa_output.pci-0000_01_00.1.hdmi-stereo"
 		node.nick = "HDA NVidia"
 		media.class = "Audio/Sink"
	id 52, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "54"
 		object.path = "alsa:pcm:1:front:1:playback"
 		factory.id = "18"
 		client.id = "32"
 		device.id = "45"
 		priority.session = "1009"
 		priority.driver = "1009"
 		node.description = "Family 17h (Models 10h-1fh) HD Audio Controller Analog Stereo"
 		node.name = "alsa_output.pci-0000_05_00.6.analog-stereo"
 		node.nick = "HD-Audio Generic"
 		media.class = "Audio/Sink"
	id 53, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "55"
 		object.path = "alsa:pcm:1:front:1:capture"
 		factory.id = "18"
 		client.id = "32"
 		device.id = "45"
 		priority.session = "2009"
 		priority.driver = "2009"
 		node.description = "Family 17h (Models 10h-1fh) HD Audio Controller Analog Stereo"
 		node.name = "alsa_input.pci-0000_05_00.6.analog-stereo"
 		node.nick = "HD-Audio Generic"
 		media.class = "Audio/Source"
	id 62, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "89"
 		factory.id = "18"
 		client.id = "61"
 		node.description = "EasyEffects Sink"
 		node.name = "easyeffects_sink"
 		media.class = "Audio/Sink"
	id 63, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "90"
 		factory.id = "18"
 		client.id = "61"
 		node.description = "EasyEffects Source"
 		node.name = "easyeffects_source"
 		media.class = "Audio/Source/Virtual"
	id 72, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "99"
 		client.id = "61"
 		node.description = "ee_soe_output_level"
 		node.name = "ee_soe_output_level"
 		node.nick = "output_level"
 		media.type = "Audio"
 		media.category = "Filter"
 		media.role = "DSP"
	id 77, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "104"
 		client.id = "61"
 		node.description = "ee_soe_spectrum"
 		node.name = "ee_soe_spectrum"
 		node.nick = "spectrum"
 		media.type = "Audio"
 		media.category = "Filter"
 		media.role = "DSP"
	id 88, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "115"
 		client.id = "61"
 		node.description = "ee_sie_output_level"
 		node.name = "ee_sie_output_level"
 		node.nick = "output_level"
 		media.type = "Audio"
 		media.category = "Filter"
 		media.role = "DSP"
	id 93, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "120"
 		client.id = "61"
 		node.description = "ee_sie_spectrum"
 		node.name = "ee_sie_spectrum"
 		node.nick = "spectrum"
 		media.type = "Audio"
 		media.category = "Filter"
 		media.role = "DSP"
	id 98, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "125"
 		client.id = "61"
 		node.description = "ee_sie_rnnoise"
 		node.name = "ee_sie_rnnoise"
 		node.nick = "rnnoise"
 		media.type = "Audio"
 		media.category = "Filter"
 		media.role = "DSP"
	id 103, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "189"
 		factory.id = "6"
 		client.id = "111"
 		application.name = "spotify"
 		node.name = "spotify"
 		media.class = "Stream/Output/Audio"
 		media.role = "Music"
	id 105, type PipeWire:Interface:Node/3
 		object.serial = "213"
 		factory.id = "8"
 		client.id = "32"
 		device.id = "106"
 		priority.session = "1010"
 		priority.driver = "1010"
 		node.description = "Teufel BOOMSTER"
 		node.name = "bluez_output.00_12_6F_C1_2C_50.a2dp-sink"
 		media.class = "Audio/Sink"

As you can see most nodes have a "human readable" name set as the node.description and a more generic name as node.nick.

Currently helvum, the "official" patchbay for PipeWire, prefers the nick and falls back to the description. So the names for the EasyEffects nodes look okay:

But there's an ongoing discussion about changing it to the order node.description > node.nick > node.name:
https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/pipewire/helvum/-/issues/38

So I'd like to suggest to set the description to something more human readable to prepare for that change.

[wwmm]

I think it can be done. Probably better to open an issue about this.

[RafaelKr]

Thanks for the quick feedback! As you already saw I created #1812