Search images and convert into ASCII art

image_to_ascii.py

from PIL import Image


def monochrome(img_name):
    image = Image.open(img_name)
    image = image.convert('1')
    return image


def read_pixels(image, x, y):
    pixels = image.load()
    return pixels[x, y]


def convert(image):
    name = image
    img = monochrome(name)
    width, heigth = img.size
    x = 0
    y = 0
    chars = {0: "$", 255: " "}
    file = open(name.split(".")[0] + ".txt", 'w')
    while y < heigth-1:
        rgb = read_pixels(img, x, y)
        file.write(chars[rgb])
        x += 1
        if x == width -1:
            file.write('\n')
            x = 0
            y += 1
    file.close()

images.cpp

#include <iostream>
#include <Python.h>
#include <boost/filesystem.hpp>
#include <vector>

namespace fs = ::boost::filesystem;

#define VAR(i, x) __typeof(x) i = x
#define FOREACH(i, x) for(VAR(i, x.begin()); i != x.end(); i++)

typedef PyObject * py;
typedef std::vector<fs::path> vp;

struct search{
	vp files;
	search() : files(0) { }

	void find_files(const std::string & search_file, const fs::path & = fs::current_path());
	void convert_files(py function_to_call, py arguments);

};

int main(void){
	setenv("PYTHONPATH", ".", 1);
	Py_Initialize();

	py module = PyImport_ImportModule("image_to_ascii");
	if(module == nullptr){
		std::cerr<<"Can't import image_to_ascii module!\n";
		std::exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
	}
	py call = PyModule_GetDict(module);
	py arguments = PyTuple_New(1); 
	py function = PyDict_GetItem(call, PyString_FromString("convert"));
	if(function == nullptr){
		std::cerr<<"Could not find convert function\n";
		std::exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
	}

	std::string file_extension;
	std::cout<<"Write file extension: "<<std::flush;
	std::cin>>file_extension;
	if(file_extension[0] != '.')
		file_extension = "." + file_extension;

	search test;
	test.find_files(file_extension);
	test.convert_files(function, arguments);

	Py_Finalize();
}

void search::convert_files(py function_to_call, py arguments){
	FOREACH(i, files){
		PyTuple_SetItem(arguments, 0, PyString_FromString(i->string().c_str()));
		std::cout<<i->filename()<<"\t\033[1;31mConverting\033[0m";
		PyObject_CallObject(function_to_call, arguments);
		std::cout<<"\t\033[1;32mDone\033[0m\n";;
	}
}

void search::find_files(const std::string & search_file, const fs::path & root){
	if(!fs::exists(root) || !fs::is_directory(root))
		return;
	fs::recursive_directory_iterator it(root);
	fs::recursive_directory_iterator end;
	while(it != end){
		if(fs::is_regular_file(*it) && it->path().extension() == search_file)
			files.push_back(it->path());
		it++;
	}
}