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+# 4a-tools
+
+4a-tools is a set of simple scripts that can be used to test and troubleshoot
+4a framework.
+
+## 4a-status
+
+4a-status gives a diagnostic whether 4a-framework is supposed to be working or
+not.
+
+```bash
+user@machine$ 4a-status
+---- Audio cards detected ----
+card 0: Loopback
+card 1: Intel
+
+---- snd-aloop driver availability ----
+SUCCESS: Built into the kernel
+
+---- 4a service status ----
+SUCCESS: Service is currently running!
+```
+
+If any error is shown then there is no way that 4a-framework can work.
+Not running services do trigger only a warning because you may have started the
+service's binding manually and the script cannot detect this.
+If you don't, this must be considered as an error, because 4a-framework
+obviously cannot work when bindings are not running.
+
+```bash
+---- Audio cards detected ----
+card 0: Loopback
+card 1: Intel
+
+---- snd-aloop driver availability ----
+SUCCESS: Built into the kernel
+
+---- 4a service status ----
+WARNING: Service is not currently running!
+It can be started using the following command:
+systemctl restart *agl-service-audio-4a*.service
+```
+
+## 4a-api
+
+This script lets you call 4a's APIs to test bindings and get some infos.
+
+### Ping API
+
+Pinging an API let you know that the binding providing this API is running and
+ready.
+
+```bash
+user@machine$ 4a-api api smixer ping
+Detected systemd unit file!
+Port detected: 1025
+ON-REPLY 1:smixer/ping: OK
+{
+    "response":3,
+    "jtype":"afb-reply",
+    "request":{
+        "status":"success"
+    }
+}
+```
+
+### List HALs
+
+You can list availables HALs using the following command:
+
+```bash
+user@machine$ 4a-api hals
+Detected systemd unit file!
+Port detected: 1025
+ON-REPLY 1:4a-hal-manager/loaded: OK
+{
+    "response":[
+        "4a-hal-intel-qemu"
+    ],
+    "jtype":"afb-reply",
+    "request":{
+        "status":"success",
+        "info":"Requested data"
+    }
+}
+```
+
+If the returned list is empty, this means that no HAL is loaded and ready. In
+such a case you won't be able to use 4a-framework because this means that there
+is no device to play audio on.
+
+To get more information about a HAL, you can call its **info** verb:
+
+```bash
+user@machine$ 4a-api api 4a-hal-intel-qemu info
+Detected systemd unit file!
+Port detected: 1025
+ON-REPLY 1:4a-hal-intel-qemu/info: OK
+{
+    "response":{
+        "streams":[
+            {
+                "name":"multimedia",
+                "cardId":"hw:0,0,2"
+            },
+            {
+                "name":"navigation",
+                "cardId":"hw:0,0,3"
+            },
+            {
+                "name":"emergency",
+                "cardId":"hw:0,0,4"
+            }
+        ],
+        "playbacks":[
+            {
+                "name":"playback",
+                "mixer-name":"INTEL-QEMU:playback"
+            }
+        ],
+        "captures":[
+            {
+                "name":"capture",
+                "mixer-name":"INTEL-QEMU:capture"
+            }
+        ]
+    },
+    "jtype":"afb-reply",
+    "request":{
+        "status":"success",
+        "info":"Requested data"
+    }
+}
+```
+
+This allows you to get which device is bound to which stream.
+Please note these are stream names, not roles names.
+In addition, multiples HALs can provide the same stream.
+In the current implementation, it results in a race condition: 4a-framework
+will be using the first HAL providing the stream.
+
+### List roles
+
+This lets you get the list of available audio roles.
+Only roles with a bound device are listed here, because roles without a device
+are pretty much unusable.
+
+```bash
+user@machine$ 4a-api roles
+Detected systemd unit file!
+Port detected: 1025
+ON-REPLY 1:ahl-4a/get_roles: OK
+{
+    "response":[
+        "radio",
+        "multimedia",
+        "emergency",
+        "navigation"
+    ],
+    "jtype":"afb-reply",
+    "request": {
+        "status":"success"
+    }
+}
+```
+
+## 4a-play
+
+4a-play lets you play some audio file on a specified device, with an optional
+audio role.
+
+```bash
+4a-play <file> [<device> [<role>]]
+```
+
+Where *file* is the path to the file to play, *device* is the device to play on
+and and *role* is the 4a audio role to open (multimedia for example).
+
+The specified role should be the one that is bound to the specified device,
+however the script is not able to detect it so there is no control about this.
+The role is opened before playing the audio file, and closed after playing is
+over.
+
+So for example:
+
+```bash
+4a-play Happy_MBB_75.ogg hw:2,0,0 multimedia
+```
+
+>**NOTE**: For now you have to specify the device and the role. Future versions
+>of this script may detect devices and roles relations so that you will be able
+>to omit either role or device.
+>
+>The device that usually matches "multimedia" is "hw:0,0,2" (for more details
+>please read the [HALs](HALs.md) section).
+
+>**NOTE**: Some media files (WAV, MP3 and OGG) are provided with 4a-tools for
+>testing purpose and can be used as reference assets.