I've have done some further testing and have found that the speed is dependant on the source of the image, the haystack and the search type. The most dependable searches rely on the source of the image being the Image Capture Tool. The following shows the 100% success rate for 3 images captured by the tool along with the associated haystack, search type, elapsed time in seconds and the number of matches. Search type CCOEFF is markedly slower than search type EXACT. The EXACT Speed Factor shows how much faster it is:
Code: Select all
Summary Report - Images saved using Image Capture Tool
Needle: image1.bmp
CCOEFF Match Precision = 0.7 EXACT
EXACT Colour Precision = 0 Speed
HayStack Search Type Elapsed NumFound Factor
SCREEN EXACT 0.1758 1 5.89
SCREEN CCOEFF 1.0352 1
WINDOW EXACT 0.1563 1 6.57
WINDOW CCOEFF 1.0273 1
Needle: image2.bmp
CCOEFF Match Precision = 0.7 EXACT
EXACT Colour Precision = 0 Speed
HayStack Search Type Elapsed NumFound Factor
SCREEN EXACT 0.1719 1 6.50
SCREEN CCOEFF 1.1172 1
WINDOW EXACT 0.1602 1 7.14
WINDOW CCOEFF 1.1445 1
Needle: image3.bmp
CCOEFF Match Precision = 0.7 EXACT
EXACT Colour Precision = 0 Speed
HayStack Search Type Elapsed NumFound Factor
SCREEN EXACT 0.1719 1 6.57
SCREEN CCOEFF 1.1289 1
WINDOW EXACT 0.1484 1 7.34
WINDOW CCOEFF 1.0898 1
And whilst there isn't much in it, WINDOW/EXACT searches are always the fastest. CCOEFF searches are always the slowest. Images saved using the ScreenCapture function only have a 50% hit rate and, unfortunately, the hits are always the slowest CCOEFF searches:
Code: Select all
Summary Report - Images saved using ScreenCapture
Needle: image1.bmp
CCOEFF Match Precision = 0.7
EXACT Colour Precision = 0
HayStack Search Type Elapsed NumFound
SCREEN EXACT 0.1680 0
SCREEN CCOEFF 1.0156 1
WINDOW EXACT 0.1602 0
WINDOW CCOEFF 1.0234 1
Needle: image2.bmp
CCOEFF Match Precision = 0.7
EXACT Colour Precision = 0
HayStack Search Type Elapsed NumFound
SCREEN EXACT 0.1641 0
SCREEN CCOEFF 1.0000 1
WINDOW EXACT 0.1406 0
WINDOW CCOEFF 1.0078 1
Needle: image3.bmp
CCOEFF Match Precision = 0.7
EXACT Colour Precision = 0
HayStack Search Type Elapsed NumFound
SCREEN EXACT 0.1797 0
SCREEN CCOEFF 1.0078 1
WINDOW EXACT 0.1641 0
WINDOW CCOEFF 1.0039 1
The odd thing about these times is that the EXACT times are what you would expect for a successful search. Could it be that the NumFound value is wrong?
Also, what is the difference between a BMP created by the Image Capture Tool and the BMP created by the ScreenCapture function? Can't ScreenCapture produce the same BMP as the Image Capture Tool? Using the ScreenCapture function allows images to be captured programmatically, and accurately, it's just unfortunate that the far faster EXACT searches fail.
This is the code for the macro that I used for this testing:
Code: Select all
/*
This macro demonstrates the speed of the FindImagePos command using user-defined values for
Match Precision and Colour Tolerance.
Run it and browse for a bitmap file previously created with the Image Capture tool which is
currently showing on the screen.
Enter Match Precision value (0 to 1, default=0.7) for CCOEFF searches.
Enter Colour Tolerance value (0 to 255, default=0) for EXACT searches.
Hit Find to search for the image.
A message box will be displayed showing elapsed time in seconds and the number of matches
for the following search types:
1. SCREEN - EXACT
2. SCREEN - CCOEFF
3. WINDOW - EXACT
4. WINDOW - CCOEFF
An Ask statement allows further images to be processed without re-starting the macro.
Responding to the Ask statement with NO will display a summary report for all the images
processed.
Change the Window Title at line 164 to suit
*/
VBSTART
VBEND
Dialog>Dialog1
object Dialog1: TForm
Left = 441
Top = 107
HelpContext = 5000
BorderIcons = [biSystemMenu]
Caption = 'Dialog1'
ClientHeight = 304
ClientWidth = 368
Color = clBtnFace
Font.Charset = DEFAULT_CHARSET
Font.Color = clWindowText
Font.Height = -11
Font.Name = 'MS Sans Serif'
Font.Style = []
OldCreateOrder = True
ShowHint = True
OnTaskBar = False
PixelsPerInch = 96
TextHeight = 13
object msLabel1: TLabel
Left = 18
Top = 56
Width = 45
Height = 13
Caption = 'Needle BMP File:'
Transparent = True
end
object msLabel2: TLabel
Left = 18
Top = 16
Width = 260
Height = 13
Caption = 'Browse for a BMP captured with the image capture tool'
Transparent = True
end
object msLabel3: TLabel
Left = 18
Top = 112
Width = 170
Height = 13
Caption = 'WINDOW: Match Precision: (0 to 1)'
Transparent = True
end
object msLabel4: TLabel
Left = 18
Top = 256
Width = 243
Height = 13
Caption = 'Create BMPs with Editor/Tools/Image Capture Tool'
Transparent = True
end
object Label1: TLabel
Left = 18
Top = 184
Width = 182
Height = 13
Caption = 'SCREEN: Colour Tolerance: (0 to 255)'
end
object Label2: TLabel
Left = 18
Top = 152
Width = 168
Height = 13
Caption = '0 = low precision, 1 = high precision'
end
object Label3: TLabel
Left = 18
Top = 224
Width = 156
Height = 13
Caption = 'Matched if colour is +/- tolerance'
end
object msEdit1: TEdit
Left = 18
Top = 72
Width = 249
Height = 21
TabOrder = 0
end
object msButton1: tMSButton
Left = 280
Top = 72
Width = 75
Height = 25
Caption = 'Browse'
ParentShowHint = False
ShowHint = False
TabOrder = 1
DoBrowse = False
BrowseStyle = fbOpen
end
object msButton2: tMSButton
Left = 280
Top = 216
Width = 75
Height = 25
Caption = 'Find'
ModalResult = 10
ParentShowHint = False
ShowHint = False
TabOrder = 2
DoBrowse = False
BrowseStyle = fbOpen
end
object msEdit2: TEdit
Left = 18
Top = 128
Width = 129
Height = 21
TabOrder = 3
Text = '0.7'
end
object msEdit3: TEdit
Left = 18
Top = 199
Width = 129
Height = 21
TabOrder = 4
Text = '0'
end
end
EndDialog>Dialog1
AddDialogHandler>Dialog1,MSButton1,OnClick,DoBrowse
SRT>DoBrowse
SetDialogProperty>Dialog1,MSButton1,DoBrowse,True
GetDialogProperty>Dialog1,MSButton1,Filename,strFileName
SetDialogProperty>Dialog1,msEdit1,Text,strFileName
END>DoBrowse
Let>strSummaryMessageText=Summary Report%CRLF%%CRLF%
Label>Start
Show>Dialog1,res1
If>res1=10
//Change window title below to suit
Let>strWindowTitle=SearchTimings.xlsx - Excel
GetDialogProperty>Dialog1,msEdit2,Text,strMatchPrecision
GetDialogProperty>Dialog1,msEdit3,Text,strColourTolerance
ExtractFileName>strFileName,strShortFileName
Let>strMessageText=Needle: %strShortFileName%%CRLF%
Gosub>BuildMsg,CCOEFF Match Precision = %strMatchPrecision%
Gosub>BuildMsg,EXACT Colour Precision = %strColourTolerance%
Gosub>BuildMsg,
Gosub>BuildSummaryMsg,Needle: %strShortFileName%
Gosub>BuildSummaryMsg,CCOEFF Match Precision = %strMatchPrecision%
Gosub>BuildSummaryMsg,EXACT Colour Precision = %strColourTolerance%
Gosub>BuildSummaryMsg,HayStack%TAB%%TAB%Search Type%TAB%Elapsed%TAB%NumFound
//SCREEN - EXACT
VBEval>Timer,startTime
FindImagePos>strFileName,SCREEN,strColourTolerance,0,PosX,PosY,NumFound,EXACT
VBEval>Timer-%startTime%,Elapsed
Format>%.4n,Elapsed,Elapsed
Gosub>BuildMsg,SCREEN EXACT%TAB%%TAB%Seconds Elapsed: %Elapsed% %TAB%NumFound: %NumFound%
Gosub>BuildSummaryMsg,SCREEN%TAB%%TAB%EXACT%TAB%%TAB%%Elapsed%%TAB%%TAB%%NumFound%
//SCREEN - CCOEFF
VBEval>Timer,startTime
FindImagePos>strFileName,SCREEN,strMatchPrecision,0,PosX,PosY,NumFound,CCOEFF
VBEval>Timer-%startTime%,Elapsed
Format>%.4n,Elapsed,Elapsed
Gosub>BuildMsg,SCREEN CCOEFF %TAB%Seconds Elapsed: %Elapsed% %TAB%NumFound: %NumFound%
Gosub>BuildMsg,
Gosub>BuildSummaryMsg,SCREEN%TAB%%TAB%CCOEFF%TAB%%TAB%%Elapsed%%TAB%%TAB%%NumFound%
//WINDOW - EXACT
VBEval>Timer,startTime
FindImagePos>strFileName,WINDOW:%strWindowTitle%,strColourTolerance,0,PosX,PosY,NumFound,EXACT
VBEval>Timer-%startTime%,Elapsed
Format>%.4n,Elapsed,Elapsed
Gosub>BuildMsg,WINDOW EXACT%TAB%%TAB%Seconds Elapsed: %Elapsed% %TAB%NumFound: %NumFound%
Gosub>BuildSummaryMsg,WINDOW%TAB%%TAB%EXACT%TAB%%TAB%%Elapsed%%TAB%%TAB%%NumFound%
//WINDOW - CCOEFF
VBEval>Timer,startTime
FindImagePos>strFileName,WINDOW:%strWindowTitle%,strMatchPrecision,0,PosX,PosY,NumFound,CCOEFF
VBEval>Timer-%startTime%,Elapsed
Format>%.4n,Elapsed,Elapsed
Gosub>BuildMsg,WINDOW CCOEFF %TAB%Seconds Elapsed: %Elapsed% %TAB%NumFound: %NumFound%
Gosub>BuildSummaryMsg,WINDOW%TAB%%TAB%CCOEFF%TAB%%TAB%%Elapsed%%TAB%%TAB%%NumFound%
Gosub>BuildSummaryMsg,
Let>MSG_STAYONTOP=1
Let>MSG_CENTERED=1
Let>MSG_HEIGHT=300
Let>MSG_WIDTH=500
MDL>strMessageText
Endif
Ask>Do you want to search for another image?,strAnswer
If>strAnswer=YES
Goto>Start
Endif
Let>MSG_HEIGHT=600
Let>MSG_WIDTH=500
MDL>strSummaryMessageText
SRT>BuildMsg
ConCat>strMessageText,%BuildMsg_Var_1%%CRLF%
END>BuildMsg
SRT>BuildSummaryMsg
ConCat>strSummaryMessageText,%BuildSummaryMsg_Var_1%%CRLF%
END>BuildSummaryMsg
exit>0
One strange thing I noticed, a WINDOW/CCOEFF search returned a NumFound value of 1, even though the window title was incorrect. It found the image in the window it was actually in, not the window that I asked it to look in. The other 3 searches correctly returned 0.
