Reading Picture Files

[YoungBuck]

Anybody know how to get a picture loaded from a file directly into a DC without having to display it in a picturebox and bitblt it to the dc.

[Fox]

See the demo project (http://orion.spaceports.com/~mccloud/coding/graphical.htm#Offscreen DCs) on my website ;)

[Illuminator]

In your module declare these functions and variables:

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'API FUNCTIONS
Public Declare Function CreateCompatibleDC Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long) As Long

Public Declare Function SelectObject Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long, ByVal hObject As Long) As Long

Public Declare Function DeleteDC Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hdc As Long) As Long

Public Declare Function BitBlt Lib "gdi32" (ByVal hDestDC As Long, ByVal x As Long, ByVal y As Long, ByVal nWidth As Long, ByVal nHeight As Long, ByVal hSrcDC As Long, ByVal xSrc As Long, ByVal ySrc As Long, ByVal dwRop As Long) As Long

'Variables
Public MyPicture_DC as long
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Then write a function to load the image:
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Sub Create_DC()

MyPicture_DC = CreateCompatibleDC(0)
SelectObject MyPicture_DC, LoadPicture("C:\MyPic.BMP")

End Sub
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Now now MyPicture_DC contains the image and you can use Bitblt with it later.
Also in you form unload method use

DeleteDC MyPicture_dc

so that you free up image memory when your done the program.