Add static methods for loading images

[KoBeWi]

Right now, if you want to assign an arbitrary image as a texture, you need to do this:

var image = Image.new()
image.load("some/path.png")
var texture = ImageTexture.new()
texture.create_from_image(image)
$Sprite.texture = texture

This is a lot of code for simple operation. I know that load is supposed to return error code, but it can be done smarter. There could be static versions of both load and create_from_image, which return null if load fails (as simple as that). The above code could then become this:
$Sprite.texture = ImageTexture.create_from_image(Image.load("some/path.png"))
I know this is unsafe code, but there are people like me who don't mind unsafe code. Well, the unsafeness could be mitigated at all if trying to create from null image would result in a warning instead of error and simply return null.

There are probably more classes that would benefit from more static methods btw.

[TheCire]

I'm not sure but I think the variant system "automagically" turns an image into a texture behind the scenes. I have code like this

var texture = load("path/to/image.png")
$Sprite.texture = image

and it works just fine like that...

[KoBeWi]

Yeah, but it works like this only if the texture is imported as a part of your project. If you want to load external texture, you need to use the code I provided.

[TheCire]

Gotcha, what about just creating your own wrapping function then?

func load_texture(path):
  var image = Image.new()
  image.load(path)
  var texture = ImageTexture.new()
  return texture

add it to a global singleton script or however you want to do it :)

Yeah, I get your point about having a built-in static function, but does that go along with the coding style and the way the engine works?

[Aaron-Fleisher]

@TheCire Power of GDScript! I love doing mini wrapper functions like that. I feel the OP's sentiments however, sometimes I wish there was an easier way to do something, but then realize you can really achieve a lot of stuff in GDS by itself

[KoBeWi]

Well, I know I can make a mini-wrapper (I actually did that). But then I have to copy it over to all projects I'd need it. Also I can't just have utility script with everything, because I don't always need all these functions and it's project-specific a lot >_>

My proposition seems logical and fixes the issue without workarounds, but maybe I'm just used to having language work that way.

[TheCire]

Looking at your code from your OP @KoBeWi , looks like Image should have a static initializer like so:

var image = Image.load("path/to/image.png")

instead of having to do:

var image = Image.new()
image.load("path/to/image.png")
#etc

[PetePete1984]

#20972
The last time this came up, reduz was in favor of removing Image.load entirely

[KoBeWi]

There seem to be little interest in this and I actually needed it in just one or two projects, so closing.

There's a slightly related proposal though godotengine/godot-proposals#1101