# HALCON manual map — read the right pages on demand The 20 official manuals are **bundled in this skill** at `references/pdf/`: - Relative to the skill: `references/pdf/.pdf` - Absolute (this machine): `/mnt/c/workspace/agent-studio/halcon-001/.claude/skills/halcon/references/pdf/.pdf` - Windows: `C:\workspace\agent-studio\halcon-001\.claude\skills\halcon\references\pdf\.pdf` (The Read tool needs the absolute path.) **Do not read a whole guide.** Use the Read tool's `pages:` parameter (max 20 pages/request) with the page ranges below. Page numbers are the PDF's own page numbers (1-based); `reference_hdevelop.pdf` is 3218 pages — always target a range. For a task-first entry point, read `task-recipes.md` before diving into a PDF. ## Task → guide (start here) | Your goal | Primary guide (file) | Pages | |-----------|----------------------|-------| | Orient / pick a method for any vision task | `solution_guide_i.pdf` | ch.1 p13–20 | | Learn HDevelop, the language, assistants | `hdevelop_users_guide.pdf` | see below | | Call HALCON from C++/.NET/Python/C, HDevEngine | `programmers_guide.pdf` | see below | | Acquire images from a camera/file | `solution_guide_ii_a_image_acquisition.pdf` | all (56p) | | Blob analysis (threshold → connection → features) | `solution_guide_i.pdf` | ch.4 p33–44 | | 1D measuring (edges along a line/arc; calipers) | `solution_guide_iii_a_1d_measuring.pdf` | all (64p) | | 2D measuring / metrology (fit circles, lines, geometry) | `solution_guide_iii_b_2d_measuring.pdf` | all (74p) | | Edge & contour (XLD) extraction, contour processing | `solution_guide_i.pdf` | ch.6–9 p55–88 | | 2D matching (find a template: shape/NCC/…) | `solution_guide_ii_b_matching.pdf` | all (106p) | | 3D matching / 3D position of known objects | `solution_guide_iii_c_3d_vision.pdf` | ch.4 p91–116 | | Surface-based (3D point-cloud) matching | `surface_based_matching.pdf` | all (30p) | | Camera calibration, world coords, single-camera metric | `solution_guide_iii_c_3d_vision.pdf` | ch.2–3 p13–90 | | Stereo / sheet-of-light / depth-from-focus / robot vision | `solution_guide_iii_c_3d_vision.pdf` | ch.5–8 p117–190 | | Bar codes | `solution_guide_i.pdf` | ch.16 p159–174 | | 2D data codes (DataMatrix, QR, PDF417), print quality | `solution_guide_ii_c_2d_data_codes.pdf` | all (58p) | | OCR (classic) / Deep OCR | `solution_guide_i.pdf` | ch.18 p183–208 / ch.19 p209–214 | | Classification (features, segmentation, OCR) | `solution_guide_ii_d_classification.pdf` | all (106p) | | Color / texture analysis | `solution_guide_i.pdf` | ch.14 p131–142 / ch.15 p143–158 | | Exact operator signature & parameters | `reference_hdevelop.pdf` | search by operator | | Install / license troubleshooting | `installation_guide.pdf` | ch.5,7 p25–40 | | Performance: parallelism, memory, GPU/compute devices | `parallel_programming.pdf`, `memory_management.pdf`, `solution_guide_i.pdf` ch.22 | ## Per-guide detail ### solution_guide_i.pdf (255p) — the master "how to solve X" guide The single most useful guide for method selection. Chapters (page = start): 1 Guide to HALCON Methods p13 · 2 Image Acquisition p21 · 3 Region Of Interest p25 · 4 Blob Analysis p33 · 5 1D Measuring p45 · 6 Edge Extraction (pixel) p55 · 7 Edge Extraction (subpixel) p63 · 8 Structured Light p69 · 9 Contour Processing p79 · 10 2D Matching p89 · 11 3D Matching p101 · 12 Variation Model p111 · 13 Classification p119 · 14 Color Processing p131 · 15 Texture Analysis p143 · 16 Bar Code p159 · 17 Data Code p175 · 18 OCR p183 · 19 Deep OCR p209 · 20 Stereo Vision p215 · 21 Visualization p223 · 22 Compute Devices (GPU) p233 · 23 I/O Devices p247. ### hdevelop_users_guide.pdf (344p) — the IDE and the HDevelop language 2 Getting Started p15 · 3 Acquiring Images p23 · 4 Programming With HDevelop p31 · 5 Procedures (.hdvp, scope, JIT) p43 · 7 Assistants (Image Acquisition p180, **Calibration p184**, **Matching p202**, **Measure p219**, OCR p231) · 8 HDevelop Language (types p247, tuples p288, control flow p276, error handling p282, parallel p283) · 9 Remote Debugging p299 · 10 Code Export p303 · Appendix C **Command Line Usage** (HDevelop p323, Hrun p326). ### programmers_guide.pdf (209p) — calling HALCON from a language Part I General (which interface to use p13, parallel p15, tips p23) · II C++ p31 · III .NET p59 · **IV Python p91** · V C p107 · **VI Using HDevEngine p137**. Read Part IV + VI for the Python/HDevEngine automation used by this skill. ### solution_guide_iii_b_2d_measuring.pdf (74p) — 2D metrology 1 Introduction p7 · 2 **Basic Tools** p11 · 3 **Tool Selection** p27 · 4 **Examples for Practical Guidance** p35 · 5 Miscellaneous p63. This is the guide for fitting circles/lines/rectangles and the metrology model (the approach used in `find_circles.hdvp`). ### solution_guide_iii_a_1d_measuring.pdf (64p) — calipers along a line/arc 2 Basics of Measure Objects p9 · 3 Using the Measure Object p15 · 4 Fuzzy Measure Object p27 · A Slanted Edges p37. Use for edge position/width along a gen_measure_rectangle2 / _arc profile. ### solution_guide_ii_b_matching.pdf (106p) — 2D template matching 1 Introduction p7 · 2 **General Topics** p17 · 3 **The Individual Approaches** p47 (shape-based, NCC/correlation, component, deformable, descriptor, …). Chapter 3 is the menu of matching methods and how to choose. ### solution_guide_iii_c_3d_vision.pdf (238p) — everything 3D 2 **Basics** (camera model, calibration) p13 · 3 **Metric Measurements in a Plane w/ Single Camera** p59 · 4 **3D Position of Known Objects** p91 · 5 Stereo p117 · 6 Sheet-of-Light (laser triangulation) p147 · 7 Depth from Focus p163 · 8 Robot Vision (hand-eye) p175 · 9 Calibrated Mosaicking p191 · 10 Uncalibrated Mosaicking p205 · 11 Rectification p219 · A HDevelop procedures used p231. ### solution_guide_ii_c_2d_data_codes.pdf (58p) — QR/DataMatrix/PDF417 2 A First Example p9 · 3 Model Adaptation p11 · 4 Preprocessing Difficult Images p25 · 5 Problem Handling p29 · 6 Print Quality p45. ### solution_guide_ii_d_classification.pdf (106p) — classifiers 3 Theoretical Background p15 · 4 Decisions to Make p27 · 5 General Features p31 · 6 Image Segmentation p57 · 7 OCR p75 · 8 General Tips p93. (Classic ML classifiers — MLP/SVM/GMM/k-NN; for deep learning see solution_guide_i ch.13/19.) ### surface_based_matching.pdf (30p) — 3D point-cloud matching 1 Overview p7 · 2 **Workflow** p11 · 3 Data Requirements p15 · 4 Troubleshooting p17 · 5 Tips for Speed/Robustness/Accuracy p22 · 6 Background Removal p26. ### solution_guide_ii_a_image_acquisition.pdf (56p) — grabbing images Acquisition interface philosophy, connecting to a device, grab modes (single / continuous / async), and image/parameter appendices. ### reference_hdevelop.pdf (3218p) — the operator reference Every operator's signature, parameters, and semantics, grouped by chapter. **Do not browse.** To confirm a specific operator, search the TOC in `references/pdf/_toc.json` (bundled) or grep the extracted text, then Read only that operator's few pages. ### Smaller / situational guides - `quick_guide.pdf` (19p) — architecture + how to develop; good 5-minute orientation. - `installation_guide.pdf` (47p) — editions, install, **licenses (ch.5 p25)**, **troubleshooting (ch.7 p37)**, Docker, env vars. - `parallel_programming.pdf` (27p) — minimize response time / maximize throughput / responsiveness. - `memory_management.pdf` (17p) — image/global/temp caches, suspected leaks, FAQ. - `gray_value_interpolation.pdf` (16p) — nearest/bilinear/bicubic; affects rotate/zoom/affine accuracy. - `technical_updates.pdf` (10p) — Handles (18.05), **UTF-8 encoding (18.11)**. - `extension_package_programmers_manual.pdf` (147p) — writing custom C operators; **Appendix A HALCON Error Codes p105**. - `arm_based_platforms.pdf` (16p) — Arm/embedded (not this machine; reference only). ## Regenerating the TOC index The full multi-level TOC is bundled at `references/pdf/_toc.json`. To rebuild (e.g. after adding/updating a manual): ```bash cd /mnt/c/workspace/agent-studio/halcon-001 /mnt/c/Users/NAURA/.local/bin/uv.exe run --no-project --with pymupdf \ python .claude/skills/halcon/scripts/extract_toc.py ```