How to create a fixed-size file?

Question

1.00/5 (1 vote)

See more:

Hi,

I want to create JPEG files which requires to be fixed size, e.g 500KB. But I have no idea how to achieve that. Who can teach me how to make it?? or like use some tools?

P.S How to get the smallest size file of JPEG? What is the minimum JPEG files?

Posted 24-Mar-11 23:25pm

skydead

Updated 27-Mar-11 17:44pm

v3

Add a Solution

Comments

DaveAuld 25-Mar-11 5:27am

Why do you need a fixed sized (file size) jpeg file. This is probably impossible to do due to the compression algo's used in jpeg.

Espen Harlinn 25-Mar-11 5:33am

Possibly the most reasonable "Quick answer" possible :)

DaveAuld 25-Mar-11 5:34am

in that case.........

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 25-Mar-11 13:14pm

Absolutely agree. I'm sure the requirement makes no sense.
--SA

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 25-Mar-11 13:17pm

I added my Answer...
--SA

skydead 25-Mar-11 5:36am

Working need! Sorry,I can't tell you more. Beside JPEG file, I also need to do the same thing with GIF file that I have finished. I used the way is that to create a GIF file lower than required size and use tool to add notes into the file.

DaveAuld 25-Mar-11 5:39am

Well sounds a bit daft to me, rather than optimising to smallest file size possible, you want to fill it with garbage to consume space......daft as i say!

ThatsAlok 25-Mar-11 7:09am

humm... change image dimension and check for image size :-)

4 solutions

Solution 2

Write the file, check its size and if less than 500K add the requisite number of zero bytes to the end. If greater than 500K you have a problem.

Posted 25-Mar-11 0:40am

Richard MacCutchan

Comments

[no name] 25-Mar-11 6:52am

Oops, it took me so long to write my answer that you posted the short version before I was done :)

Espen Harlinn 27-Mar-11 10:26am

It may be possible to do something by defining custom metatdata for the jpeg image file, as OP specified the jpeg format.

I've not conducted any tests to check if this would work for jpeg files, but searching google for "jpeg padding" seems to indicate that this isn't a very good idea.

Richard MacCutchan 27-Mar-11 12:58pm

I agree. However the OP asked how to do it so I offered a solution. If this means his Jpegs won't render correctly that is no concern of mine.

Espen Harlinn 27-Mar-11 16:03pm

All right :)

Solution 4

Whatever you say, I'm sure that the mistake is the requirement to have 500KB and should be removed.
I already commented that this is impossible; your can pad smaller file but never guarantee smaller file.

In general case this is theoretically impossible.

Try to prove me wrong.

—SA

Posted 25-Mar-11 7:17am

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov

Comments

Richard MacCutchan 25-Mar-11 13:38pm

To be fair the OP only suggested 500KB as an example. The requirement seems to be to take an image file and pad it out to some fixed size (which could be 500KB). And we know that this is possible.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 25-Mar-11 14:16pm

I don't think I should be tolerant to the attitude: take any requirement, even stupid, and solve a problem. Even if it was perfect solution, I would vote against it. Padding makes no sense. The requirements should be changes. I know what I'm talking about. This is Dilbertization, real thing that plaques real company. We need programmers who can turn back wrong requirements. I welcome it even I was the one who created wrong requirements. Solving a problem based on a wrong requirement without critical look at it is a form of sabotage!
Sorry, I can't agree with you. This is not even about technical detail.
About technical aspect: how can you guarantee <=500KB right after compression? You can't.
--SA

Richard MacCutchan 25-Mar-11 15:51pm

I agree with you completely. However, since the OP did not explain why he wants these fixed size files I see no reason not to help. Others had already pointed out that it seemed a silly thing to do.

Emilio Garavaglia 26-Mar-11 3:23am

SA, the OP didn't specify why such a requirement. It is not even evident if such a file will be stored on a file system, or, for example, in a space of embedded memory where no "acess by name" is possible and data require to be somehow indexed. May be he just want to prepare a file to be moved up there.
At the point, inflating a short file into a file system looks a nonsense. But the real fact is that we have not enough information about what will be the use of the file and its final destination. So we cannot authoritatively judge if it make sense or not.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 26-Mar-11 14:32pm

Maybe you're right about judgment, strictly speaking. In real life, I have certain confidence that this is no more than sloppiness. As inflating looks nonsense, as you point out yourself, and the guarantee to get the file below 500KB still does not exist (nobody argued it is possible; and this is the main argument against requirement: impossibility), assuming there is a good reason for the requirement is counter-productive. The fact OP didn't specify why such a requirement also contributed to sloppiness assumption.
--SA

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 25-Mar-11 17:39pm

Richard, I just pointed out nearly the same.
At this moment we may have a bit different motivation; that's why you don't see a reason not to answer, and I do (but I do see a reason to help, which is different); this is normal and expected,
Thank you for understanding.
--SA

Espen Harlinn 27-Mar-11 16:05pm

Right - a 5!

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 27-Mar-11 16:09pm

It's so good that somebody understand it :-)
Thank you, Espen.
--SA

Add a Solution

Add your solution here

Treat my content as plain text, not as HTML

Preview 0

…

Existing Members

Sign in to your account

...or Join us

Download, Vote, Comment, Publish.

Your Email
Password
Forgot your password?

Your Email
This email is in use. Do you need your password?
Optional Password

I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Please subscribe me to the CodeProject newsletters

When answering a question please:

Read the question carefully.
Understand that English isn't everyone's first language so be lenient of bad spelling and grammar.
If a question is poorly phrased then either ask for clarification, ignore it, or edit the question and fix the problem. Insults are not welcome.
Don't tell someone to read the manual. Chances are they have and don't get it. Provide an answer or move on to the next question.

Let's work to help developers, not make them feel stupid.

This content, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The Code Project Open License (CPOL)

DaveAuld · Accepted Answer · 2011-03-24T23:34:00

Solution 1

This is probably impossible to do due to the compression algo's used in jpeg.

Posted 24-Mar-11 23:34pm

DaveAuld

Updated 24-Mar-11 23:35pm

v2

Comments

Espen Harlinn 25-Mar-11 5:35am

5ed! :)

Pravin Patil, Mumbai 25-Mar-11 5:51am

I agree with you..
My 5.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 25-Mar-11 13:13pm

Of course it is impossible in general case.
More importantly, it makes no sense.
--SA

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 25-Mar-11 13:17pm

I added my Answer, pleas see.
5 for yours.
--SA

User 7429338 · Accepted Answer · 2011-03-25T00:51:00

Solution 3

I don't agree with the statements that it's not possible, you can safely pad an existing JPEG file which is under 500Kb with zeros to increase the length to 500Kb. It works for GIF files too.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>

void main(void)
{
	FILE *fp = fopen("C:\\myimage.jpg","ab");
	
	fseek(fp,0,SEEK_END);
	long size = ftell(fp);

	char *buffer = (char*)calloc(500*1024-size,1);
	fwrite(buffer,500*1024-size,1,fp);

	fclose(fp);
}

Note that I consider this quite an ugly hack, but it's up to you to decide if you wish to use this.

Posted 25-Mar-11 0:51am

User 7429338

v2

Comments

Richard MacCutchan 25-Mar-11 7:02am

My answer was tongue in cheek, yours was far superior technically.

DaveAuld 25-Mar-11 9:58am

Ok, i also agree, that its not impossible, you've proved that, but i fail to see why the hell you would want to pad out an image file just to fill space....must be a strange requirement to require a fixed size storage size.
Is there a risk that any apps reading this modified image file would fail because the image data length versus file length are different?

[no name] 25-Mar-11 10:15am

This is a good question, I think it's certainly a risk. On the bright side, I tried a padded JPEG and GIF file with a few image reading programs (Adobe Photoshop 11.0, MSPaint XP, Paint Shop Pro 5.0, Firefox 3.6.15) and they all worked fine.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 25-Mar-11 13:13pm

It is impossible. Is is only possible if compressed size is less then 500kb, but it is impossible to guarantee.
--SA

[no name] 25-Mar-11 13:21pm

I mentioned specifically in my answer that it only works on files which are under 500Kb in size, and claiming something is not impossible is not the same as claiming something is always, under any circumstances, possible.
Personally I feel that offering a solution which works with a restriction, which is mentioned, is not deserving of a 1-vote.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 25-Mar-11 14:11pm

Maybe you're right. But you not offering real useful thing. Real useful (and the only reasonable) would be 1) throwing out requirement, 2) deny to big files in first place.
Padding is crazy and useless idea. Wasting space just out of someone's inability to design software?
This is very fundamental. Who needs problem solvers, especially volunteering?
I don't care it was requirement. Throwing out stupid requirements is the most important skill.
--SA

[no name] 25-Mar-11 14:25pm

Commonly used formats such as the NTFS and FAT file systems use padding to fit files in clusters.
Considering he didn't provide a context, I feel it's not our place to decide that padding is such a bad idea it doesn't deserve consideration.

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 25-Mar-11 15:06pm

I strongly disagree, sorry. To answer or not to answer is your choice. I think giving "right" answer to "bad" question serves no purpose. I would somehow understand if you've been pressed to do provide some solutions in response to "bad" situation. I think giving any help is positive thing is it is just the idea, not giving any help is (quite naturally) acceptable and is much better than supporting bad requirements. You "not our place" is something your own in your mind which nobody defined. I would understand is you said "not may place" about yourself, isn't that fair?
--SA