Tribblix: manual page: TIFFGetField.3tiff

TIFFGETFIELD(3tiff) LibTIFF TIFFGETFIELD(3tiff)

NAME

TIFFGetField - get the value(s) of a tag in an open TIFF file

SYNOPSIS

#include <tiffio.h>
#include <stdarg.h>

int TIFFGetField(TIFF *tif, uint32_t tag, ...)

int TIFFVGetField(TIFF *tif, uint32_t tag, va_list ap)

int TIFFGetFieldDefaulted(TIFF *tif, uint32_t tag, ...)

int TIFFVGetFieldDefaulted(TIFF *tif, uint32_t tag, va_list ap)

DESCRIPTION

TIFFGetField() returns the value of a tag or pseudo-tag associated
with the the current directory of the opened TIFF file tif. (A
pseudo-tag is a parameter that is used to control the operation of
the TIFF library but whose value is not read or written to the
underlying file.) The file must have been previously opened with
TIFFOpen(). The tag is identified by tag, one of the values defined
in the include file tiff.h (see also the table below). The type and
number of values returned is dependent on the tag being requested.
The programming interface uses a variable argument list as prescribed
by the stdarg.h interface. The returned values should only be
interpreted if TIFFGetField() returns 1.

TIFFVGetField() is functionally equivalent to TIFFGetField() except
that it takes a pointer to a variable argument list. TIFFVGetField()
is useful for layering interfaces on top of the functionality
provided by TIFFGetField().

TIFFGetFieldDefaulted() and TIFFVGetFieldDefaulted() are identical to
TIFFGetField() and TIFFVGetField(), respectively, except that if a
tag is not defined in the current directory and it has a default
value, then the default value is returned.

The tags understood by libtiff the number of parameter values, and
the types for the returned values are shown below. The data types are
specified as in C and correspond to the types used to specify tag
values to TIFFSetField(). Remember that TIFFGetField() returns
parameter values, so all the listed data types are pointers to
storage where values should be returned. Consult the TIFF
specification (or relevant industry specification) for information on
the meaning of each tag and their possible values.

TAG PROPERTIES

+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|Tag name | Count | Types | Notes |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_ARTIST | 1 | const char** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_BADFAXLINES | 1 | uint32_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_BITSPERSAMPLE | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_CLEANFAXDATA | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_COLORMAP | 3 | const uint16_t** | 1 << |
| | | | BitsPerSample |
| | | | arrays |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_COMPRESSION | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_CONSECUTIVEBADFAXLINES | 1 | uint32_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_COPYRIGHT | 1 | const char** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_DATATYPE | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_DATETIME | 1 | const char** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_DOCUMENTNAME | 1 | const char** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_DOTRANGE | 2 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_EXTRASAMPLES | 2 | uint16_t*, const | count, types |
| | | uint16_t** | array |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_FAXFILLFUNC | 1 | TIFFFaxFillFunc* | G3/G4 |
| | | | compression |
| | | | pseudo-tag |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_FAXMODE | 1 | int* | G3/G4 |
| | | | compression |
| | | | pseudo-tag |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_FILLORDER | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_GROUP3OPTIONS | 1 | uint32_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_GROUP4OPTIONS | 1 | uint32_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_HALFTONEHINTS | 2 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_HOSTCOMPUTER | 1 | const char** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_ICCPROFILE | 2 | const uint32_t*, | count, profile |
| | | const void** | data<**> |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_IMAGEDEPTH | 1 | uint32_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_IMAGEDESCRIPTION | 1 | const char** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_IMAGELENGTH | 1 | uint32_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_IMAGEWIDTH | 1 | uint32_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_INKNAMES | 1 | const char** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_INKSET | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_JPEGCOLORMODE | 1 | int* | JPEG pseudo-tag |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_JPEGQUALITY | 1 | int* | JPEG pseudo-tag |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_JPEGTABLES | 2 | uint32_t*, const | count, tables |
| | | void** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_JPEGTABLESMODE | 1 | int* | JPEG pseudo-tag |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_MAKE | 1 | const char** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_MATTEING | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_MAXSAMPLEVALUE | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_MINSAMPLEVALUE | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_MODEL | 1 | const char** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_ORIENTATION | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_PAGENAME | 1 | const char** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_PAGENUMBER | 2 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_PHOTOMETRIC | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_PHOTOSHOP | 2 | uint32_t*, const | count, data |
| | | void** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_PLANARCONFIG | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_PREDICTOR | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_PRIMARYCHROMATICITIES | 1 | const float** | 6-entry array |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_REFERENCEBLACKWHITE | 1 | const float** | 6-entry array |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_RESOLUTIONUNIT | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_RICHTIFFIPTC | 2 | uint32_t*, const | count, data |
| | | void** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_ROWSPERSTRIP | 1 | uint32_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_SAMPLEFORMAT | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_SAMPLESPERPIXEL | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_SMAXSAMPLEVALUE | 1 | double* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_SMINSAMPLEVALUE | 1 | double* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_SOFTWARE | 1 | const char** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_STONITS | 1 | double* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_STRIPBYTECOUNTS | 1 | const uint64_t** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_STRIPOFFSETS | 1 | const uint64_t** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_SUBFILETYPE | 1 | uint32_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_SUBIFD | 2 | uint16_t*, const | count, offsets |
| | | uint64_t** | array |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_TARGETPRINTER | 1 | const char** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_THRESHHOLDING | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_TILEBYTECOUNTS | 1 | const uint64_t** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_TILEDEPTH | 1 | uint32_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_TILELENGTH | 1 | uint32_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_TILEOFFSETS | 1 | const uint64_t** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_TILEWIDTH | 1 | uint32_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_TRANSFERFUNCTION | 1 or 3<*> | const uint16_t** | 1 << |
| | | | BitsPerSample |
| | | | entry arrays |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_WHITEPOINT | 1 | const float** | 2-entry array |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_XMLPACKET | 2 | uint32_t*, const | count, data |
| | | void** | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_XPOSITION | 1 | float* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_XRESOLUTION | 1 | float* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_YCBCRCOEFFICIENTS | 1 | const float** | 3-entry array |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_YCBCRPOSITIONING | 1 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_YCBCRSUBSAMPLING | 2 | uint16_t* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_YPOSITION | 1 | float* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
|TIFFTAG_YRESOLUTION | 1 | float* | |
+-------------------------------+-----------+------------------+-----------------+
<*>: If SamplesPerPixel is one, then a single array is returned;
otherwise three arrays are returned.

<**>: The contents of this field are quite complex. See "The ICC
Profile Format Specification", Annex B.3 "Embedding ICC
Profiles in TIFF Files" (available at http://www.color.org)
for an explanation.

AUTOREGISTERED TAGS

If you can't find the tag in the table above that means this is an
unsupported tag and is not directly supported by the libtiff library.
You will still be able to read it's value if you know the data type
of that tag. For example, if you want to read the LONG value from the
tag 33424 and ASCII string from the tag 36867 you can use the
following code:

uint32_t count;
void *data;

TIFFGetField(tiff, 33424, &count, &data);
printf("Tag %d: %d, count %d\n", 33424, *(uint32_t *)data, count);
TIFFGetField(tiff, 36867, &count, &data);
printf("Tag %d: %s, count %d\n", 36867, (char *)data, count);

RETURN VALUES

1 is returned if the tag is defined in the current directory;
otherwise a 0 is returned.

DIAGNOSTICS

All error messages are directed to the TIFFErrorExtR() routine.

Unknown field, tag 0x%x:
An unknown tag was supplied.

AUTHOR

LibTIFF contributors

COPYRIGHT

1988-2025, LibTIFF contributors

4.7 March 7, 2026 TIFFGETFIELD(3tiff)