TIFFFIELDREADCOUNT(3tiff)

💖 TIFFFIELDREADCOUNT 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the LibTIFF manual page for TIFFFieldReadCount — it's giving "tiny function, big lore", and honestly? we're obsessed. 🎀

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

#include <tiffio.h>

int TIFFFieldReadCount(const TIFFField *fip)

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

So TIFFFieldReadCount() tells you how many values you can read out of the TIFF field you're pointing at. and like — more specifically, it's the number of arguments you should hand over to TIFFGetField(). that's the whole vibe. 💅

For most field types this is just a lil positive integer, typically 1 or 2, no drama. but there are some special values that are lowkey iconic and you need to know them:

• TIFF_VARIABLE = -1 — this one says a variable number of values is possible. so in that case you have to supply a uint16_t count argument and a pointer data argument to TIFFGetField(). both. not optional. periodt. ✨
• TIFF_VARIABLE2 = -3 — same energy as TIFF_VARIABLE, except the count argument has to be type uint32_t. that's the only glow-up, don't overthink it. 🦋
• TIFF_SPP = -2 — this means the number of arguments equals the image's number of samples per pixel. it's literally matching the image's whole vibe. 🎨

oh and fip? that's a field information pointer, and it needs to have been previously returned by one of these three besties:

• TIFFFindField()
• TIFFFieldWithTag()
• TIFFFieldWithName()

no making up your own fip, that's not the move. 🙈

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🫶 RETURN VALUES 🫶

TIFFFieldReadCount() returns an integer. yeah. that's it. it's a simple girlie and she ate. 👑

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• TIFFFieldDataType (3tiff)
• TIFFFieldName (3tiff)
• TIFFFieldPassCount (3tiff)
• TIFFFieldQuery (3tiff)
• TIFFFieldTag (3tiff)
• TIFFFieldWriteCount (3tiff)
• libtiff (3tiff)

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💜 AUTHOR 💜

LibTIFF contributors — absolute main characters, no cap. 🫶

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🎀 COPYRIGHT 🎀

1988-2025, LibTIFF contributors

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and that's the whole page bestie!! this was LibTIFF version 4.7, dated Jun 27, 2026 — go read a TIFF, slay, and remember: check your read count before you TIFFGetField(), iykyk. 💖✨🦋