This quick start section gets you started with using Bitmap for loading an image. You begin by creating a WinForms application in Visual Studio, adding a sample image to your application, and adding code to load the sample image in a picture box using Bitmap. The code given in this section illustrates loading an image into bitmap through a stream object.

Complete the steps given below to see how Bitmap can be used to load an image in a picture box.

1. Setting up the application and adding a sample image
2. Adding code to load image using Bitmap

The following image shows how the application displays an image loaded in bitmap on a button click.

Step 1: Setting up the application and adding a sample image

1. Create a WinForms application in Visual Studio.
2. Add the following references to your application.
   • C1.Win.4
   • C1.Win.Bitmap.4.5.2
   • C1.Win.C1DX.4.5.2
3. In the Solution Explorer, right click your project name and select Add | New Folder and name it as 'Resources'.
4. In Visual Studio, add a sample image to the Resources folder and set its Build Action property to Embedded Resource from the Properties pane.
5. Add a standard Button control for loading a sample image on button click, and a PictureBox control for displaying the sample image onto the Form.
6. Set the Text property of the button to a suitable text from the Properties pane.
7. Set the SizeMode property of the picture box to StretchImage from the Properties pane.

Step 2: Adding code to load image using Bitmap

1. Switch to the code view and add the following import statements.
   • Visual Basic
   • C#

   • Visual Basic

   Imports C1.Win.Bitmap
   Imports C1.Util.DX
   Imports System.Reflection
   Imports System.IO
   

   • C#

   using C1.Win.Bitmap;
   using C1.Util.DX;
   using System.Reflection;
   using System.IO;
   

2. Initialize a bitmap in the Form1 class.
   • Visual Basic
   • C#

   • Visual Basic

   'Initialize a Bitmap
   Dim bitmap As New C1Bitmap()
   

   • C#

   //Initialize a Bitmap
   C1Bitmap bitmap = new C1Bitmap();
   

3. Subscribe a button click event and add the following code for loading the sample image into bitmap from a stream object.
   • Visual Basic
   • C#

   • Visual Basic

   'Load image through stream on button click
   Private Sub Btn_Load_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Btn_Load.Click
       Dim t As Type = Me.GetType
       Dim asm As Assembly = t.Assembly
       Dim stream As Stream = asm.GetManifestResourceStream(t, "Lenna1.png")
       bitmap.Load(stream, New FormatConverter(PixelFormat.Format32bppPBGRA))
       UpdateImage()
   End Sub
   

   • C#

   //Load image through stream on button click 
   private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
   {
       Assembly asm = typeof(Form1).Assembly;
       using (Stream stream = asm.GetManifestResourceStream
           ("LoadBitmapStream.Resources.bitmap-sample.png"))
       {
           bitmap.Load(stream, 
               new FormatConverter(PixelFormat.Format32bppPBGRA));                
       }
   
       UpdateImage();
   }
   

4. Add the following code to define UpdateImage method for displaying the image in the picture box.
   • Visual Basic
   • C#

   • Visual Basic

   'Display the image loaded in bitmap 
   Private Sub UpdateImage()
       Dim bmp = pictureBox1.Image
       bmp = bitmap.ToGdiBitmap()
       pictureBox1.Image = bmp
       pictureBox1.Width = bmp.Width
       pictureBox1.Height = bmp.Height
   
   End Sub
   

   • C#

   //Display the image loaded in bitmap 
   private void UpdateImage()
   {
       var bmp = pictureBox1.Image as Bitmap;
       bmp = bitmap.ToGdiBitmap();
       pictureBox1.Image = bmp;                     
   }