code for working with .ico files?

This may be a toughy, but here goes.

Does anyone know how to read an .ico file and (1) identify the types of images it contains (i.e. "32X32 256 color", "16X16 256 color", "48X48 etc.") and (2) save off to a new file a file with only the image sizes I want (i.e. just 32x32, or just 32x32 and 16x16, etc.).

Now - really pushing it - does anyone know how to create a "gray-scale" image, given a color image (i.e. read in a normal color-icon, apply gray scale to it, and output the gray scale "disabled-looking" image)?

Any help would be appreciated.

Looks like maybe the CopyImage API would be of some help.

VB Code:

Declare Function CopyImage Lib "user32" (ByVal handle As Long, ByVal imageType As Long, _
ByVal newWidth As Long, ByVal newHeight As Long, ByVal lFlags As Long) As Long
 
The CopyImage function creates a new image (icon, cursor, or 
bitmap) and copies the attributes of the specified image to the 
new one. If necessary, the function stretches the bits to fit the 
desired size of the new image.
 
· hinst 
Identifies an instance of the module that contains the image to be copied. 
 
· uType 
Specifies the type of image to be copied. This parameter can be one of the following values:
IMAGE_BITMAP 
 Copies a bitmap. 
IMAGE_CURSOR 
 Copies a cursor. 
IMAGE_ICON 
 Copies an icon. 
 
· cxDesired 
Specifies the desired width, in pixels, of the image. 
 
· cyDesired 
Specifies the desired height, in pixels, of the image. 
 
· fuFlags 
Specifies a combination of the following values:
LR_COPYDELETEORG 
 Deletes the original image after creating the copy. 
LR_COPYRETURNORG 
 Creates an exact copy of the image, ignoring the cxDesired and cyDesired parameters. 
LR_MONOCHROME 
 Creates a new monochrome image. 
LR_COPYFROMRESOURCE 
 Tries to reload an icon or cursor resource from the original 
 resource file rather than simply copying the current image. This is 
 useful for creating a different-sized copy when the resource file 
 contains multiple sizes of the resource. Without this flag, 
 CopyImage stretches the original image to the new size. If this 
 flag is set, CopyImage uses the size in the resource file closest  to 
 the desired size. 
 
This will succeed only if hImage was loaded by LoadIcon or LoadCursor, or by LoadImage with the LR_SHARED flag.

Also may be useful...

VB Code:

Declare Function ExtractIconEx Lib "shell32.dll" Alias "ExtractIconExA" _
(ByVal lpszFile As String, ByVal nIconIndex As Long, phiconLarge _
As Long, phiconSmall As Long, ByVal nIcons As Long) As Long
 
· lpszFile
Pointer to a null-terminated string specifying the name of an executable file, DLL, or icon file.
 
· nIconIndex
Specifies the index of the icon to retrieve. If this value is 0, the 
function returns the handle of the first icon in the specified file. If 
this value is -1 and phIconLargeand phiconSmall are both NULL, 
the function returns the total number of icons in the specified file.
 
· phiconLarge
Pointer to an array of handles of large icons returned. This parameter can be NULL.
 
· phiconSmall
Pointer to an array of handles of small icons returned. This parameter can be NULL.
 
· nIcons
Specifies the count of the number of icons to extract.

Edit: This post puts me in the top 40! :D

Thanks, Rob, I'll take a look at these.

No prob. Let me know if it works for you.

:)

If you're into writing your own algorithems and such:
http://www.wotsit.org/search.asp?page=2&s=windows

Disiance

Hey BruceG, there is a Icon Editor Control on www.vbaccelerator.com which does everything u want and with less efforts.

Wow - good tip, Deepak, thank you.