# Reloading a Gdk::pixbuf (or Gtk::Image) eats memory **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby-Gnome 2\ **Created:** [June 21, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/reloading-a-gdk-pixbuf-or-gtk-image-eats-memory/190501 "2010-06-21T20:08:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![unliketea](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/f475e1/32.png) [@unliketea](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unliketea)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/reloading-a-gdk-pixbuf-or-gtk-image-eats-memory/190501/1 "2010-06-21T20:08:34Z")
Okay: I’m on a linux system, so if you are windows I’m sure you can figure out how to do the equivalent of some of the actions I describe below Create ‘test.svg’ as such: ``` ``` Now create this little ruby script: ``` #!/usr/bin/env ruby require 'gtk2' Gtk::init pixbuf = Gdk::Pixbuf.new "test.svg" window = Gtk::Window.new.add(image = ``` Gtk::Image.new(pixbuf)).show\_all window.signal\_connect(“destroy”) do Gtk.main\_quit end Gtk::timeout\_add(1000) do pixbuf = Gdk::Pixbuf.new “test.svg” image.pixbuf = pixbuf true end Gtk::main All this script does is reload and display the svg file. Go ahead and run the script and in a separate terminal run: ``` watch -n 1 ps -o rss -p ``` You’ll notice a fairly significant memory leak here. Also, if you change the svg circle definition to: ``` ``` You’ll notice the memory leak is significantly worse. It appears the image is not releasing its old pixbufs for some reason … is there a workaround for this? Is this expected behavior? Is there a way to manually release the buffer? Thanks for any help! Cheers ---
**Author:** ![unliketea](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/f475e1/32.png) [@unliketea](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unliketea)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/reloading-a-gdk-pixbuf-or-gtk-image-eats-memory/190501/2 "2010-06-21T20:25:46Z")
Crap … So found my problem moments after posting … after having already discovered this resolution before, I tossed it aside because I didn’t have a latest set of gtk libraries. Looks like I need v0.19.3 and then add the GC.start to avoid the memory leak issue. (as show below) Thanks and Cheers --Reed Reed Debaets wrote: > Okay: I’m on a linux system, so if you are windows I’m sure you can > figure out how to do the equivalent of some of the actions I describe > below > > Create ‘test.svg’ as such: > > ``` > > > > > ``` > > Now create this little ruby script: > > ``` > #!/usr/bin/env ruby > require 'gtk2' > Gtk::init > pixbuf = Gdk::Pixbuf.new "test.svg" > window = Gtk::Window.new.add(image = > > ``` > > Gtk::Image.new(pixbuf)).show\_all > window.signal\_connect(“destroy”) do Gtk.main\_quit end > Gtk::timeout\_add(1000) do > pixbuf = Gdk::Pixbuf.new “test.svg” > image.pixbuf = pixbuf - ``` GC.start ``` > ``` > true > end > Gtk::main > > ``` > > All this script does is reload and display the svg file. Go ahead and > run the script and in a separate terminal run: > > ``` > watch -n 1 ps -o rss -p > > ``` > > You’ll notice a fairly significant memory leak here. Also, if you change > the svg circle definition to: > > ``` > > > ``` > > You’ll notice the memory leak is significantly worse. > > It appears the image is not releasing its old pixbufs for some reason > … is there a workaround for this? Is this expected behavior? Is there > a way to manually release the buffer? Thanks for any help! > > Cheers ---
**Author:** ![unliketea](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/f475e1/32.png) [@unliketea](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unliketea)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/reloading-a-gdk-pixbuf-or-gtk-image-eats-memory/190501/3 "2010-06-21T20:49:26Z")
As I’m running on RHE5, what was the earliest version that Gnome 2 was correctly releasing memory to a GC.start? (I’m in dependency hell on configuration controlled machines that no-one wants to compile libraries on _sad face_ so I need rpms and of course … the redhat/centos/fedora mess has some stupid dependency issues when you upgrade too far. Thanks! --Reed Reed Debaets wrote: > Crap … > > So found my problem moments after posting … after having already > discovered this resolution before, I tossed it aside because I didn’t > have a latest set of gtk libraries. Looks like I need v0.19.3 and then > add the GC.start to avoid the memory leak issue. (as show below) > > Thanks and Cheers --Reed > > Reed Debaets wrote: ---
**Author:** ![unliketea](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/f475e1/32.png) [@unliketea](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/unliketea)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/reloading-a-gdk-pixbuf-or-gtk-image-eats-memory/190501/4 "2010-06-22T19:11:18Z")
I was able to upgrade to ruby-gtk2-0.19.3-3 on my RHE5 system It appears the memory leak is still there. Strangely, it is not there under my Ubuntu system running libgtk2-ruby v0.19.3-1ubuntu3 (deb) any ideas? Reed Debaets wrote: > As I’m running on RHE5, what was the earliest version that Gnome 2 was > correctly releasing memory to a GC.start? (I’m in dependency hell on > configuration controlled machines that no-one wants to compile libraries > on _sad face_ so I need rpms and of course … the redhat/centos/fedora > mess has some stupid dependency issues when you upgrade too far. > > Thanks! --Reed > > Reed Debaets wrote: > > > Crap … > > > > So found my problem moments after posting … after having already > > discovered this resolution before, I tossed it aside because I didn’t > > have a latest set of gtk libraries. Looks like I need v0.19.3 and then > > add the GC.start to avoid the memory leak issue. (as show below) > > > > Thanks and Cheers --Reed > > > > Reed Debaets wrote: