TkPhotoImage.copy always gives "too many colors" Error

I’m working to copy and eventually manipulate images within Ruby, but
the Tk extension seems to be broken. My program (minus some crud) looks
like this:

require ‘tk’
require ‘tk/image’
require ‘tkextlib/tkimg’

Settings

image_file_suffix = ‘.jpg’
final_filename = “final.jpg”

Find all the separate images

Dir.chdir( to_dir )

image_filenames = []
regex = Regexp.compile("^[0-9]+.*\#{image_file_suffix}$")
Dir.foreach(".") {|filename| image_filenames << filename if filename =~
regex }

photos = []
pixel_height = 0
pixel_width = 0
image_filenames.each{ |image_fn|
image = TkPhotoImage.new( :file => image_fn )
photos << image
pixel_width += photo.width
pixel_height = photo.height > pixel_height ? photo.height :
pixel_height
}

compound_image = TkPhotoImage.new( :height => pixel_height, :width =>
pixel_width )
compound_image.blank

curr_x = 0
photo = photos[0]

All give C:/ruby/ruby1_86_26/lib/ruby/1.8/tk.rb:2272:in `__invoke’:

too many colors (RuntimeError)
#compound_image.copy( photo, :from => [0,0,photo.width, photo.height] )
#data = photo.data( :from => [0,0,photo.width, photo.height] )
#compound_image.copy( photo )
compound_image.put( photo.data )

compound_image.write final_filename

So I’ve tried the 4 different commands near the end and everything
fails. In particular I added a puts at the tk.rb method mentioned and
get the following out using any .copy() call:

INVOKE: [“i00002”, “copy”, “i00000”]
INVOKE: [“i00002”, “write”, “final.jpg”]
INVOKE: [“rename”, “INTERP_FINALIZE_HOOK”, “”]

And it is always after the last one when the error gets thrown. The
.put(.data()) call dumps all the data to the console (and takes a looong
time), but otherwise the last 2 commands and the error are always the
same. The file actually created is only 6 bytes - not a good result
when trying to copy a 35K file over… I’ve tried it as a simple way to
copy a couple different images with the same results. Google only finds
me many versions of a code file with INTERP_FINALIZE_HOOK in it -
nothing useful nor explanatory except possibly a couple links at the
very end in Japanese.

Any ideas appreciated!

-Chris
WinXP SP3?, Ruby 1.8.6, ActiveTcl 8.4.17.0…

From: “C. Dagnon” [email protected]
Subject: TkPhotoImage.copy always gives “too many colors” Error
Date: Mon, 18 May 2009 08:21:57 +0900
Message-ID: [email protected]

too many colors (RuntimeError)

This error message is generated in a GIF write function of Tcl/Tk
(“CommonWriteGIF” function in stardard Tcl/Tk and tkImg extension),
when color map size of an image is larger than 256.
So, it doesn’t depend on Ruby/Tk.

I’m sorry but I have no solution.
The only what I can say is “Could you try to use ‘format’ option?”.

Yes, I am certainly willing to try :format, however I only have PERL
examples and adding

, :format => ‘jpeg’

to the end of both TkPhotoImage.new() calls ends up with the same error.
I tried :jpeg and :jpg also, though for :jpg it says that format is not
supported. I also tried all the permutations of adding :format between
the 2 .new() calls and get the same error each time.

I added a puts in tk/image.rb’s write(), but that just shows that it is
going to the correct filename with no options specified. I could try
higher up in the stack (4 more methods) but they are all there just to
call the Tk underbelly, right?

Locally I see that /ruby/1.8/tkextlib/tkimg/jpeg.rb exists. I realize
that this is the first time I’ve tried saving an image from Ruby/Tk,
however given the focus of your comment should I assume that my code at
least looks correct? So is the conclusion that the ActiveTcl
implementation (the only one available for Windows, I’ve heard, a
commercially dependant binary) has errors?

Thanks,

-Chris

From: “C. Dagnon” [email protected]
Subject: Re: TkPhotoImage.copy always gives “too many colors” Error
Date: Mon, 18 May 2009 21:59:33 +0900
Message-ID: [email protected]

however given the focus of your comment should I assume that my code at
least looks correct? So is the conclusion that the ActiveTcl
implementation (the only one available for Windows, I’ve heard, a
commercially dependant binary) has errors?

Your code fixed your typo (e.g. “image” ↔ “photo” in a each block
of “image_filenames”) works properly on my linux box and windows box.
The error may depend on your image files.
If so, and if the image files are not broken, it maybe a problem on
the ActiveTcl.

Hmmm,

I tried a separate JPEG from a camera which displays correctly with
other programs as a straight copy and got the same errors. Of course
the original images were ones I cut out of a JPEG using GIMP, so I don’t
think it is the original format which is the problem. I’d be happy to
try other images if you have suggestions - color tests or what not, or
suggestions on what makes a good image file…

I also tried it on a Mac OS X 10.4.11 and again had the same GIF “too
many colors” error. That would mean it is some problem in the Ruby-Tk
wrapper, correct?

I wonder if they ever tested writing a JPEG file. But again I’m unsure
that I’m using the API correctly here since I can’t find examples from
Google of anyone doing it. Any alternate code is appreciated.

But perhaps it is onto another UI technology then :frowning:

-Chris

Thanks a lot, Hidetoshi!

For anyone still following this thread the solution is:

composite.write( ‘filename.jpg’, :format => :jpeg )

I had somehow assumed that we were dealing with objects, internal state
and memory, but we’re not. Even though I created the composite image
with :format, Ruby/Tk only sends the immediate command to tk, so write()
also needs the format parameter. I was additionally confused because
the Perl/Tk book I have as a reference also has a table stating which
image formats do not need format specified in the calls, and JPEG is one
of those which doesn’t - there at least.

Next question is: how do I give Hidetoshi NAGAI a bump? Do we have any
star ratings here? 8)

Cryptic non-documented APIs (along with the code) seem to be Ruby’s
trademark :frowning: RDoc rarely counts, unfortunately.

-Chris

From: “C. Dagnon” [email protected]
Subject: Re: TkPhotoImage.copy always gives “too many colors” Error
Date: Tue, 19 May 2009 08:25:11 +0900
Message-ID: [email protected]

I tried a separate JPEG from a camera which displays correctly with
other programs as a straight copy and got the same errors.

Could you send me the image files which make errors?
I cannot investigate the trouble, because I cannot re-generate it.
Although I’m not an expert enough to check image formats,
I need samples to make the same error at least.

I also tried it on a Mac OS X 10.4.11 and again had the same GIF “too
many colors” error. That would mean it is some problem in the Ruby-Tk
wrapper, correct?

I think that the method which make the error calls a Tcl/Tk function
only. And the error message is made at the Tcl/Tk function.
If you can write a Tcl/Tk script, please execute the same operation
for the images. Of course, your “wish” command uses the same Tcl/Tk
libraries (libtcl.so and libtk.so) with Ruby’s tcltklib.so.
If it makes the same error, your trouble depends on your Tcl/Tk and/or
your environment. But if not, the trouble possibly depends on Ruby/Tk.

Is your window system’s color depth larger than 8bit ?