nivision library - imaqMakeRect : access violation writing location

[MIT20]

 I'm writing an image acquistion script using the nivision and niimaqdx libraries in python 2.7 using ctypes. When I use the function imaqMakeRect to make a Rect structure to use in the imaqImagetoArray function, I get an access violation writing error. 

This is the line causing the problem - imaqMakeRect(c_int32(0), c_int32(0), c_int32(0x7FFFFFFF), c_int32(0x7FFFFFFF)).

resulting in the error : WindowsError: exception: access violation writing 0x00000008

The access violation location seems to depend on the value of the first argument. Any ideas about what might be going on ? and how to fix it ?

Thanks !

[Hatef.fouladi]

this 0x7FFFFFFF means that you overflow maximum possible number 4294967296
it limit your access of memory

[MIT20]

But, I get the same error regardless of the value that I use there, even if it is less than 0x7FFFFFFF

[Hatef.fouladi]

access violation writing 0x00000008 error
accrue when you try to use part of memory that other program of process is using that part of memory and it is busy

[MIT20]

I see. How do I avoid this error ? Its very reproducible.

[BlueCheese]

Without posting any of your code it is impossible to know what the issue is, but it would seem likely that you are not wrapping the C functions properly in Python. A quick Google shows that someone has already wrapped NI Vision in Python:
https://github.com/robotpy/pynivision

Maybe try this wrapper code instead?

Eric

[MIT20]

Even these three lines here reproduces the problem : 

from ctypes import *

imaq = windll.nivision

IMAQ_NO_RECT =  imaq.imaqMakeRect(c_int32(0), c_int32(0), c_int32(100), c_int32(100))

[BlueCheese]

---

@MIT20 wrote:

Even these three lines here reproduces the problem : 

from ctypes import *

imaq = windll.nivision

IMAQ_NO_RECT =  imaq.imaqMakeRect(c_int32(0), c_int32(0), c_int32(100), c_int32(100))

---

I'm no python or cytpes guru, but this above example doesn't seem like it would be defining the function prototype for imaqMakeRect properly. SInce the functions are exported from the DLL as undecorated C functions, Python has no way to know the calling convention or the return value type. I'd imagine you'd have to specify a more complete function definition to make this work properly. Specifically, imaqMakeRect returns a structure, not an integer, and this may be the issue you are seeing.

I highly suggest looking at an existing wrapper like the one I pointed to that already does the wrapping for you.

[MIT20 · Accepted solution]

Thaks for the suggestions !

This fixed it - 

from ctypes import *
imaq = windll.nivision

class Rect(Structure):
    _fields_ = [
        ("top", c_int32),
        ("left", c_int32),
        ("height", c_int32),
        ("width", c_int32),
        ]

imaq.imaqMakeRect.restype = Rect

IMAQ_NO_RECT = imaq.imaqMakeRect(c_int32(0), c_int32(0), c_int32(100), c_int32(100))