Convert Picture to BufferedImage

[noelwelsh]

Create a stable Java2D specific method to convert a Picture to a BufferedImage. This will allow fun pixel art in conjunction with #85. This should be a new kind of effect type class, I think.

We already have a ToPicture type class. Perhaps FromPicture is the natural counterpart here? Not sure they would be symmetric though---rendering a picture is an effect but converting to a picture is not.

[fireddd]

Hi Noel,
Is this what is needed here??
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13605248/java-converting-image-to-bufferedimage

[noelwelsh]

That's not really the issue. This is about having a way to convert the Picture type in Doodle into a BufferedImage. All the code already exists, it just needs to presented in a stable API.

[jCabala]

I have one question about the end result. After the succesful implementation we want to be able to do something like:

val picture = circle(100)
val bi = picture.fromPicture

where bi is a BufferedImage or we want this function to evaluate the picture as well and get something like:

val picture = circle(100)
val (res, bi) = picture.fromPicture

Another possibility is to have a method .bufferedImage on picture that converts to the BufferedImage since there is such a method for the base64

[noelwelsh]

The closest equivalent is the Base64 effect.

I think the following is probably what is needed:

1. An effect with a single method

def bufferedImage[A](picture: Picture[Alg, A]): IO[(A, BufferedImage)]

2. Syntax to make it easier to use.

3. An implementation for the Java2D backend. (Code already exists to do this conversion. It just needs to be exposed in this API.)

[jCabala]

The function renderBufferedImage() takes more arguments than just a picture:

Should we also make the user to specify those arguments in the effect? Also this function returns the IO with the types inside in a different order than the base64 function does:

Is that intended and should the effect also return this in that order?

[noelwelsh]

Yes, I think you're right. The parameters to renderBufferedImage are essentially the elements of Frame. So I think the correct signature is

def bufferedImage[A](frame: Frame, picture: Picture[Alg, A]): IO[(A, BufferedImage)]

The different order of types is just an accident. The external APIs should be as consistent as possible, and hence should follow the precedent in base64.

[jCabala]

Does the binary compatibillity check failing mean that I cannot make the Java2dWriter extend the BufferedImageConverter and should create a separate class for that?

[noelwelsh]

You can ignore binary compatibility issues. If you bump the base version defined in build.sbt the problem will go away.

[jCabala]

I made everything specific for java2d backend but now I started thinking that maybe the approach of making the converter generic with respect to the bitmap is better as other backends might have their own bitmap classes and that could be helpful for example if we want draw pixels on the screen or do the convolutions (#94)

[noelwelsh]

I made everything specific for java2d backend but now I started thinking that maybe the approach of making the converter generic with respect to the bitmap is better as other backends might have their own bitmap classes and that could be helpful for example if we want draw pixels on the screen or do the convolutions (#94)

Agreed with this. To avoid scope creep I opened another issue (#145) that includes this.