[RESOLVED] In need of some help: PictureBox Loop Saving...

[ThEiMp]

I am writing some source code, that needs to save a Bitmap from a PictureBox. But also there are about one hundred channels, and then there are also one hundred sprite channels in the Score of the Dialog Box.

This means that there are about one thousand different PictureBoxes, that need to keep data in them. However only a screen of them have been designed at design time. But to save, data and time of loading. I have only made one screen, therefore when the user scrolls with the scrollbars. Then they are moved up and down or left and right on the screen.

I am trying to work out a For .... Next loop, to save them in their different PictureBoxes and their Arrays...

In the Bitmap, packed with this post. You can see, what I am trying to work out here. I have tried to simplify this as much as possible...

!! Thanks in advance !!

[Doogle]

Not too sure I understand what you're trying to do since you've only shown the picture,not the code.

I assume you have a PictureBox control array and a set of bitmaps that will populate the Picture properties. At some, as yet undefined, point you want to Save the Pictures somewhere or do you just want to 'remember' which picture was in which PictureBox?

[akhileshbc]

VB has a limitation on the number of controls that you can use in a form. (I didn't remember the count).

I think you should redesign the structure in a wise manner. And also, most of the users are having different screen resolutions. When you design your form in a larger resolution and the client's screen is smaller than that, it will be a failure to your program. So, you need to consider the form resizing based on the end user's screen resolution, if you are going to use a large number of controls (as in the above pic) ...

Good luck...

[LaVolpe]

Over 1000 pictureboxes? I would reconsider a redesign. You may have problems running the application on any older machines. Each picturebox is a window that takes resources. Each image in a picturebox is a resource (unless shared) and if AutoRedraw is true, each will create a hDC and bitmap. You very well may get errors failing to create Active-X objects or run out of memory.

Though quite a bit harder, you might consider drawing directly to the form or using a single picturebox per row, redrawing the image(s) as needed when the scrollbar is moved. Just an idea.

[ThEiMp]

Well, I was writing for a 64Mb memory app. But 128Mb is also very nice, in deed. But in Macromedia Director 4.00: It has the same thing, but more controls in the Score. It had 150 sprite channels and then maybe unlimited in the size of frames that it had.

[ThEiMp]

Is this the source code???

Dim i As Long

For i = 1 to 1
     Form1.txt_SaveData1.Text = Form3.Channel1(0).Name & vbcrlf & Form3.Channel1(0).Picture & vbcrlf & .................
Next i

!! Thanks in advance !!

[akhileshbc]

No...!

An example is:

Option Explicit

Dim X As Single

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Dim i As Long
    
    For i = 1 To 5  '~~~ Display 5 copies of the same image in Picture2 (from Picture1)
        Picture2.PaintPicture Picture1.Picture, X, 0
        X = X + Picture1.Picture.Width
    Next
End Sub

Private Sub Form_Load()
    X = 0
    Picture1.Picture = LoadPicture("c:\mypic.jpg")
End Sub

(This is not a perfect example)
....

[MarMan]

I agree with what was said above, you don't need that many picture boxes. Set the max of the scrollbar to the number of pictures you have. Then you can show as many pictureboxes that fit on the screen (you can determine this in the resize event). Then fill all the pictureboxes. When the scroll bar is clicked, just change the pictures in them.

[ThEiMp]

That is what I am doing...

The PictureBoxes don't move, but it is their contents of data that move instead. But I have made a limit of how many moves they can do, to limit the amount of memory, being used for the project. Also the amount of disk space being used by the project.

Also: How would I go about only sending the .Name, .Index and .Picture of the PictureBoxes that are only in a Control Array. No matter, which Control Array they are in. For example: Picture1.Ubound or Picture2.Ubound up to Picture255.Ubound up until they all have been sent to a TextBox as text data to be saved in a file???

[MarMan]

I'm not following you at all.QUOTE=ThEiMp;3875690]The PictureBoxes don't move, but it is their contents of data that move instead.[/QUOTE]

So how can you have 255 pictureboxes on the form?

Also: How would I go about only sending the .Name, .Index and .Picture of the PictureBoxes that are only in a Control Array. No matter, which Control Array they are in. For example: Picture1.Ubound or Picture2.Ubound up to Picture255.Ubound up until they all have been sent to a TextBox as text data to be saved in a file???

To put data in a textbox:

TextBox.Text = Picture2.Ubound

If thats not what you want please clarify.

[ThEiMp]

To seem like it moves to about 255 different PictureBoxes. But it only moves the contents, and the Index value of them, instead.

-- That was the only way to get it to work, on my side. Also I heard that it happens, quite often in deed...

[MarMan]

Well I'm not quite understanding you, but if you have a question, I'll do my best to help. If you already asked your question, ask again and pretend you're talking to someone that knows less than you do, explain a lot, in more than one way, and with lots of words.

[ThEiMp]

So sorry, about the mix up!!

Problem: I am trying to save all PictureBoxes in an Control Array on a Form. eg: Picture1.Ubound to Picture255.Ubound. However only if they have something in them, and not if they don't. All I have to save is the: .Name, .Index, .Picture, .Width and the .Height of them.

.Top and .Left aren't required, because they are only accepted in their controls. I am trying to get something like Macromedia/Adobe Director here...

-- I hope that clears up everything. If not, then I will try again.
!! Thanks in advance !!

[MarMan]

Where do you wish to save the data? Database? File? You can build a boolean array and set it to true when you load a picture. Load a picture in Picture10 then bPicLoadad(10) = TRUE.

[ThEiMp]

Alright...

I was going to save it as a text file, with the extension of .dir. Also I am trying to cut corners. By making only nine of the Channels, and then changing their .Index to .Index + 1 or .Index - 1, when the user scrolls the scrollbars.

[MarMan]

You can't store pictures in a text file. Cjheck out this thread:
ini or xml; your choice.
It has code to read from ini files and xml also.

[ThEiMp]

But what about this:
eg:
Cast Member: #1
Filename: Hello.tif
Picture1.Picture
===== Break =====
Cast Member: #2
Filename: GoodBye.tif
Picture2.Picture
===== Break =====
Cast Member: #3
Filename: Hello Again.tif
Picture3.Picture

-- Then break them up, when loading them into their separate PictureBoxes, as normal.

[MarMan]

What about it? You have to explain.

[ThEiMp]

Can't I do something like that???

-- That is what Microsoft does with their Visual Basic FRM Files...

[MarMan]

You have to explain what "that" is. I already told you you can't put a picture in a text file, so I don't understand what you are trying to do unless you tell me.

[MarMan]

Microsoft does NOT store thier pictures in thier frm files. You are misreading them. They store thier pictures in the frx files.

[ThEiMp]

But: I was close...

-- That is what I am trying to accomplish, but with some kind of fast simple compressed encription. That I have been able to write for my other projects, that are in the same field!!

[MarMan]

-- That is what I am trying to accomplish,

What trying to do what you said Microsoft does that they don't but I told you anyway they don't what you said, but then you said that.

[ThEiMp]

Place multipuls of embedded file objects into a single file...

-- That is what I am trying to accomplish. I am trying to make a programming langague, that works in one project file operation(s).

Understand???

[MarMan]

See that wasn't so hard. Now I know what you are trying to do. Wish I new several post ago. You have to open the file for binary access, keep track of the length OR store offsets. You will also have to convert the text to binary data; ASC() works well for that. Read up on binary access and try to write out a single entry and when you get that down you can add others.

[ThEiMp]

I already know how to do put Binary Access and get Binary Access for data files. I am using that for my passwords, project file save as, project file open/load files, and also compiling the project files to EXE types. So then that means that I have this pretty down pat.

Problem #1: What is the coding process, to get all the file into a TextBox???
Problem #2: How to check for any, Bitmaps in a control array of PictureBoxes???

[Doogle]

Problem #1

Dim intFile As Integer
intFile = FreeFile
Open "C:\Afile.bin" For Input As intFile
Text1.Text = Input(LOF(intFile), intFile)
Close intFile

The above puts the entire contents of "C:\AFile.bin" into Text1.Text

Problem #2

Dim intI As Integer
For intI = Pic1.LBound To Pic1.UBound
    If ElementExists(Pic1(intI)) Then
        Debug.Print "Pic1(" & intI & ") Contains ";
        Select Case Pic1(intI).Picture.Type
            Case vbPicTypeNone
               Debug.Print "Nothing"
            Case vbPicTypeBitmap
                Debug.Print " a Bitmap"
            Case vbpictypeEMetafile
                Debug.Print " an Enhanced Metafile"
            Case vbPicTypeIcon
                Debug.Print " an Icon"
            Case vbPicTypeMetafile
                Debug.Print " a Metafile"
        End Select
    Else
        Debug.Print "Pic1(" & intI & ") Does Not Exist"
    End If
Next intI
End Sub

Private Function ElementExists(pic As PictureBox) As Boolean
Dim intI As Integer
On Error Resume Next
intI = pic.Picture.Type
If Err Then
    ElementExists = False
Else
    ElementExists = True
End If
On Error GoTo 0
End Function

If you are sure that your Control Array elements are contiguous then you don't need to use the 'ElementExists' Function.

[ThEiMp]

!! Thanks, Doogle. I will try what you have posted !!

[ThEiMp]

Problem: Can you please send a working demo of your source code, Doogle??? I don't understand very much on this topic...

Also: I am not sure about your solution about Problem #1, cause I am trying to get the data from a PictureBox and place it into a TextBox control. Then add it to a Binary data file, that is a tempoary file, when the program is running. Then at the time of the save/save as then the file is added to the file that the user chooses. Also then, the temporary file is then deleted as such...

-- Great help, in deed!!

[Doogle]

Why do you want to put the data from the PictureBox into a TextBox control ? It will just be a stream of unprintable characters

[ThEiMp]

Well I am trying to get the contents of the Bitmap file, and then save them into a Binary file, which has the extension of *.DIR...

[Doogle]

Let me just see if I understand.....

You've got a lot of PictureBoxes in a Control Array, some of these may have pictures loaded and you want to save those pictures to a file or to a Directory ? Presumably the purpose of saving is to be able to load them at some future time. If that is the case why not just 'remember' which picture got loaded into which picturebox? All you need save is the Index of the control array and the filename and path to the Picture when you load the picture into the picturebox.

[akhileshbc]

Let me just see if I understand.....

You've got a lot of PictureBoxes in a Control Array, some of these may have pictures loaded and you want to save those pictures to a file or to a Directory ? Presumably the purpose of saving is to be able to load them at some future time. If that is the case why not just 'remember' which picture got loaded into which picturebox? All you need save is the Index of the control array and the filename and path to the Picture when you load the picture into the picturebox.

May be he's trying to accomplish what VB does in a FRX file !

[ThEiMp]

Well I would like to do that.

But: I don't think that the end-user is going to like to keep on adding images, and media files into the project file. Everytime he or she, loads their project file???

So then: I must Put the .Index of the PictureBox. And then save the bitmap file contents of it, into the project file.

eg:
Channel = 2
Index = 23
Filename = Hello.bmp
Height = 200
Width = 320
File Contents = Blah Blah

[ThEiMp]

May be he's trying to accomplish what VB does in a FRX file !

Got it in one!!

[Doogle]

Well, for the quantity of PictureBoxes you have, depending upon the size of the Pictures themselves, I expect you'll need to use GDI+. However I came upon some code that Merri posted here in 2009 which used a PropertyBag. The code below is based upon Merri's work

Option Explicit

Private Sub Loadpic(pic As PictureBox, intfile As Integer)
Dim propBag As PropertyBag
Dim bArray() As Byte
Dim lngLen As Long
Set propBag = New PropertyBag
Get intfile, , lngLen
If lngLen > 0 Then
    ReDim bArray(lngLen - 1)
    Get intfile, , bArray
    propBag.Contents = bArray
    Set pic.Picture = propBag.ReadProperty(pic.Index, Nothing)
End If
Set propBag = Nothing
End Sub

Private Sub SavePic(pic As PictureBox, intfile As Integer)
Dim propBag As PropertyBag
Dim bArray() As Byte
Set propBag = New PropertyBag
propBag.WriteProperty pic.Index, pic.Picture
bArray = propBag.Contents
Put intfile, LOF(intfile) + 1, UBound(bArray) + 1
Put intfile, , bArray
Set propBag = Nothing
End Sub

Private Sub cmdLoad_Click()
Dim intfile As Integer
Dim intI As Integer
intfile = FreeFile
Open "C:\SavedPics.bin" For Binary As intfile
For intI = Pic1.LBound To Pic1.UBound
    Call Loadpic(Pic1(intI), intfile)
Next intI
Close intfile
End Sub

Private Sub cmdSave_Click()
Dim intI As Integer
Dim intfile As Integer
If FileLen("c:\savedpics.bin") <> 0 Then Kill "C:\savedpics.bin"
intfile = FreeFile
Open "C:\SavedPics.bin" For Binary As intfile
For intI = Pic1.LBound To Pic1.UBound
    Call SavePic(Pic1(intI), intfile)
Next intI
Close intfile
End Sub

The file is likely to get big since the Pictures are not compressed.

[ThEiMp]

!! Wait a minute !!

-- With the Score Dialog Box: You point Cast Members to them, instead of having them really inside of the PictureBoxes when it saves and opens the file. So then this what you posted, in the above post. Can be used for the Cast Member Libaray Form, instead of the Score Dialog Box Form.

Thanks for clearing it up for me!!

[ThEiMp]

Thanks for the help, Doogle. It works. I have added in a 19-Bit File Compressor, as well into the source code, that appears at the time of Save As and Open Dialog Boxes!!

And now I am going to mark this thread, resolved and I have also Rated Doogle's Post, in this thread!!

[ThEiMp]

I got the saving of the file right. It also gets the code in the right place, as well!!

Problem: How to load the file right, and also get the right amount of Bitmap data into the right PictureBox??? That is the question...

[Doogle]

Post #36: cmdLoad_Click() which calls Subroutine LoadPic