- Fixed some bugs on C signatures files
- Improved TestKNN example
- Minor fixes
- Added 2 functions for Delphi and Lazarus, they convert Opencv image class (Mat) from/to a bitmap image
- Added the more frequent class instances used as default in many Opencv functions and methods; especially true for default Mat(), named pCvDefaultMat in ocvWrapper
- Added 2 more examples: Skeletonize, and the classical Camshiftdemo
- Fixed a bug in function PCvMatROI
- Added 64 bit version of DLL
- Added more examples for Lazarus/Freepascal
This project contains a dynamic library (DLL in Windows) that is a wrapper around the C++ API of Opencv v 2.4.13 . The library expose a pure C API interface to all C++ classes and functions of Opencv. More than 1.100 C wrapper functions cover vast majority of Opencv C++ classes and global functions, and some native C++ classes. The library is intended especially for accessing Opencv C++ API from Delphi and Freepascal units. So in this repository there are Delphi/Freepascal units with signatures to all the wrapper C API.
The wrapper code is based on the Python Opencv interface. So, all Opencv classes or functions exposed to Python are also exposed in wrapper. The code is in general divided in two parts:
- "generated" code, so called because it's automatically and totally generated from scripts using some annotations included in Opencv C++ headers (see https://docs.opencv.org/3.0.0/da/d49/tutorial_py_bindings_basics.html). This code must not be modified by hand .
- "native" code, so called because contains base Opencv classes and also native C++ classes that are not generated from script, but are hand written.
- standard Opencv classes: these have a standard constructor/destructor, properties with get and set, and methods.
- pointer to classes (Ptr): these pointers are returned from some "factory" global functions. So these classes haven't a regular constructor, and the pointer require a different treatment from standard class reference.
- Opencv structs: there are also some structs used among the C++ classes, these structs, in wrapper, for simplicity are treated as the standard classes, so have a pseudo constructor/destructor.
- C++ vectors: Opencv sometimes use C++ vectors, and vectors of vectors. In wrapper these are treated as standard classes, of course with some specific methods
Wrapper code bind a special C struct to every class, Opencv struct, Ptr or vector. The binding struct end with "_t" suffix. The struct contains internally a field with the reference to the real Opencv internal entity (class, struct, ecc.).
Every Opencv/C++ class is "flattened" to a group of C functions: one for create, one for delete, one for every method, one for every property get, and one for every property set. The create function returns the binding struct, and the delete function release the memory allocated for the entity and for the struct iself.
Only Ptr, as said, haven't the create function but only delete function. When the C or Delphi caller program invoke some method or function, it pass always as the first parameter the pointer to binding struct, that was returned from the corresponding create function.
All C wrapper functions have the "pCv" prefix, after that the class name, after that the original Opencv method name:
pCv<class name><method name>
Properties get and set have the standard name schema:
pCv<class name>Set_<property name>
pCv<class name>Get_<property name>
Example: the standard Mat Opencv class has the binding struct called Mat_t, a constructor called pCvMatCreate (indeed plus many others constructors because it's a special class), and a destructor called pCvMatDelete.
At last, for some very simple classes or structs, with few fields, there aren't single get/set functions for every property, but instead only two functions FromStruct and ToStruct that get or set all members from an helper C struct with a single call. So:
pCv<class name>FromStruct
pCv<class name>ToStruct
Ptr types have another specialized function that convert from Ptr entity to the standard wrapper binding struct. This because in general all wrapper functions "understand" only the binding struct format, not Ptr.
For example, for Ptr_Feature2d type there is a pCvPtr_Feature2dConvert function, that has input parameter type Ptr_feature2d and returns a pointer to a fresh Feature2d_t binding struct. When calling a method of Feature2D class (example: pCvFeature2dcompute) you will use the binding struct as first parameter, not the original Ptr.
Note an important aspect: all binding structs created with create functions must be deleted, of course. But the same is true also for binding structs returned directly from other wrapper functions. For example, all structs returned from properties get methods. Or all structs returned from the functions for get elements of some vectors types, ex. vector_keypoint.
All structs not properly deleted cause memory leaks.
The C++ and Opencv exceptions are handled by a special handler function in wrapper. This function always print the exception message on standard output. If the caller application is a console one, than the error messages are visible directly in application window.
The handler function also call an external handler function, if registered, passing the exception message. The external function can be registered calling the DLL function:
bool pCvRedirectException(void * func);
If pointer "func" > 0 the external handler is registered, if func = 0 the handler is unregistered.
The signature of external handler has to be:
void(*customException) (string_t*)
Regarding Delphi, the main unit OPENCVWrapper.pas (see forward) during initialization registers a standard handler, that raise a Delphi exception for every C++ or Opencv exception. But you can register a different function, with the same signature as the unit one:
procedure cvException(msg: PCvString_t);
(Note that the "msg" struct must not be deleted inside cvException or other user custom handler, because after completion it returns to the caller, i.e. the wrapper handler, and this one delete the struct).
By the way, there is a trick also for Windows Delphi applications to open a console window, just insert {$APPTYPE CONSOLE} in the project .dpr source: the forms will be displayed normally, plus a console window will be open.
Prerequisites to use provided DLL binaries:
- Opencv version 2.4.13.6
- Visual C++ 2017 runtime
Download Opencv version 2.4.13.6 from https://sourceforge.net/projects/opencvlibrary/files/opencv-win/2.4.13/opencv-2.4.13.6-vc14.exe/download
Install Opencv, and add in Windows path the directory with Opencv DLL (for example: C:\opencv2.4.13.6\build\x86\vc14\bin):
set path=C:\opencv2.4.13.6\build\x86\vc14\bin;%path%
Download this repository and add in Windows path the directory with ocvWrapper.dll . For example, if you have copied repository in C:\ocvWrapper, then:
set path=C:\ocvWrapper\bin\Release\x86
Now Opencv and ocvWrapper can be used from every program.
If you haven't Visual C++ runtime, download and install from here:
https://learn.microsoft.com/it-it/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170
WARNING! 64 bit applications could raise error "0xc000007b" if in the path the FIRST ocvWrapper or Opencv directory is the one for 32 bit. Same error if a 32 bit application find in path a 64 bit DLL.
To use ocvWrapper from Delphi only add the main unit OPENCVWrapper.pas to Uses clause of program. Other .pas files are included directly from OPENCVWrapper.pas In main unit there are many definitions of "fake" records, named as __inter__xx . They served only as a trick to force the Delphi IDE and compiler to discriminate the various "opaque" pointers to wrapper structures.
Without the trick, all that pointers are only .... pointers, not different one from another! So IDE cannot help in code suggestion, and compiler cannot catch wrong use.
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testKNN: a pure C program that use the K Nearest Neighbors class from Machine Learning module (ML)
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testPCA: a Delphi/Lazarus program for testing the PCA class from ML module
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testSVM: a Delphi/Lazarus program for testing CvSVM class from ML module
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motionTest: a Delphi/Lazarus demo program for motion tracking
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featureTest: a Delphi/Lazarus demo program for ORB feature detector class and matching between images
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cascadeTest: a Delphi/Lazarus demo program for face recognition on webcam, by cascade classifier class
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datamatrixTest: a Delphi/Lazarus demo program for Datamatrix code recognition on webcam
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skeletonize: a Delphi/Lazarus demo program that reduces an image to its more basic contours ("skeleton")
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camshiftdemo: a Delphi/Lazarus demo program, adapted from a classical Opencv example; the program tracks movements of a selected area in real time on webcam, for example the face of person in front of webcam
The library can be rebuilt using the Visual C++ 2017 project in ocvCPPWrapper24 directory. Only dependence are the .lib files of Opencv, found in \build directory inside Opencv root directory.