View source for Proposals:ImageIO API for GUI Support

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'''ImageIO API for GUI Support'''

= The Need =

When building GUI applications based on ITK, it is common to use the ImageFileReader and ImageFileWriter classes, that through the ImageIO Factories are capable of supporting a large number of image file formats.

There are in fact, so many file formats supported, that it is challenging to list them all in the '''File Dialog''' of a GUI at the application level.

= Current Support =

Currently the ImageIO classes support the GUI interfaces by providing the following API

  ArrayOfExtensionsType GetSupportedWriteExtensions() const
  ArrayOfExtensionsType GetSupportedReadExtensions() const
  void AddSupportedWriteExtension( const char * extension  )
  void AddSupportedReadExtension( const char * extension )

== Proposed API ==

* Suggested API for the ImageIO classes
** unsigned int GetNumberOfExtensions() const;
** std::string GetNthExtension(unsigned int) const