C++ code for reading MNIST data-set

Here’s a code for reading MNIST dataset in C++, the dataset can be found HERE, and the file format is as well.

Using this code, you can read MNIST dataset into a double vector, or an OpenCV Mat, or Armadillo mat.

Feel free to use it for any purpose. (part of this code is stolen from HERE)

// readMNIST.cc
// read MNIST data into double vector, OpenCV Mat, or Armadillo mat
// free to use this code for any purpose
// author : Eric Yuan 
// my blog: http://eric-yuan.me/
// part of this code is stolen from http://compvisionlab.wordpress.com/

#include "opencv2/core/core.hpp"
#include "opencv2/imgproc/imgproc.hpp"
#include "opencv2/highgui/highgui.hpp"
#include <armadillo>
#include <math.h>
#include <iostream>

using namespace cv;
using namespace std;
using namespace arma;

int ReverseInt (int i)
{
    unsigned char ch1, ch2, ch3, ch4;
    ch1 = i & 255;
    ch2 = (i >> 8) & 255;
    ch3 = (i >> 16) & 255;
    ch4 = (i >> 24) & 255;
    return((int) ch1 << 24) + ((int)ch2 << 16) + ((int)ch3 << 8) + ch4;
}

void read_Mnist(string filename, vector<vector<double> > &vec)
{
    ifstream file (filename, ios::binary);
    if (file.is_open())
    {
        int magic_number = 0;
        int number_of_images = 0;
        int n_rows = 0;
        int n_cols = 0;
        file.read((char*) &magic_number, sizeof(magic_number));
        magic_number = ReverseInt(magic_number);
        file.read((char*) &number_of_images,sizeof(number_of_images));
        number_of_images = ReverseInt(number_of_images);
        file.read((char*) &n_rows, sizeof(n_rows));
        n_rows = ReverseInt(n_rows);
        file.read((char*) &n_cols, sizeof(n_cols));
        n_cols = ReverseInt(n_cols);
        for(int i = 0; i < number_of_images; ++i)
        {
            vector<double> tp;
            for(int r = 0; r < n_rows; ++r)
            {
                for(int c = 0; c < n_cols; ++c)
                {
                    unsigned char temp = 0;
                    file.read((char*) &temp, sizeof(temp));
                    tp.push_back((double)temp);
                }
            }
            vec.push_back(tp);
        }
    }
}

void read_Mnist(string filename, vector<cv::Mat> &vec){
    ifstream file (filename, ios::binary);
    if (file.is_open())
    {
        int magic_number = 0;
        int number_of_images = 0;
        int n_rows = 0;
        int n_cols = 0;
        file.read((char*) &magic_number, sizeof(magic_number));
        magic_number = ReverseInt(magic_number);
        file.read((char*) &number_of_images,sizeof(number_of_images));
        number_of_images = ReverseInt(number_of_images);
        file.read((char*) &n_rows, sizeof(n_rows));
        n_rows = ReverseInt(n_rows);
        file.read((char*) &n_cols, sizeof(n_cols));
        n_cols = ReverseInt(n_cols);
        for(int i = 0; i < number_of_images; ++i)
        {
            cv::Mat tp = Mat::zeros(n_rows, n_cols, CV_8UC1);
            for(int r = 0; r < n_rows; ++r)
            {
                for(int c = 0; c < n_cols; ++c)
                {
                    unsigned char temp = 0;
                    file.read((char*) &temp, sizeof(temp));
                    tp.at<uchar>(r, c) = (int) temp;
                }
            }
            vec.push_back(tp);
        }
    }
}

void read_Mnist(string filename, vector<arma::mat> &vec){
    ifstream file (filename, ios::binary);
    if (file.is_open())
    {
        int magic_number = 0;
        int number_of_images = 0;
        int n_rows = 0;
        int n_cols = 0;
        file.read((char*) &magic_number, sizeof(magic_number));
        magic_number = ReverseInt(magic_number);
        file.read((char*) &number_of_images,sizeof(number_of_images));
        number_of_images = ReverseInt(number_of_images);
        file.read((char*) &n_rows, sizeof(n_rows));
        n_rows = ReverseInt(n_rows);
        file.read((char*) &n_cols, sizeof(n_cols));
        n_cols = ReverseInt(n_cols);
        for(int i = 0; i < number_of_images; ++i)
        {
            arma::mat tp(n_rows, n_cols);
            for(int r = 0; r < n_rows; ++r)
            {
                for(int c = 0; c < n_cols; ++c)
                {
                    unsigned char temp = 0;
                    file.read((char*) &temp, sizeof(temp));
                    tp(r, c) = (double) temp;
                }
            }
            vec.push_back(tp);
        }
    }
}

void read_Mnist_Label(string filename, vector<double> &vec)
{
    ifstream file (filename, ios::binary);
    if (file.is_open())
    {
        int magic_number = 0;
        int number_of_images = 0;
        int n_rows = 0;
        int n_cols = 0;
        file.read((char*) &magic_number, sizeof(magic_number));
        magic_number = ReverseInt(magic_number);
        file.read((char*) &number_of_images,sizeof(number_of_images));
        number_of_images = ReverseInt(number_of_images);
        for(int i = 0; i < number_of_images; ++i)
        {
            unsigned char temp = 0;
            file.read((char*) &temp, sizeof(temp));
            vec[i]= (double)temp;
        }
    }
}

void read_Mnist_Label(string filename, arma::colvec &vec)
{
    ifstream file (filename, ios::binary);
    if (file.is_open())
    {
        int magic_number = 0;
        int number_of_images = 0;
        int n_rows = 0;
        int n_cols = 0;
        file.read((char*) &magic_number, sizeof(magic_number));
        magic_number = ReverseInt(magic_number);
        file.read((char*) &number_of_images,sizeof(number_of_images));
        number_of_images = ReverseInt(number_of_images);
        for(int i = 0; i < number_of_images; ++i)
        {
            unsigned char temp = 0;
            file.read((char*) &temp, sizeof(temp));
            vec(i)= (double)temp;
        }
    }
}

int main()
{
//    string filename = "mnist/t10k-images-idx3-ubyte";
//    int number_of_images = 10000;
//    int image_size = 28 * 28;

/*
    //read MNIST iamge into Armadillo mat vector
    vector<arma::mat> vec;
    read_Mnist(filename, vec);
    cout<<vec.size()<<endl;
    cout<<vec[0].size()<<endl;
    cout<<vec[0]<<endl;
*/

/*
    //read MNIST iamge into OpenCV Mat vector
    vector<cv::Mat> vec;
    read_Mnist(filename, vec);
    cout<<vec.size()<<endl;
    imshow("1st", vec[0]);
    waitKey();
*/

/*
    //read MNIST iamge into double vector
    vector<vector<double> > vec;
    read_Mnist(filename, vec);
    cout<<vec.size()<<endl;
    cout<<vec[0].size()<<endl;
*/

//    string filename = "mnist/t10k-labels-idx1-ubyte";
//    int number_of_images = 10000;

/*
    //read MNIST label into double vector
    vector<double> vec(number_of_images);
    read_Mnist_Label(filename, vec);
    cout<<vec.size()<<endl;
*/

/*
    //read MNIST label into armadillo colvec
    //if you want rowvec, just use .t()
    arma::colvec vec = arma::zeros<arma::colvec>(number_of_images);
    read_Mnist_Label(filename, vec);
    cout<<vec.size()<<endl;
*/
    return 0;
}