Extensible Persistent Properties for ImageJ Images

Posted by Michael P Ellis on
URL: http://imagej.273.s1.nabble.com/Extensible-Persistent-Properties-for-ImageJ-Images-tp5023228.html

I’m using ImageJ 1.52 as a Java library. for my own Java application.

I create images that are to be saved and restored. I want to attach extra information to an ImagePlus that will be persisted and restored using the standard ImageJ open and save operations.

I’ve discovered that only some specific ImagePlus  properties are persisted with the default ImageJ file operations (such as  the “Info” property)

The “Info”, appears itself to be a string formatted in a manor that is itself a list of properties. Can I safely append more (sub) properties to this “Info” property and expect them to be safel honoured by future versions of ImageJ 1.xx?
The code below does what I want, but is it future safe?
Also why are not all ImagePlus properties persisted?
Is there some other mechanism for save augmenting an Image in ImageJ with extensible metadata that I am missing?
I intend to add my extra properties with a reverse domain name notation key to avoid accidental clashes.

    /**
     * Adds a key-value pair to this ImagePlus's Info properties. The key is
     * removed from the properties table if value is null.
     *
     * @param imagePlus
     * @param key
     * @param value
     * @throws IOException
     * @see #getInfoProperties
     */
    void setInfoProperty(ImagePlus imagePlus, String key, String value) throws IOException {
        Properties infoProperties = getInfoProperties(imagePlus);
        if (value == null) {
            infoProperties.remove(key);
        } else {
            infoProperties.setProperty(key, value);
        }
        StringWriter sw = new StringWriter();
        infoProperties.store(sw, null);
        imagePlus.setProperty("Info", sw.toString());
    }

    /**
     * Get a property from an ImagePlus's Info properties.
     *
     * @param imagePlus
     * @param key
     * @return the
     * @see #getInfoProperties
     */
    String getInfoProperty(ImagePlus imagePlus, String key) throws IOException {
        return getInfoProperties(imagePlus).getProperty(key);
    }

    /**
     * Get the specified ImagePlus's Info properties. The "Info" properties are
     * a list of properties nested within the ImagePlus's property indexed with
     * the key value "Info". ImagePlus's "Info" property is saved and restored
     * by the default ImagePlus save and open operations.
     *
     * @param imagePlus
     * @param key
     * @return the
     */
    Properties getInfoProperties(ImagePlus imagePlus) throws IOException {
        Properties infoProps = new Properties();
        infoProps.load(new StringReader((String) imagePlus.getProperty("Info")));
        return infoProps;
    }

Michael Ellis (Managing Director)
Digital Scientific UK Ltd.
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