Referencing Images...

23 May 2006 8:54 PM

Tom

I need to be able to reference some images stored in my VB.NET program.
Normally, I would load the images into an ImageList control and use
them from there (these are going to be icons). However, I need to be
able to add/delete images from this image 'store' (whatever I end up
using); but because an image list only allows referencing by image
number in the list, when I would delete an image/icon it would 'mess'
up the ones following that because obviously the image number would
change. Also, I want to allow the user to load custom images/icons of
their own, which again (especially when deleting images) would allow
things to get screwed up because the image number would be affected
(i.e. in the program I would allows my main database records to 'store'
the key to an image - if that key is simply the image number in the
image list, then it is going to be incorrect if any image before that
gets deleted).

In the old VB 6 ImageList one could assign each image a 'key' - but
that isn't used in the new .NET image list. There has got to be a way
to store some kind of unique key to an image and then use that key
(perhaps a hash list or something). Anyone got a good way to handle
this? THanks in advance.

Chimp

--

24 May 2006 9:53 AM

Fred Hedges

You can use a Dictionary to do this, assigning some key and storing Images:

Imports System.Collections.Generics

....

Private m_Images As New Dictionary(Of Integer, Image)
....
....
Images .Add ( 21, theImage )
....
....
myImage = Images ( 21 )
....
....
Images .Remove ( 21 )
....
....

Show quoteHide quote

"Tom" <tom@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:ewY3RsqfGHA.4276@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>I need to be able to reference some images stored in my VB.NET program.
> Normally, I would load the images into an ImageList control and use
> them from there (these are going to be icons). However, I need to be
> able to add/delete images from this image 'store' (whatever I end up
> using); but because an image list only allows referencing by image
> number in the list, when I would delete an image/icon it would 'mess'
> up the ones following that because obviously the image number would
> change. Also, I want to allow the user to load custom images/icons of
> their own, which again (especially when deleting images) would allow
> things to get screwed up because the image number would be affected
> (i.e. in the program I would allows my main database records to 'store'
> the key to an image - if that key is simply the image number in the
> image list, then it is going to be incorrect if any image before that
> gets deleted).
>
> In the old VB 6 ImageList one could assign each image a 'key' - but
> that isn't used in the new .NET image list. There has got to be a way
> to store some kind of unique key to an image and then use that key
> (perhaps a hash list or something). Anyone got a good way to handle
> this? THanks in advance.
>
> Chimp
>
> --
>

25 May 2006 3:17 AM

gene kelley

Show quote Hide quote

On Tue, 23 May 2006 13:54:21 -0700, "Tom" <tom@nospam.com> wrote:

>I need to be able to reference some images stored in my VB.NET program.
>Normally, I would load the images into an ImageList control and use
>them from there (these are going to be icons). However, I need to be
>able to add/delete images from this image 'store' (whatever I end up
>using); but because an image list only allows referencing by image
>number in the list, when I would delete an image/icon it would 'mess'
>up the ones following that because obviously the image number would
>change. Also, I want to allow the user to load custom images/icons of
>their own, which again (especially when deleting images) would allow
>things to get screwed up because the image number would be affected
>(i.e. in the program I would allows my main database records to 'store'
>the key to an image - if that key is simply the image number in the
>image list, then it is going to be incorrect if any image before that
>gets deleted).
>
>In the old VB 6 ImageList one could assign each image a 'key' - but
>that isn't used in the new .NET image list. There has got to be a way
>to store some kind of unique key to an image and then use that key
>(perhaps a hash list or something). Anyone got a good way to handle
>this? THanks in advance.
>
>Chimp

If you manage to add images in Design to an ImageList componet
(doesn't work, here), you should be able to add keys at runtime:

ImageList1.Images.SetKeyName(index, "SomeKey")

By your description, it may better to simply populate the ImageList at
runtime:
ImageList1.Images.Add("SomeKey", SomeImage)

To delete:
ImageList1.Images.RemoveByKey("SomeKey")

Gene