How to permanently display the placed image

Question

I created a windows form that displays and image as a Logo. I was able to browse and display an image to the PictureBox with this code:

private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        OpenFileDialog ofd = new OpenFileDialog();
        ofd.Filter = "jpg (*.jpg)|*.jpg|bmp (*.bmp)|*.bmp|png (*.png)|*.png";

        if (ofd.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK && ofd.FileName.Length > 0)
        {
            pictureBox1.SizeMode = PictureBoxSizeMode.StretchImage;
            pictureBox1.Image = Image.FromFile(ofd.FileName);
        }
    }

I want the placed image saved in that PictureBox to be displayed every time the Form is called. What code do I need to write in order to do that?

Answer 1

On the load event of the form you can set the image of the picture box. By going to project settings, Resources tab, you can add an image as a Resource and reference it using the ProjectNamespace.Resources.NameOfResource.

Answer 2

You need a special kind of pictureBox that shows the logo. Let's call this a LogoBox. If you make this a user control you can use Visual Studio Toolbox to add it to your controls.

In Visual Studio:

• Open the project where the LogoBox is to be used, or put it in a DLL, so it can be used by several executables.
• Menu: Project - Add User Control, Name it LogoBox
• Use the Toolbox to add a PictureBox to the user control.
• Change the Dock style of picture box to DockStyle.Fill
• Use properties to add an event handler for the Load Event, let's call it OnLoad.

Your LogoBox class will need a property to change the image that will be used as a logo. I use the same function as PictureBox.Image, but call it Logo:

[BindableAttribute(true)]
public Image Logo
{
    get {return this.pictureBox1.Image;}
    set
    {
        this.pictureBox1.Image = image;
    }
}

This code is not enough: the next time you load this LogoBox you want it to load its last set Logo. The esiest method is to save the last set image in a file, because then you know certain that if the user of your LogoBox deletes the original image after setting it you still have your own saved copy.

• You'll need a filename for the file. User project properties - settings to create a filename.
• Make it a string property with application scope (it will never change)
• Name: LogoFileName
• Value: think of something nice. Logo.Img?

.

[BindableAttribute(true)]
public Image Logo
{
    get {return this.pictureBox1.Image;}
    set
    {
        this.pictureBox1.Image = image;
        image.Save(Properties.Settings.Default.LogoFileName)
    }
}

Finally load the image when your LogoBox is loaded:

private void OnFormLoading(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    var img = Image.FromFile(Properties.Settings.Default.LogoFileName);
    this.pictureBox1.Image = img;
}

Don't use this.Logo = img, because that will save the image again which is a waste of time.

The only thing to do is error handling if the logo file does not exist.