Imager::API(3pm)

NAME
Imager::API - Imager's C API - introduction.

SYNOPSIS
  #include "imext.h"
  #include "imperl.h"

  DEFINE_IMAGER_CALLBACKS;

  MODULE = Your::Module  PACKAGE = Your::Module

  ...

  BOOT:
    /* any release with the API */
    PERL_INITIALIZE_IMAGER_CALLBACKS;
    /* preferred from Imager 0.91 */
    PERL_INITIALIZE_IMAGER_CALLBACKS_NAME("My::Module");

DESCRIPTION
The API allows you to access Imager functions at the C level from XS and from "Inline::C".

The intent is to allow users to:

•   write C code that does Imager operations the user might do from Perl, but faster, for example, the Imager::CountColor example.

•   write C code that implements an application specific version of some core Imager object, for example, Imager::SDL.

•   write C code that hooks into Imager's existing methods, such as filter or file format handlers.

See Imager::Inline for information on using Imager's Inline::C support.

Beware

•   don't return an object you received as a parameter - this will cause the object to be freed twice.

Types
The API makes the following types visible:

•   "i_img" - used to represent an image

•   "i_color" - used to represent a color with up to 8 bits per sample.

•   "i_fcolor" - used to represent a color with a double per sample.

•   "i_fill_t" - fill objects>> - an abstract fill

•   "im_context_t" - Imager's per-thread state.

At this point there is no consolidated font object type, and hence the font functions are not visible through Imager's API.

  i_img
This contains the dimensions of the image ("xsize", "ysize", "channels"), image metadata ("ch_mask", "bits", "type", "virtual"), potentially image data ("idata") and a function table, with pointers to functions to perform various low level image operations.

The only time you should directly write to any value in this type is if you're implementing your own image type.

The typemap includes type names Imager and Imager::ImgRaw as typedefs for "i_img *".

For incoming parameters the typemap will accept either Imager or Imager::ImgRaw objects.

For return values the typemap will produce a full Imager object for an Imager return type and a raw image object for an Imager::ImgRaw return type.

  i_color
Represents an 8-bit per sample color. This is a union containing several different structs for access to components of a color:

•   "gray" - single member "gray_color".

•   "rgb" - "r", "g", "b" members.

•   "rgba" - "r", "g", "b", "a" members.

•   "channels" - array of channels.

Use "Imager::Color" for parameter and return value types.

  i_fcolor
Similar to "i_color" except that each component is a double instead of an unsigned char.

Use Imager::Color::Float for parameter and return value types.

  i_fill_t
Abstract type containing pointers called to perform low level fill operations.

Unless you're defining your own fill objects you should treat this as an opaque type.

Use Imager::FillHandle for parameter and return value types. At the Perl level this is stored in the "fill" member of the Perl level Imager::Fill object.

  i_io_glue_t
"i_io_glue_t" is Imager's I/O abstraction.

Historically named "io_glue", and this name is available for backward compatibility.

  im_context_t
This new type is an opaque type that stores Imager's per-thread state, including the error message stack, the current log file state and image size file limits.

While Imager's internal typemap provides a "T_PTROBJ" mapping and a DESTROY method for this type you must never return objects of this type back to perl.

See "Context objects" for more information.

Create an XS module using the Imager API

  Foo.pm
Load Imager:

  use Imager 0.48;

and bootstrap your XS code - see XSLoader or DynaLoader.

  "Foo.xs"
You'll need the following in your XS source:

•   include the Imager external API header, and the perl interface header:

      #include "imext.h"
      #include "imperl.h"

•   create the variables used to hold the callback table:

      DEFINE_IMAGER_CALLBACKS;

•   initialize the callback table in your "BOOT" code:

      BOOT:
        PERL_INITIALIZE_IMAGER_CALLBACKS;

    From Imager 0.91 you can supply your module name to improve error reporting:

      BOOT:
        PERL_INITIALIZE_IMAGER_CALLBACKS_NAME("My::Module");

  foo.c
In any other source files where you want to access the Imager API, you'll need to:

•   include the Imager external API header:

      #include "imext.h"

  "Makefile.PL"
If you're creating an XS module that depends on Imager's API your "Makefile.PL" will need to do the following:

•   "use Imager::ExtUtils;"

•   include Imager's include directory in INC:

      INC => Imager::ExtUtils->includes

•   use Imager's typemap:

      TYPEMAPS => [ Imager::ExtUtils->typemap ]

•   include Imager 0.48 as a PREREQ_PM:

       PREREQ_PM =>
       {
        Imager => 0.48,
       },

•   Since you use Imager::ExtUtils in "Makefile.PL" (or "Build.PL") you should include Imager in your configure_requires:

       META_MERGE =>
       {
         configure_requires => { Imager => "0.48" }
       },

Context objects
Starting with Imager 0.93, Imager keeps some state per-thread rather than storing it in global (or static) variables. The intent is to improve support for multi-threaded perl programs.

For the typical XS or Inline::C module using Imager's API this won't matter - the changes are hidden behind macros and rebuilding your module should require no source code changes.

Some operations will be slightly slower, these include:

•   creating an image

•   reporting errors

•   creating I/O objects

•   setting/getting/testing image file limits

•   logging

You can avoid this fairly minor overhead by adding a "#define":

  #define IMAGER_NO_CONTEXT

before including any Imager header files, but you will need to manage context objects yourself.

Some functions and macros that are available without "IMAGER_NO_CONTEXT" are not available with it defined, these are:

•   mm_log() - to avoid using a different context object for the line header and the line text you need to use im_log() instead, with a context object visible in scope.

  "aIMCTX"
With "IMAGER_NO_CONTEXT" defined, "aIMCTX" refers to the locally defined context object, either via one the of the "dIMCTX" macros or as a parameter with the "pIMCTX" macro.

Without "IMAGER_NO_CONTEXT", "aIMCTX" is a call to "im_get_context()" which retrieves the context object for the current thread.

There is no "aIMCTX_" macro, any Imager function that can accept a context parameter always accepts it.

  "pIMCTX"
This macro declares a variable of type "im_context_t" that's accessible via the "aIMCTX" macro. This is intended for use as a parameter declaration for functions:

  void f(pIMCTX) {
    ... use aIMCTX here
  }

  void g(...) {
    ...
    f(aIMCTX);
  }

  "dIMCTX"
Defines a local context variable and initializes it via im_get_context().

  "dIMCTXim"
Defines a local context variable and initializes it from the context stored in an image object, eg:

  void f(i_img *im) {
    dIMCTXim(im);
    ...
  }

  "dIMCTXio"
Defines a local context variable and initializes it from the context stored in an I/O object object.

  void f(i_io_glue_t *io) {
    dIMCTXio(io);
    ...
  }

  "dIMCTXctx"
Defines a local context variable accessible via "aIMCTX" in terms of an expression you supply:

  void f(my_object *p) {
    dIMCTXctx(p->context);
    ...
  }

This can be used to define your own local context macro:

  #define dIMCTXmine(mine) ((mine)->context)

  void f(my_object *p) {
    dIMCTXmine(p);
    ...
  }

Mutex Functions
Since some libraries are not thread safe, Imager's API includes some simple mutex functions.

To create a mutex:

  i_mutex_t m = i_mutex_new();

To control or lock the mutex:

  i_mutex_lock(m);

To release or unlock the mutex:

  i_mutex_unlock(m);

To free any resources used by the mutex:

  i_mutex_destroy(m);

I most cases where you'd use these functions, your code would create the mutex in your BOOT section, then lock and unlock the mutex as needed to control access to the library.

Context slots
To avoid abstracting the platform TLS and thread clean up handling, Imager provides simple APIs for storing per-context information.

To allocate a slot:

  im_slot_t slot = im_context_slot_new(callback)

where callback is a (possibly NULL) function pointer called when the context object is destroyed.

By default, the stored value for a slot is NULL, whether for a new context or for a cloned context.

To store a value:

  im_context_slot_set(aIMCTX, slot, somevalue);

where "somevalue" can be represented as a "void *".

To retrieve the value:

  value = im_context_slot_get(aIMCTX, slot);

AUTHOR
Tony Cook <tonyc@cpan.org>

SEE ALSO
Imager, Imager::ExtUtils, Imager::APIRef, Imager::Inline