EasyBMP Project News

EasyBMP News Change
Posted on November 12, 2006

Until further notice, all project news will be posted at SourceForge at the following URL:

https://sourceforge.net/news/?group_id=129425

This is being done because SourceForge automatically generates RSS feeds, and it has proven impractical to keep news here and on SourceForge completely synced. When I learn more about PHP and RSS feeds, I may bring news back here as well. Thanks -- Paul Macklin

EasyBMP Extensions Package Updated
Posted on September 27, 2006

The EasyBMP Extensions Package has just been updated. Major changes include compatibility with recent versions of EasyBMP (tested on 1.04), improved compatibility with large projects with multiple .cpp files, and the ability to modify and reuse textures in the OpenGL extension. Check it out! :-)

EasyBMPtoAVI Movie Creator Project Launched
Posted on May 21, 2006

Okay, so now you have your BMP still images for your scientific animations. What's to do next? Paste them together as an animation!

I'm pleased to announce that I just launched EasyBMPtoAVI Movie Creator, a new project on SourceForge that creates an AVI movie from a series of BMP images. Because the project uses EasyBMP for the image input, all image bit depths are supported, and the goal of the project is to be cross-platform and cross-compiler compatible. The project will emphasize ease of use and consistency across platforms.

So, check it out, and see if it's useful for you! Thanks!! -- Paul

What do you think? Feedback Requested!
Posted on April 24, 2006

In Version 1.01, EasyBMP started to separate all code into a separate EasyBMP.cpp file. This means that to use EasyBMP into your project, you now have to add a small step when you compile. (See here.) The benefit, however, is that the code is now separate (which is a better coding practice), and EasyBMP works better with larger projects.

In the past, it was enough to simply include EasyBMP.h in your cpp files and compile your project without modification. This was slightly easier for the novice user, but not terribly easier.

So, do you have an opinion on this? Do you have a style that you prefer better? Would you rather see EasyBMP returned to its origins of only header files? Do you like the way it is now? Does it matter?

I'd love to hear your feedback, and I welcome your emails at macklin01@users.sourceforge.net. Thank you!! -- Paul

EasyBMP Version 1.01 Released!
Posted on 20 February 2011

EasyBMP is an easy cross-platform C++ library for reading and writing Windows bitmap (BMP) files. No installation, no need for external libraries, small in size, well-documented, and simple enough for the novice programmer to start in just minutes! EasyBMP particularly shines as an easy image input/output tool for scientists and other technically-minded people who may not be formally trained in programming.

EasyBMP Version 1.01 is the first release since the transition to production/stable status. This release includes helpful fixes from the user community, particular regarding a memory leak and unitialized variables that occurred in the EasyBMP_BMP.h file. This release also fixes some bugs involving how the DPI was initialized, so that written BMP files now include the correct default DPI (dots per inch) information. Version 1.01 is also the first release to completely separate all code from the header files. This will make EasyBMP more useful for projects involving many cpp files, which is commonplace in scientific computing.

EasyBMP Version 1.01 can be downloaded from SourceForge at

http://easybmp.sourceforge.net/download.html

and release notes can be found here:

http://sourceforge.net/project/shownotes.php?release_id=412084&group_id=129425

Additional support, documentation, code samples, and add-ons can be found here on the EasyBMP project website, which is available at

http://easybmp.sourceforge.net

EasyBMP is grateful for the support and hosting services of SourceForge.net. We hope that others find EasyBMP as simple and effective as we do. We also thank our user base for their support and continued bug reports!

Best wishes - Paul Macklin (macklin01)

Website Updated
Posted on February 27, 2006

I updated the website to use HTML 4.01 Strict instead of HTML 4.01 Transitional. In additional to making the layout a little nicer, the change should allow the site to render properly in Opera now.

DataPlotter Code Sample Updated
Posted on February 12, 2006

I just updated the DataPlotter code sample. This program helps to visualize ASCII data files. The most recent changes make the program compatible with EasyBMP Version 1.00 and add a few feature enhancements.

EasyBMP Moved to Production/Stable as Version 1.00 Released
Posted on February 7, 2006

EasyBMP is an easy cross-platform C++ library for reading and writing Windows bitmap (BMP) files. No installation, no need for external libraries, small in size, well-documented, and simple enough for the novice programmer to start in just minutes! EasyBMP particularly shines as an easy image input/output tool for scientists and other technically-minded people who may not be formally trained in programming.

As of Version 1.00, EasyBMP is proud to move from Beta to Production/Stable status. EasyBMP made its first public release on January 31, 2005. In the year since that time, EasyBMP has received invaluable feedback from the SourceForge community, resulting in major improvements in ease of use, robustness, and safety. The API and feature set have been largely frozen since Version 0.66, leading to greater dependability for developers while providing a chance for EasyBMP to eliminate remaining bugs and quirks. Since Version 0.70, very few bugs have been found, and we're in a fantastic position to make today's move to production/stable status.

EasyBMP Version 1.00 fixes the last known bugs (in teh ranged pixel copy functions) in the core library. This release also introduces some new data members to the BMP class, including the horizontal and vertical DPI (dots per inch) and placeholders for future metadata. The DPI data members (and associated functions) allow for the more proper treatment of horizontal and vertical resolution for cases where it is important.

EasyBMP Version 1.00 can be downloaded from SourceForge at

http://easybmp.sourceforge.net/download.html

and release notes can be found here:

http://sourceforge.net/project/shownotes.php?release_id=391446&group_id=129425

Additional support, documentation, code samples, and add-ons can be found here on the EasyBMP project website.

EasyBMP is grateful for the support and hosting services of SourceForge.net. We hope that others find EasyBMP as simple and effective as we do. We also thank the SourceForge community for a fantastic first year!

Best wishes - Paul Macklin (macklin01)

2005 News Archived ; Short Historical Recap ;
Steganography Example Updated
Posted on February 3, 2006

This is my first site update in a long time. First off, if you're looking for old news items, please look in the 2005 News Archive.

Second, I'm happy to announce that EasyBMP is just over a year old today; the first public release was on January 31, 2005. The project has come a long was in this past year; the API was completely rewritten in Version 0.55 to consolidate the previously-separate classes for individual bit depths. The result was a major improvement in usability and simplicity, even while improving security and stability. Since then, there has been a (more or less) steady stream of releases to improve speed and stability and eliminate bugs. As of Version 0.71, there are no known bugs.

So, it's about time to move EasyBMP to production/stable status. The next update will mark this transition, when I have a chance to do one more examination of the code. In particular, I'll check the extra functions in the EasyBMP_VariousBMPutilities.h file. I anticipate announcing such a release within a few days.

Lastly, I updated the steganography code sample. In the previous (ancient) version, there were old, C-like libraries used that tend to conflict with the standard namespace in some compilers. Hopefully, those issues should now be resolved.

Click here to read archived news from 2005.