Script/Plug-in a 32 or 64 bit?

[Pat625]

Trying to update and organize two computers.  One is 32 bit and one is 64 bit.  Many plug-ins and scripts but have no way of knowing which they are until I try it out on a 32 bit and find out it will not work as it is a 64.  Is there any way of looking at the code to find something that lets you know which it is.  Also, add to that the problem that many will work on 2.8 Gimp but not the 2.10.  Is there any notation in the programs at all to let you know which it is?

[neurolurker]

Pat625 -- you know that I'm no expert -- but I don't believe 32-bit vs 64-bit matters with the Scheme SCM and Python PY scripts.  Their hang-ups seem related to the version of GIMP.

The plug-in EXE files are more hardware-related and there is a difference.

This is found at https://superuser.com/questions/358434/h...on-windows

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The author writes:  " ... I came up with a solution which is fast, easy, and only requires a text editor. Even Windows' default notepad.exe would work.

1. Open the executable in text editor. You might have to drag-and-drop or use the editor's Open... dialog, because Windows doesn't show Open with... option in context menu for executables.

2. Check the first printable characters after the first occurrence of PE. This part is most likely to be surrounded by at least some whitespace (could be a lot of it), so it can be easily done visually.

Here is what you're going to find:

x86:     PE  L

x64:     PE  d†

A word of warning: using default Notepad on big files can be very slow, so better not use it for files larger than a megabyte or few. In my case in took about 30 seconds to display a 12 MiB file. Notepad++, however, was able to display a 120 MiB executable almost instantly.

This is solution might be useful in case you need to inspect a file on a machine you can't install any additional software on."

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Me again:  The PE designation in the files I've looked at comes soon after "This program cannot be run in DOS mode."  A screenshot using Notepad++ to display the top of the EXE file:


   


There's also the Properties Compatibility information.  But it seems to offer nothing more definite than if the file is compatible with Windows NT it's probably 32-bit.

So there's then only the descriptive comment by the provider of the EXE file.  Older GIMP plugins that have been updated to 64-bit often have "64" appended to the filename; the same plugin without the 64 in its EXE file name is most likely 32-bit.

Since beginning with GIMP I've only used 64-bit machines.  Outside the GIMP environment I have a number of applications that are described as 32-bit but work fine on my 64-bit machine.  A number of others simply don't work at all and have to have a 64-bit version.  I don't recall ever being able to run 64-bit programs on a 32-bit machine.

Hope this helps.

[rich2005]

A Gimp scripted plugin (ie a text file) either script-fu (.scm) or python (.py) is Windows agnostic. It will run in either a 32 bit or 64 bit installation. More important is the version of Gimp. A script written for Gimp 2.6, for example the old FXfoundry scripts are unlikely to work correctly. Of course some of those have been updated over the years but many have not. Python plugins, as well as affected by version of Gimp, can also depend on the version of python included with Windows-Gimp, for example the non-working arakne path plugins. Even those can sometimes be fixed for Gimp 2.10.x

Compiled plugins something.exe are a bit different. They can come in either 32 bit or 64 bit versions but mostly 32 bit for maximum compatibility.

A 32 bit plugin will work in a 64 bit Windows but the reverse is not true. A 64 bit .exe does not work in a 32 bit Windows.

How can you tell the different Windows 'flavour'? Apart from diving into the Windows control panel Use the file manager, if there are both C:\Program Files\ and a C:\Program Files (x86) folders then the Windows is 64 bit . Just a C:\Program Files and Windows is 32 bit.

Then of course the previous also applies. A compiled plugin for Gimp 2.6 is unlikely to work with Gimp 2.10 and difficult for the ordinary user to fix. How can you tell 32/64 bit in Windows. Not so easy with the tools MS provides. See previous post.

EDIT: Of course this does not really help with moving from Win 32 bit / old Gimp to Win 64 bit new Gimp. It is just try-and-see Sometimes you can see a problem by running Gimp with the --verbose switch. Not often correctable with Windows.

[Ofnuts]

(07-01-2019, 07:41 AM)rich2005 Wrote: A Gimp scripted plugin (ie a text file) either script-fu (.scm) or python (.py) is Windows agnostic. It will run in either a 32 bit or 64 bit installation. More important is the version of Gimp. A script written for Gimp 2.6, for example the old FXfoundry scripts are unlikely to work correctly. Of course some of those have been updated over the years but many have not. Python plugins, as well as affected by version of Gimp, can also depend on the version of python included with Windows-Gimp, for example the non-working arakne path plugins. Even those can sometimes be fixed for Gimp 2.10.x

Compiled plugins something.exe are a bit different. They can come in either 32 bit or 64 bit versions but mostly 32 bit for maximum compatibility.

A 32 bit plugin will work in a 64 bit Windows but the reverse is not true. A 64 bit .exe does not work in a 32 bit Windows.

How can you tell the different Windows 'flavour'? Apart from diving into the Windows control panel Use the file manager, if there are both C:\Program Files\  and a C:\Program Files (x86) folders then the Windows is 64 bit . Just a C:\Program Files and Windows is 32 bit.

Then of course the previous also applies. A compiled plugin for Gimp 2.6 is unlikely to work with Gimp 2.10 and difficult for the ordinary user to fix. How can you tell 32/64 bit in Windows. Not so easy with the tools MS provides. See previous post.

EDIT: Of course this does not really help with moving from Win 32 bit / old Gimp to Win 64 bit new Gimp. It is just try-and-see Sometimes you can see a problem by running Gimp with the --verbose switch. Not often correctable with Windows.

To muddy up the waters a little bit. In a 64-it Windows you can run a 32-bit Gimp. Now you have to wonder if the "bitness" of the plugins is important, in other words, can you use a 32-bit plugin with 64-bit Gimp and vice-versa?

[rich2005]

(07-01-2019, 10:25 AM)Ofnuts Wrote: To muddy up the waters a little bit. In a 64-it Windows you can run a 32-bit Gimp. Now you have to wonder if the "bitness" of the plugins is important, in other words, can you use a 32-bit plugin with 64-bit Gimp and vice-versa?

Doing everything but what I should be doing

It does become convoluted:
You can force a 32 bit installation using the /32 switch with the Windows Gimp installer.
Easier to use linux to show the difference between a 32 and 64 bit file. In this case the gimp executable



In a 64 bit Win 10 (VM) running a 32 bit Gimp, a 64 bit plugin gmic_gimp_qt fails



but same Win10 (VM) 32 bit Gimp and 32 bit gmic_gimp_qt works (last 32 bit gmic available)



The other way round - no problem, 64 bit Windows - 64 bit Gimp - 32 bit gmic works fine, as expected.