function  mmdataconv
%  MMDATACONV Data type conversion
%
%   MMDATACONV
%
%  In the previous versions of MATLAB, the only data type supported
%    was DOUBLE. From version 5, the formats uint8, logical uint8 and
%    uint16 are also supported. The logical uint8 represents just the
%    numbers 0 and 1, the uint8 represents positive integers from 0 to
%    255, and the uint16 represents positive integers from 0 to 65535.
%    The SDC Morphology Toolbox uses just these 3 new data  types.
%
%  The SDC Morphology Toolbox supports binary and gray-scale images
%    ( or signals) .  The binary images (or signals) are represented
%    in the logical uint8 data type, while the gray-scale images (or
%    signals) are represented in the uint8 and uint16 data types. Note
%    that any image (or signal) represented in logical uint8 may be
%    represented in uint8 or uint16 and that any image (or signal) in
%    uint8 may be represented in uint16.
%
%  If an image (or signal) is not in the required data type, than it
%    should be converted to the maximum and nearest  SDC Morphology
%    Toolbox data type.   For example, if an image (or signal) is in
%    DOUBLE and a morphological gray-scale processing is required, it
%    should be converted to uint16.  Another example, if a uint8
%    logical image (or signal)  should be added to a uint8  image (or
%    signal), the logical uint8 image (or signal) should be converted
%    to uint8.
%
%  In cases of operators that have as parameters an image (or signal)
%    and a constant, the type of the image (or signal) should be  kept
%    as reference, while the type of the constant should be converted,
%    if necessary.
%
%  There are two cases that should be considered:  conversion to a
%    binary and to a gray-scale image (or signal).  In the first case,
%    0 should be kept and values different of 0 should be converted to
%    1, while in the second one, it is necessary casting to uint8 or
%    uint16.
%
%  The SDC Morphology Toolbox  has the possibility of automatic data
%    type conversion.  The function MMFREEDOM  controls the type
%    conversion.
%
%  There are 3 possible levels, called FREEDOM levels, for automatic
%    conversion:
%
%  0 - image type conversion is not allowed;
%
%  1 - image type conversion is allowed, but a warning is sent for
%    each conversion;
%
%  2 - image type conversion is allowed without warning.  The FREEDOM
%    levels are set or inquired by MMFREEDOM.
%
%  Examples
%  --------
%
%  a=mmneg([0 1 2])
%  whos('a')
%
%
%
%
%  EXPLANATION: [0 1 2] is a double image and MMNEG requires a gray-
%  scale or binary image. The nearest image type supported by the
%  toolbox is the gray-scale uint16. The double image [0 1 2] is then
%  automatically converted to uint16[(0 1 2)].
%
%
%  a=mmneg(logical([0 1 2]))
%  whos('a')
%
%
%
%  EXPLANATION:  logical([0 1 2]) is a binary image in the double
%  format. The nearest image type supported by the toolbox is binary
%  ( logical uint8). The converted binary image will be logical(uint8
%  ( [0 1 1]) and the result of MMNEG is the negation of that.
%
%
%  a=mmsubm([4 2 1],uint8([3 2 0]))
%  whos('a')
%
%
%
%  EXPLANATION:  both images are gray-scale images, the first image is
%  double and the second is uint8. The nearest image type supported by
%  the toolbox is uint16. Both are converted to uint16 and then
%  subtracted. The result is in uint16 type.
%
%
%  a=mmsubm([4 2 1], logical([3 2 0]))
%  whos('a')
%
%
%
%  EXPLANATION:The first image is gray-scale double and the second is
%  binary double. The nearest image type supported by the toolbox is
%  gray-scale uint16. The second image is binary and when converted to
%  gray-scale uint16 will become uint16([1 1 0]).
%
%
%  a=mmsubm(uint8([4 3 2 1]), 1)
%  whos('a')
%
%
%
%  EXPLANATION: Although the image is uint8 and the constant is double
%  the predominant type is given for the image and the double constant
%  will be converted to uint8.
%
%
%  a=mmsubm(2, logical([0 1 2 3]))
%  whos('a')
%
%
%
%  EXPLANATION:The predominant type is binary (logical uint8). The
%  image will be converted to logical(uint8([0 1 1 1]) and the
%  constant will be converted to logical(uint8(1)) before the
%  application of the operator MMSUBM.
%
%  See also MMCONV, MMFREEDOM.

% begin of the default argument automatic treatment% end of the default argument automatic treatment 1

help mmdataconv


%  Copyright (c) 1998-2001 by SDC Information Systems.