[Tongs 1.7 released: September, 2006]

• [1.7 released: September, 2006] at Sourceforge and Winsite

• Includes Delphi source code

• [1.6 released: September, 2004]

• New to 1.1: Most of the [Tools] of Digital Terrain Mapping (DTM)™ has been transfered..expanded into Tongs. Changed all Twain uses to only use Delphi Twain.

• New to 1.0: Most of the program has been transfered..expanded from Image™. GRIP ICE™ will continue to be my "scientific image processor".

• Tongs Frequently Asked Questions (faq), and To Do list

• Installation:
  • Make a directory and unzip the file in it.
  • Make a Shortcut to Tongs.exe and Drag it into the Start/ Programs or your desktop to enable easily starting Tongs.
  • The first time Tongs is run, go to the Program Options and set The Thumbs directory and any other options you desire... of course these can be changed at any time.
  • Double Click InstallDllsToSystem32.bat if you have XP, or InstallDllsToSystem.bat if you have Win98. (This copies all the dll's to the proper directory)
  • devil.dll, ilu.dll, ilut.dll, ILSPEC32.DLL, SKY32V3C.DLL, ZipDll.dll, UnzDll.dll, dzsfxus.bin, ijl15.dll, Tongdll.dll
  • If you Do NOT have Borland BDE installed it will complain or crash. If you need the Borland Database Engine (BDE) it is available with VR GIS™.

• Menu
• Tongs
• GRIP
• ICE

• Tasks... in order per Menu
• Tongs
• Open a file for processing: (many types) Lischke's Graphex 9 for most of the Graphic file formats (Image Properties and Browser)
• ReOpen> (open previously opened files). Version 0 used: (MRU) Ben Ziegler (gone 404) a great component.
• Previewer Db: (jpeg Thumbnails:Artchil Gogava)
• Delphi Twain...
• Satellite Import: Multispectral (scanned photos, Landsat, Slar, SAR, AVHRR) imagery into png file format.
• Image [comments]
  PNG
  JPGComment :lost link: Luke Komsta luke@ariadna.pl
• Save, Saveas:( BMP, JPG, PNG, TIF, TARGA);
  (Png save: TPNGImage version 1.4 (PNG Delphi) by Gustavo Huffenbacher Daud : the Official TPNGImage site ).
  JPG
  (Tiff save {bmp2tiff.zip} by Wolfgang Krug)
  Delphi Super Page archive.
  TARGA: tga
• Setup Printer...
  Print per Options (basic Image print)
  Print Sizeable...
  PrePrint Titled ImageTPreview 3.0 © by Rustam Kafarov (gone 404) Previewer (TPreview called by Main, List, Tree, CSV DB)
• HELP

Contents
On Help
Me
About...
• Disk Info... :Also Search (Make Lists): search directories {=List of files: change Attributes or date; delete file(s); Send the list of files: Save, Print, Browse, List, Db }
  (Combined from: (Showman and Wintidy by David Taylor, {btff.zip} TBTFileFinder by Theodoros Bebekis and Disk Hog by Ben Ziegler (Ben has gone 404))
• System Info...
• Memory Stats... Eric Grange : GL Scene
• Program Options...
• Exit
• GRIP
• Got size?: Crop, Resize, etc.
• UnCrop
• Keep Crop
• Crop
• Crop Visible
• Crop: 256 x 256
• Crop: 512 x 512
• Crop: 1024 x 1024
• Set box size... and Crop
• Cut hole
• Crop by Corners
• Resize...
• Enlarge...
• Rescale Tool
• Rotate...efg
• Flipper efg
• Flip Vertical
• Flip Horizontal
• Rotate 90 C
• Rotate 90 CC
• Rotate 180 C
• Rotate 270 C
• Rubber Band
• Stretch... GR32 demo
• Registration: In Progress: Register image to a map, or to another image (Image Registration and Coordinate Conversion).
• Morph Lines... Morph images into an AVI (Morph from c code: Morphing Magic ©1993 by Scott Anderson; avi cribbed from GLScene Delphi code by Nelson Chu -404. AviLoader HydroS © 1995..2000 -404,) (Also available in Avi Arena: Freeware [Shapes]: WinMorph version 2.01 Copyright © 1999-2004 Satish Kumar.S -404 , Shareware [Dots]: Abrosoft FantaMorph, Information: AVI Overview by John F. McGowan, Ph.D., VirtualDub, the AVI capture and processing utility, version 1.4d © 1998-2000 by Avery Lee , and mpeg encoders.)
• Nelson Field Lines...: Nelson Chu -404 morphing code
• Morph 3D Volumes...
• IO Clipboard: Copy, Paste...
• Copy All
• Copy Freehand Box
• Set box size... and Copy
• Paste (replace all)
• Paste into area
• Set box size... and Paste
• enlarges the bitmap and places it (bitmap) as directed on the enlarged image... enabling adding images together by then pasting from the clipboard onto the image.
• Process: Affects, G32, EdgeFX, Dev IL
• Affects (gfx+Jan), Effects image Affects: gfx: Andreas Moser; Jans FX + Airbrush
  gfx v1.0 © by Andreas Moser v1.5 -404,
  Phil's Magic Wand: Fillunit ©2000 by Francesco Savastano -404
• G32: 32 bit images
  32 bit overlays: Alex Denissov Graphics32
• Edge FX: ImageLib Combo @ theEdge for photo processing-manipulation. (ILSPEC32.DLL, SKY32V3C.DLL)
• DevIL 86457 (devil.dll, ilu.dll, ilut.dll)
• ICE
• Investigate
• Over View... View Complete miniature Image in a Window (View and Crop)
• Zoom Window... View portion in a window efg
• Pixel Values... View 25x25 portion as RGB text values
• Image Info... Image Properties from Graphex 9
• -
• Displays 3D Histogram files (.rs3) in a true 3D RGB fly through of the pixels with their total value per RGB pixel available at the right click of the Mouse... a 16 meg file (256x256x256 x 3 bytes).
• 3D RGB Cubes: View layers of the 3d RGB pixels and select a cube to view number of pixels of that R,G,B value.
• Displays 3D Histogram files (.rs3) in a true 3D RGB fly through of the pixels displayed as Dots
• 3D RGB Dots: View all 3d RGB pixel layers at the same time... no pixel value information
• 3D Texture P
• 3D Texture Z
• -
• efg Bmp..Jpg : Lossy Compression comparison
• efg Image Stats... Compare differences between 2 images: per pixel
• -
• Joy Stick Test... (GLScene demo to test Joystick)
• Set Joystick: Set Threshold and Interval. Press top button to capture Centroid coordintates if Joystick spring has sprung. Press bottom button to reset Joystick parameters. (Set Joystick or use it in 3D GL viewer per program startup... Once captured the Joystick messages go to that form...)
• Classify
• Image Tree... : Arrange Images per hierarchical structure... link an image to an object name: Images of stars in Galaxies, types of plants or animals {View a file, Print Preview (TPreview)}
• Image Notes Database
• Image Database... (Jans Db) an image Database: receive data from Search, List... Send an image filename to the Image viewer or Print Previewer (TPreview). Send all image filenames to Browser. Preview Database printout and print (addresses).
  : Lost link: Preview Printer v1.02 Joseph Wilcock revision of Ben Ziegler's component.
• Family Database... with addresses and a zillion print options.
• -
• Tong___.DB Open and Print a TongPeople or TongImage .DB
• Secret Database ... a generic Database display
• Extract
• Annotate... objects on an image
• Image Text (janDrawText)
• Mark Objects...
• Paint Shapes... (Jan Shape)
  JanFX is written by Jan Verhoeven... his JanFX and airbrush are in Affects, janDrawText is the Image Text, Shapes is the Paint...; Db is CSV database... Jans Home page
• Pan Painter :TPanZoomPanel by Dave Shapiro daves@cfxc.com
• Compose png or tga Alpha... Combine two images into a 32 bit transparent (24 bit and 8 bit transparency Alpha channel) .tga or .png image. Based on the Eric Grange tga component: GL Scene
• Panoramic Image Viewer... : View Global Planetary, Spherical, or Panoramic images ~(Nelson Chu: 404ed Spherical Panorama Viewer ) (also as a demo at GL Scene).
  PanoTools is a collection of free tools for Panorama and 3D Object creation. Panorama Tools: "The latest version is alway available from my website :Helmut Dersch . There is also some documentation and a few example panoramas."
  Another 'version' is at Panoguide.com.
• -
• Browse: (Graphex 9) {Get directory - Receive List; ..Print, List} Print all images from list as paged 1..? images per page (efg)... Print Preview (TPreview)
  efg's Computer Lab for the Browser's Thumbnail (Slideshow..Preview printer (Browser, CSV DB)) printer and Zoomer.
• Search (Make Lists)... See Tongs/Disk Info
• List{}, List: {View, Print (TPreview), Convert, copy, move, delete a file; Send file to exterior program, Filename to Db} {Save and Open its List}
• Multi format Conversion: Png, Bmp, jpg: efg... David Taylor wrote this simple unit using Intel JPEG Library -404. (ijl15.dll)
• Zip .. Unzip... (ZipDll.dll, UnzDll.dll, dzsfxus.bin)
• Zip data compression: Delphi™ Zip has become the link to Delphi™ Zip, Angus Johnson's Zip demo code is built with Engler Delphi™ Zip -404 see previous link built with Info-Zip

To Do:

• To Do:
• Improve ...
• [To do items]... Paint Shapes needs implementation development of several features... transfer and use with Image, :Lost link: Gordon Alex Cowie III fastdib is something of its own ...
• Crop an irregular area: masks ... transparent colors
• Extrapolate: [PIXEL], [VOXEL], [MOXEL], [Synthesize: VRLaboratory]. [How to, Tutorial]

• Question: ?
• Answer... .

For latest source code/exe, consideration, and complements contact the Sources listed above... locations of where the code used by Imagem was first found: ... Torry, SourceForge, Delphi Super Page, :broken link: not used directly... , etc...

• Tong.dll is to be used for background processing from VR GIS as part of the networked multi-tasking.

Image types ... Hierarchical (Tree) Classification schemes:

• Constellations, Galaxies (spirals, irregulars, ellipticals), Stars, Planets
  • SEDS Messier
  • Nasa Galaxy
  • NGC IC Catalog: NGC 1 thru 7840, IC 1 thru 5386
  • Websites
• Landforms
  • Major Land Resource Areas
  • Physical Divisions
  • Geology
  • Age
  • Type
  • Rocks
  • Minerals
  • Soil Taxonomy, A Basic System for Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys, 2nd Edition
  • World Soil Resources
  • Global Hydrology basins and USGS USA Hydrology basins
  • Climate Classification
  • Global Plant
  • Wetlands
  • Plant Hardiness-Growth-Climate Zones
  • Animal Habitats
  • Country Boundaries
  • Transportation Zones
  • Urban Areas
• Biology: kingdom, class, order, genus, and species. The five kingdoms are Monera (bacteria and blue-green algae), Protista(one-celled organisms), Fungi, Plantae (plants), and Animalia (animals).
  • Mendel plant wide gene names
  • Terrestrial Vegetation of the United States The National Vegetation Classification System Volumes I and II
  • Animals
    • Species: H. sapiens, Genus: Homo, Family: Hominidae,Order: Primates, Subclass Eutheria, Class: Mammalia, Subphylum: Vertebrata, Phylum: Chordata, Kingdom: Animalia.
    • AOU Bird names Birds are formally classified as members of the class Aves (32 orders, 60 or more families, with 8,700 living species), subphylum Vertebrata, phylum Chordata, kingdom Animalia.
• People and Places (with addresses)
  • Family Tree Databases: Gencom is patented or something .. you can go in but no one comes out... While an admirable thought, the practice seems like a TRAP. Be Warned!
  • People Places (Lat Lon Location and Direction to target)
  • Favorite Places
• Things and Activities (with Lat-Long locations)
  • Things
  • Activities
• Maps
  • Region (Continent)
  • sub Region (Country)
  • Scale (Map Series : 2M, 100k, 24k)
  • Type Topic Terrain...
  • Topographic
  • Hydrography (Blue)
  • Vegetation (Green)
  • Transportation (Red)
  • Urban (Black)
  • Soils or Elevation (Brown)
  • Changes (Purple)
  • Nuclear-Biological-Chemical: EPA hazard areas (Yellow)