How can I write a rational tag like 200/1 using the LibTiff.Net 2.3 Library

Question

I have no clue why this is so hard to do but I can not get LibTiff.Net 2.3 to set a rational value correctly... Over the years I have always used values like "200/1" in tiff tag number 282(XRESOLUTION) and 283(YRESOLUTION). But when using the LibTiff.Net library it seems impossible to get that results. I always get things like "419430400/2097152" instead. Anyone know how I can resolve this issue?

Notes About My Question:

This is the libtiff library (pre .Net) and it looks like the first else if does account for something like 200/1.

TIFFWriteDirectoryTagCheckedRationalArray(TIFF* tif, uint32* ndir, TIFFDirEntry* dir, uint16 tag, uint32 count, float* value)
{
    static const char module[] = "TIFFWriteDirectoryTagCheckedRationalArray";
    uint32* m;
    float* na;
    uint32* nb;
    uint32 nc;
    int o;
    assert(sizeof(uint32)==4);
    m=_TIFFmalloc(count*2*sizeof(uint32));
    if (m==NULL)
    {
        TIFFErrorExt(tif->tif_clientdata,module,"Out of memory");
        return(0);
    }
    for (na=value, nb=m, nc=0; nc<count; na++, nb+=2, nc++)
    {
        if (*na<=0.0)
        {
            nb[0]=0;
            nb[1]=1;
        }
        else if (*na==(float)(uint32)(*na))
        {
            nb[0]=(uint32)(*na);
            nb[1]=1;
        }
        else if (*na<1.0)
        {
            nb[0]=(uint32)((*na)*0xFFFFFFFF);
            nb[1]=0xFFFFFFFF;
        }
        else
        {
            nb[0]=0xFFFFFFFF;
            nb[1]=(uint32)(0xFFFFFFFF/(*na));
        }
    }
    if (tif->tif_flags&TIFF_SWAB)
        TIFFSwabArrayOfLong(m,count*2);
    o=TIFFWriteDirectoryTagData(tif,ndir,dir,tag,TIFF_RATIONAL,count,count*8,&m[0]);
    _TIFFfree(m);
    return(o);
}

This is the new .Net version...

private bool writeRationalArray(ref TiffDirEntry dir, float[] v)
{
    int[] t = new int [2 * dir.tdir_count];
    for (int i = 0; i < dir.tdir_count; i++)
    {
        int sign = 1;
        float fv = v[i];
        if (fv < 0)
        {
            if (dir.tdir_type == TiffType.RATIONAL)
            {
                WarningExt(this, m_clientdata, m_name,
                "\"{0}\": Information lost writing value ({1:G}) as (unsigned) RATIONAL",
                FieldWithTag(dir.tdir_tag).Name, fv);
                fv = 0;
            }
            else
            {
                fv = -fv;
                sign = -1;
            }
        }

        int den = 1;
        if (fv > 0)
        {
            while (fv < (1L << (31 - 3)) && den < (1L << (31 - 3)))
            {
                fv *= 1 << 3;
                den *= 1 << 3;
            }
        }

        t[2 * i + 0] = (int)(sign * (fv + 0.5));
        t[2 * i + 1] = den;
    }

    return writeData(ref dir, t, 2 * dir.tdir_count);
}

Answer 1

Be sure to give me a 1UP if this helped you please. Thanks!

OK so I decided to take on editing the library to account for the reduced fraction. Below is the code I changed in the .Net library to make it work. And work it does!

I hope Bobrovsky includes this in his next release. I'm sure someone else will be thankful other then me! ;)

In case you a little unsure about how to edit the library here are the steps I used as detailed as possible...

1) Download the library source located here.

2) Open the project file. I used the LibTiff.NET_NoSilverlight.sln solution file to open the project.

3) Expand the LibTiff project node.

4) Expand the Internals node.

5) Find the Tiff_DirWrite.cs class file and open it.

6) Inside that class file I found the function called writeRationalArray and this is what it looked like...

/// <summary>
/// Setup a directory entry of an array of RATIONAL or SRATIONAL and
/// write the associated indirect values.
/// </summary>
private bool writeRationalArray(ref TiffDirEntry dir, float[] v)
{
    int[] t = new int [2 * dir.tdir_count];
    for (int i = 0; i < dir.tdir_count; i++)
    {
        int sign = 1;
        float fv = v[i];
        if (fv < 0)
        {
            if (dir.tdir_type == TiffType.RATIONAL)
            {
                WarningExt(this, m_clientdata, m_name,
                    "\"{0}\": Information lost writing value ({1:G}) as (unsigned) RATIONAL",
                    FieldWithTag(dir.tdir_tag).Name, fv);
                fv = 0;
            }
            else
            {
                fv = -fv;
                sign = -1;
            }
        }

        int den = 1;
        if (fv > 0)
        {
            while (fv < (1L << (31 - 3)) && den < (1L << (31 - 3)))
            {
                fv *= 1 << 3;
                den *= 1 << 3;
            }
        }

        t[2 * i + 0] = (int)(sign * (fv + 0.5));
        t[2 * i + 1] = den;
    }

    return writeData(ref dir, t, 2 * dir.tdir_count);
}

7) Edit the writeRationalArray function to look like the following...

/// <summary>
/// Setup a directory entry of an array of RATIONAL or SRATIONAL and
/// write the associated indirect values.
/// </summary>
private bool writeRationalArray(ref TiffDirEntry dir, float[] v)
{
    int[] t = new int [2 * dir.tdir_count];
    for (int i = 0; i < dir.tdir_count; i++)
    {
        int sign = 1;
        float fv = v[i];
        if (fv < 0)
        {
            if (dir.tdir_type == TiffType.RATIONAL)
            {
                WarningExt(this, m_clientdata, m_name,
                    "\"{0}\": Information lost writing value ({1:G}) as (unsigned) RATIONAL",
                    FieldWithTag(dir.tdir_tag).Name, fv);
                fv = 0;
            }
            else
            {
                fv = -fv;
                sign = -1;
            }
        }

        int den = 1;
        if (fv > 0)
        {
            while (fv < (1L << (31 - 3)) && den < (1L << (31 - 3)))
            {
                fv *= 1 << 3;
                den *= 1 << 3;
            }
        }

        t[2 * i + 0] = (int)(sign * (fv + 0.5));
        t[2 * i + 1] = den;

        //Reduce the fraction
        int a = t[2 * i + 0];
        int b = t[2 * i + 1];
        while (b > 0) { int rem = a % b; a = b; b = rem; }
        for (int ind = 0; ind < 2; ind++) { t[2 * i + ind] /= a; }
    }

    return writeData(ref dir, t, 2 * dir.tdir_count);
}

All I did to it was add three lines of code to reduce the fraction at the end.

Answer 2

When using LibTiff.Net you are supposed to set rational values like this:

image.SetField(TiffTag.XRESOLUTION, 150.0);
image.SetField(TiffTag.YRESOLUTION, 150.0);

The library will write a rational value as pair of integer values (dividend and divisor) in a TIFF. You don't need to help it with that.