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UPDATE: iOS4.3 and Xcode4

PLEASE READ THE UPDATE

I’ve been busy working on an iPhone project using ImageMagick the last month, and one thing has kept on bugging me: Some functionality just wasn’t working!!!

In particular I discovered that ImageMagick uses some XML configuration files for some of its internal operations. You can find the whole reading about them on ImageMagick site.

After fiddling, deciding to not care, re-deciding that I WANTED THE FUNCTIONALITY here’s the solution (as usual in steps):

1. The Files that need to be copied over are stored, if you use my script to compile ImageMagick under the installation directory:
   ~/Desktop/tmp_target/imagemagick/lib/ImageMagick-6.5.3/config
~/Desktop/tmp_target/imagemagick/share/ImageMagick-6.5.3/config
2. XCode needs to import such files, so that they can be copied over to the destination application. In particular add them to the Resources directory with the usual method for adding files:
   Right click on the Resources folder -> Add -> Existing Files…
   and select all the .xml files in the two folders above.
3. The Code somewhere, like in a function that gets called only once (viewDidLoad, for instance), this may vary depending on your program, add the two following lines:

   NSString * path = [[NSBundle mainBundle] resourcePath];
   setenv("MAGICK_CONFIGURE_PATH", [path UTF8String], 1);
   

Done, now ImageMagick knows where to look for the needed configuration files and will work like a breeze for you.

YES! It was this easy. But not to discover, trust me! :P

UPDATE: iOS4.3 and Xcode4

PLEASE READ THE UPDATE

I’m working on some iPhone applications, which need some image filtering. For now, I won’t say more! Stay tuned for the news when it comes out!

Long story short, I soon found the need (ant the challenge was a good one) to get ImageMagick static libraries so that I can use it on the iPhone. Not only that, but with jpeg and png support. That’s what I need.

After a fast search through the net, I couldn’t find a single _GOOD_ post on how to do that. Just some bits and bytes – Nothing complete.

I soon set on a mission to get ImageMagick to work on the iPhone, as a library. And here’s the result of my quest (around 1 day of search, trials and errors, and at last some light!)

Setting

I’m running MacOSX 10.5.7, with the latest MacPorts installed. If you don’t, get it! I have many ports installed, the ones I “think” are important are:

• jpeg
• libpng

Also, I’m testing everything with the latest beta of the iPhoneOS 3.0 – It should be working also for 2.2.1 and the final 3.0 when it comes out.

The Script

I now provide you with a shell script that should do the whole trick of creating the static libraries needed in Xcode for iPhone development.

Just download it, give it run permission (chmod +x ./compile_im.sh), and launch it. It will ask for your password because it needs to copy a file that is not owned by you, the user.

Before complaining that it’s not working, open it, and look at the required directory structure for it to work.
In particular you will need:

• a Desktop folder named cross_compile
• ImageMagick source: ImageMagick
• jpeg source: jpeg

– to which I’ve added the MacPorts patches

• libpng source: libpng
• Untar ImageMagick source and place it into ~/Desktop/cross_compile/i_m
• Untar/Unzip jpeg/libpng source and place it into: ~/Desktop/cross_compile/i_m/IMDelegates/jpeg-6b and ~/Desktop/cross_compile/i_m/IMDelegates/libpng-1.2.37

Now you can run the script :)

Result

The result will be stored under: ~/Desktop/tmp_target. In particular you can find all the header files needed while developing your application under: ~/Desktop/tmp_target/im_libs/includes (divided by library). While all the static libraries are inside ~/Desktop/tmp_target/im_libs/:

• libjpeg.a
• libpng.a
• libMagickCore.a
• libMagickWand.a

Please note that the script joins both the i386 and the arm build inside one single .a static library to ease up developing (for testing both on the Simulator and on the device itself. When finishing up the application you may want to put only the arm library to make the overall application lighter.

XCode configuration

Step 1

To work with your libraries you need to put some easy adjustments to your Project in XCode. I’ve found that the best thing to do, especially in a shared environment with multiple developers, to just put everything inside the XCode project. To do so do:

• Project->Add To Project->Select all the .a libraries->Click ‘ADD’
• Project->Add To Project->Select the folders inside the ~/Desktop/tmp_target/im_libs/include->Click ‘ADD’

Step 2

Click on Project->Edit Project Settings and edit (in the Build:

• Other Linker Flags: -lMagickCore -lMagickWand -lz -lbz2 -ljpeg -lpng
• Header Search Paths: $(SRCROOT) – make it Recursive
• Library Search Paths: $(SRCROOT) – make it Recursive
• On the lower left click on the small-wheel and select: Add User-Defined Setting
• Key: OTHER_CFLAGS
• Value: -Dmacinsoth=1

This should be enough to make you start.

For the Lazy

If you’re lazy, don’t manage or for whatever other reason you can just download the whole compiled package

Last note

In case the script doesn’t work, you have questions/suggestions/support please don’t hesitate to contact me, and in case you need help with the script please send me the FULL output in a file.
./compile_im.sh > file_to_send.txt