RT does not start as a GIMP plugin in Windows 10

[timlt]

New user here, found an issue on Win10/x64, and Gimp 2.10.8 where RT won't start when editing a RAW file in GIMP. This repros in RT 5.4, 5.5 RC1, and 5.5 RC2. I had done a clean install of GIMP, followed by clean install of RT (tried both versions, otherwise did nothing to mess with the installations or confi).

To repro issue:

1. Try to edit a RAW .DNG file in GIMP.
2. GIMP informs you that it only has 2 compatible RAW apps--Darktable and RT--and that neither one is found. I've noticed other users reporting this issue in GIMP forums as well.

Cross-ref to the same issue filed from a GIMP user.

https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gimp/issues/2083

[Thanatomanic]

Did you search and see this issue? #4534 seems very related.

[timlt]

I did, and still have "C:\Program Files\RawTherapee\releases-5.5-rc1;" in my system PATH.

[gaaned92]

There are 3 ways GIMP could locate rawtherapee
1- when installing 5.5RC1, the installer set registry variables that can be read by the GIMP (automatic)
2- manually append Rawtherapee.exe path to PATH variable
3- set the variable RAWTHERAPEE_EXECUTABLE (with what?); I supposed something like /rawtherapee installdir/rawtherapee.exe.

I tried with no avail the 3 possibilities with both versions from Partha and from gimp.org.

Some time ago, with previous versions, I was able to make it work setting PATH variable

[afr-e]

A guess: the installers give you the choice of installing for a single user or all users. If you choose one for GIMP and the other for RT, there might be a registry, directory and / or temp mismatch.

[timlt]

A guess: the installers give you the choice of installing for a single user or all users. If you choose one for GIMP and the other for RT, there might be a registry, directory and / or temp mismatch.

Agree that could cause an issue. In this case, both apps were installed for all users, both the installations show up in the system Program Files folder.

[gaaned92]

@agriggio @heckflosse
Now that 5.5 is out, I hope you can take some time to solve this issue.

there were somme efforts already some efforts done by RT and GIMP people. For reference:

Add Single User/Multi User switch to Windows setup. #4790
Rawtherapee as a GIMP plugin #4534
GIMP RawTherapee plugin cannot find executable in Windows #4514
https://discuss.pixls.us/t/gimp-hip-hip-pas-rt-hurrah/10288

[heckflosse]

I don't know how to test, but this could help:

diff --git a/rtgui/main.cc b/rtgui/main.cc
index 8996ee01d..b75fc0ec8 100644
--- a/rtgui/main.cc
+++ b/rtgui/main.cc
@@ -536,7 +536,7 @@ int main (int argc, char **argv)
                 bool Console = true;
 
                 for (int i = 1; i < argc; i++)
-                    if (!strcmp (argv[i], "-w") || !strcmp (argv[i], "-R")) {
+                    if (!strcmp (argv[i], "-w") || !strcmp (argv[i], "-R") || !strcmp (argv[i], "-gimp")) {
                         Console = false;
                         break;
                     }
diff --git a/tools/gimp-plugin/file-rawtherapee.c b/tools/gimp-plugin/file-rawtherapee.c
index d78c30a10..56c5e2978 100644
--- a/tools/gimp-plugin/file-rawtherapee.c
+++ b/tools/gimp-plugin/file-rawtherapee.c
@@ -92,7 +92,11 @@ init (void)
   /* check if rawtherapee is installed
    * TODO: allow setting the location of the executable in preferences
    */
+#ifdef WIN32
+  gchar    *argv[]           = { "rawtherapee", "-v -w", NULL };
+#else
   gchar    *argv[]           = { "rawtherapee", "-v", NULL };
+#endif
   gchar    *rawtherapee_stdout = NULL;
   gboolean  have_rawtherapee   = FALSE;
   gint      i;

[gaaned92]

I don't know how to test, but this could help:
Yes that is one of the problems.
One other is to compile file-rawtherapee.c. It seems I need Gimp environment

[heckflosse]

I updated the patch 2 posts above

[gaaned92]

I began to build GIMP on W10, following https://wiki.gimp.org/wiki/Hacking:Building/Windows.

I rebuilt BABL and GEGL.
Building GIMP 2.10.8, I got a huge lot of compilation warnings.

As usual on MSYS2, with the vintage build system used by GIMP (autogen,automake. auto* stuff) it messes with Unix/windows path format:

libtool:   error: Could not determine the host path corresponding to
libtool:   error:   'C:/msys64/mingw64/lib:C:/msys64/mingw64/bin:/d/gimp/gimp/libgimp/.libs:/d/gimp/gimp/libgimpwidgets/.libs:/d/gimp/gimp/libgimpmodule/.libs:/d/gimp/gimp/libgimpconfig/.libs:/d/gimp/gimp/libgimpmath/.libs:/d/gimp/gimp/libgimpcolor/.libs:/d/gimp/gimp/libgimpbase/.libs:/MINGW64/lib:/MINGW64/bin:/d/gimp/gimpinstall/lib:/d/gimp/gimpinstall/bin'
libtool:   error: Continuing, but uninstalled executables may not work.

I suppose as the target is a windows system, it wrongly tries to convert unix style path to windows style path.

edit: GIMP is build with RT plugin

[gaaned92]

@heckflosse
Surprise! with my build it works!
If you want to test, I can upload the install dir. it is not a package and you need to run inside a Mingw64 shell to get the dlls.
I am puzzled

[timlt]

@heckflosse
Surprise! with my build it works!
If you want to test, I can upload the install dir. it is not a package and you need to run inside a Mingw64 shell to get the dlls.
I am puzzled

Cross-check the related GIMP bug linked in the OP: this same issue of building and then launching from Mingw64 is being discussed there.

[gaaned92]

@heckflosse
I can get the plugin work with the two following modifications. Only tested with RT register keys.

In file-rawtherapee.c from GIMP:

diff --git a/plug-ins/file-raw/file-rawtherapee.c b/plug-ins/file-raw/file-rawtherapee.c
index 1199f82673..e044afc556 100644
--- a/plug-ins/file-raw/file-rawtherapee.c
+++ b/plug-ins/file-raw/file-rawtherapee.c
@@ -97,7 +97,11 @@ init (void)
                                                              "com.rawtherapee.rawtherapee",
                                                              REGISTRY_KEY_BASE,
                                                              &search_path);
-  gchar    *argv[]             = { exec_path, "-v", NULL };
+  #ifdef WIN32
+        gchar    *argv[]             = { exec_path, "-vw", NULL };
+  #else
+        gchar    *argv[]             = { exec_path, "-v", NULL };
+  #endif
   gchar    *rawtherapee_stdout = NULL;
   gboolean  have_rawtherapee   = FALSE;
   gint      i;
 

and in RT main.cc:

diff --git a/rtgui/main.cc b/rtgui/main.cc
index 8996ee01d..cd23d6b7c 100644
--- a/rtgui/main.cc
+++ b/rtgui/main.cc
@@ -137,6 +137,11 @@ int processLineParams ( int argc, char **argv )
 
                 case 'w': // This case is handled outside this function
                     break;
+                case 'vw' :
+                    printf("RawTherapee, version %s\n", RTVERSION);
+                    ret = 0;
+                    break;
+                
 #endif
 
                 case 'v':
@@ -181,6 +186,7 @@ int processLineParams ( int argc, char **argv )
                     printf("Options:\n");
 #ifdef WIN32
                     printf("  -w Do not open the Windows console\n");
+                    printf("  -vw Print RawTherapee version number and do not open the Windows console\n");
 #endif
                     printf("  -v Print RawTherapee version number and exit\n");
 #ifndef __APPLE__
@@ -536,7 +542,7 @@ int main (int argc, char **argv)
                 bool Console = true;
 
                 for (int i = 1; i < argc; i++)
-                    if (!strcmp (argv[i], "-w") || !strcmp (argv[i], "-R")) {
+                    if (!strcmp (argv[i], "-w") || !strcmp (argv[i], "-R") || !strcmp (argv[i], "-vw")|| !strcmp (argv[i], "-gimp")) {
                         Console = false;
                         break;
                     }
 

I added -vw option as using "-v -w" in file-rawtherapee.c doesn't prevent the opening of the DOS window.

My modification is surely clumsy as it is and need review.

The difficultie to test are:

• you have to generate file-rawtherapee.exe. The only way I found is to build GIMP.
• as i wanted to run from a DOS console, in order to get all the dependencies, I copy back the generated File-rawtherapy.exe back in the installed gimp.org 2.10.8.

Once it is ok here we will have to submit the modification to GIMP devs.