Microsoft Visual C#:
Accessories for File Processing

Introduction

When creating an application, if it is a word processor, after opening the application, it may display an empty area in which the user can start typing. If the user is working on a spreadsheet, he or she may start typing numbers and performing calculations. In the same way, a user who is facing a graphics application would start drawing in it. The object that a user would be using is called a document. After working on a document for a while, there are some other automatic ideas that come in the mind of a user. One would lead to saving the document. Another would consist of printing it. All these routine operations should be available to the user. This aspect of the application is taken care of by the person who creates the application. Not every application allows a user to save or to print its documents. If you want these operations to be possible, you must (explicitly) provide them.

When creating an application, if it is a word processor, after opening the application, it may display an empty area in which the user can start typing. If the user is working on a spreadsheet, he or she may start typing numbers and performing calculations. In the same way, a user who is facing a graphics application would start drawing in it. The object that a user would be using is called a document. After working on a document for a while, there are some other automatic ideas that come in the mind of a user. One would lead to saving the document. Another would consist of printing it. All these routine operations should be available to the user. This aspect of the application is taken care of by the person who creates the application. Not every application allows a user to save or to print its documents. If you want these operations to be possible, you must (explicitly) provide them.

To support the various operations of saving a document, opening an existing document, printing a document, setting up printing, etc, Microsoft Windows provides a series of standard dialog boxes that are available almost regardless of the programming environment you are using to develop your application. These common dialog boxes are stored in libraries (DLLs) that ship with the operating system but they may be provided in a raw format. For this reason, except if programming in Win32, the programming environment you use provides a customized and friendlier technique of adding these dialog boxes to your application. In the same way, the .NET Framework provides its own implementation of these ready-made dialog boxes in a manner that makes it easier to implement them.

To use a standard Windows dialog box, from the Toolbox, click the button that corresponds to the dialog box you want to add and click the form anywhere. The position of the control on the form has no importance because it is only a representative: it will not appear when the form is running. Once the desired dialog’s icon is on the form, place a button on the form or create a menu item that will be used to call the dialog box.

The Save As dialog box allows users to store a file on the hard drive of the computer, on a portable medium such as a floppy disk, or on a network drive.

The Open File dialog box is used to open existing documents.

1. Start a new Windows Forms Application named PictureViewer2
2. Change the properties of the form as follows:
   Text: Picture Viewer
   StartPosition: CenterScreen
3. On the main menu, click Project -> Add New Item...
4. In the Add New Item dialog box, click Icon File
5. Set the Name to openpicture and click Add
6. Right-click the picture and click Delete Image Type
7. Design the 16x16 icon as follows:
    
   
8. On the main menu, click File -> Save openpicture.ico As...
9. Select the PictureViewer2\PictureViewer2\bin\Debug folder
10. Click Save
11. In the Solution Explorer, expand the bin\Debug folder. Right-click the Debug folder -> Add -> New Item...
12. Select Icon File. Set the Name to f the project -> Add -> Resource...
13. In the Add Resource dialog box, double-click Icon flip and click Add
14. Right-click the picture and click Delete Image Type
15. Design the 16x16 icon as follows:
     
    
16. Save and close the icon design
17. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the Debug folder -> Add -> New Item...
18. Select Icon File. Set the Name to mirror.ico and click Add
19. Right-click the picture and click Delete Image Type
20. Design the 16x16 icon as follows:
     
    
21. Save and close the icon design
22. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the Debug folder -> Add -> New Item...
23. Select Icon File. Set the Name to rotate90right and click Add
24. Right-click the picture and click Delete Image Type
25. Design the 16x16 icon as follows:
     
    
26. Save and close the icon design
27. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the Debug folder -> Add -> New Item...
28. Select Icon File. Set the Name to rotate90left and click Add
29. Right-click the picture and click Delete Image Type
30. Design the 16x16 icon as follows:
     
    
31. Save and close the icon design
32. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the Debug folder -> Add -> New Item...
33. Select Icon File. Set the Name to rotate180 and click Add
34. Right-click the picture and click Delete Image Type
35. Design the 16x16 icon as follows:
     
    
36. Save and close the icon design
37. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the Debug folder -> Add -> New Item...
38. Select Icon File. Set the Name to fliprotate90right and click Add
39. Right-click the picture and click Delete Image Type
40. Design the 16x16 icon as follows:
     
    
41. Save and close the icon design
42. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the Debug folder -> Add -> New Item...
43. Select Icon File. Set the Name to fliprotate90left and click Add
44. Right-click the picture and click Delete Image Type
45. Design the 16x16 icon as follows:
     
    
46. Save and close the icon design
47. In the Solution Explorer, right-click the Debug folder -> Add -> New Item...
48. Select Icon File. Set the Name to fliprotate180 and click Add
49. Right-click the picture and click Delete Image Type
50. Design the 16x16 icon as follows:
     
    
51. Save and close the icon design
52. From the Menus & Toolbars section of the Toolbox, click MenuStrip and click the form
53. While the menu strip is still selected under the form, in the Properties window, click (Name) and type mnuMain
54. Use the menu designer and/or the Items field of the Properties window to create the menu items as follows:
     

    Menu Top Sub Items/DropDownItems Text Name Text Name Image &File mnuFile &Open Picture... mnuFileOpenPicture openpicture.ico     Separator         E&xit mnuFileExit

    Menu Top Sub Items/DropDownItems Text Name Text Name Image &Tools mnuTools &Flip mnuToolsFlip flip.ico     &Mirror mnuToolsMirror mirror.ico     Separator         &Rotate mnuToolsRotate       Flip && R&otate mnuToolsFlipRotate

    Sub Item Sub Items/DropDownItems Text Text Name Image Rotate 90º mnuToolsRotate90     180º mnuToolsRotate180 rotate180.ico Flip & Rotate 90º mnuToolsFlipRotate90     180º mnuToolsFlipRotate180 fliprotate180.ico

    Sub Item Sub Item Sub Items/DropDownItems Text Text Text Name Image Rotate 90º &Left mnuToolsRotate90Left rotate90left.ico     &Right mnuToolsRotate90Right rotate90right.ico Flip & Rotate 90º &Left mnuToolsFlipRotate90Left fliprotate90left.ico     &Right mnuToolsFlipRotate90Right fliprotate90right.ico

    Menu Top Sub Item Text Text Name &Tools Flip & Rotate     Separator     &Original Size mnuOriginalSize   Ce&nter Image mnuCenterImage   R&esize Form to Fit Picture mnuResizeForm   O&ccupy Client Area mnuOccupyClientArea   &Zoom mnuZoom

55. From the Common Controls section of the Toolbox, click PictureBox and click the form
56. In the Properties window, change its characteristics as follows:
    BorderStyle: Fixed3D
    (Name): pbxViewer
    Dock: Fill 
57. You can copy the following pictures and add them to a folder on your computer (for example the PictureViewer2\PictureViewer2\bin\Debug folder of the current project)
     
58. In the Solution Explorer, right-click Form1.cs and click Rename
59. Type PictureViewer.cs and press Enter twice
60. Right-click the form and click View Code
61. Declare a private Bitmap variable named bmpPicture
     

    namespace PictureViewer2 { public partial class Form1 : Form { Bitmap bmpPicture; public Form1() { InitializeComponent(); } } }

62. Return to the form
63. On top of the Properties window, click the arrow of the combo box and select PictureViewer
64. Click the Events button and double-click Paint
65. Implement the event as follows:
     

    private void PictureViewer_Paint(object sender, PaintEventArgs e) { if( bmpPicture != null ) { pbxViewer.Image = bmpPicture; } }

66. Return to the form
67. Click Tools and double-click Flip
68. Implement the event as follows:
     

    private void mnuToolsFlip_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { if( bmpPicture != null ) { bmpPicture.RotateFlip(RotateFlipType.RotateNoneFlipY); Invalidate(); } }

69. Return to the form, click Tools and double-click Mirror
70. Implement the event as follows:
     

    private void mnuToolsMirror_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { if (bmpPicture != null) { bmpPicture.RotateFlip(RotateFlipType.RotateNoneFlipX); Invalidate(); } }

71. Return to the form, click Tools, then click Rotate, then click 90º and double-click Left
72. Implement the event as follows:
     

    private void mnuToolsRotate90Left_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { if (bmpPicture != null) { bmpPicture.RotateFlip(RotateFlipType.Rotate270FlipNone); Invalidate(); } }

73. Return to the form, click Tools, then click Rotate, then click 90º and double-click Right
74. Implement the event as follows:
     

    private void mnuToolsRotate90Right_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { if (bmpPicture != null) { bmpPicture.RotateFlip(RotateFlipType.Rotate90FlipNone); Invalidate(); } }

75. Return to the form, click Tools, then click Rotate, and double-click 180º
76. Implement the event as follows:
     

    private void mnuToolsRotate180_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { if (bmpPicture != null) { bmpPicture.RotateFlip(RotateFlipType.Rotate180FlipNone); Invalidate(); } }

77. Return to the form, click Tools, then click Flip & Rotate, then click 90º and double-click Left
78. Implement the event as follows:
     

    private void mnuToolsFlipRotate90Left_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { if (bmpPicture != null) { bmpPicture.RotateFlip(RotateFlipType.Rotate270FlipX); Invalidate(); } }

79. Return to the form, click Tools, then click Flip & Rotate, then click 90º and double-click Right
80. Implement the event as follows:
     

    private void mnuToolsFlipRotate90Right_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { if (bmpPicture != null) { bmpPicture.RotateFlip(RotateFlipType.Rotate90FlipX); Invalidate(); } }

81. Return to the form, click Tools, then click Flip & Rotate, and double-click 180º
82. Implement the event as follows:
     

    private void mnuToolsFlipRotate180_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { if (bmpPicture != null) { bmpPicture.RotateFlip(RotateFlipType.Rotate180FlipX); Invalidate(); } }

83. Return to the form, click Tools and double-click Original Size
84. Implement its event as follows:
     

    private void mnuToolsOriginalSize_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { if (bmpPicture != null) { pbxViewer.SizeMode = PictureBoxSizeMode.Normal; mnuOriginalSize.Checked = true; mnuCenterImage.Checked = false; mnuOccupyClientArea.Checked = false; mnuZoom.Checked = false; } }

85. Return to the form, click Tools and double-click Center Image
86. Implement its event as follows:
     

    private void mnuToolsCenterImage_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { if (bmpPicture != null) { pbxViewer.SizeMode = PictureBoxSizeMode.CenterImage; mnuOriginalSize.Checked = false; mnuCenterImage.Checked = true; mnuOccupyClientArea.Checked = false; mnuZoom.Checked = false; } }

87. Return to the form, click Tools and double-click Occupy Client Area
88. Implement its event as follows:
     

    private void mnuOccupyClientArea_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { if (bmpPicture != null) { pbxViewer.SizeMode = PictureBoxSizeMode.StretchImage; mnuOriginalSize.Checked = false; mnuCenterImage.Checked = false; mnuOccupyClientArea.Checked = true; mnuZoom.Checked = false; } }

89. Return to the form, click Tools and double-click Zoom
90. Implement its event as follows:
     

    private void mnuZoom_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { if (bmpPicture != null) { pbxViewer.SizeMode = PictureBoxSizeMode.Zoom; mnuOriginalSize.Checked = false; mnuCenterImage.Checked = false; mnuOccupyClientArea.Checked = false; mnuZoom.Checked = true; } }

91. Return to the form
92. From the Dialogs section of the Toolbox, click OpenFileDialog and click the form
93. While the open file control is still selected under the form, in the Properties window, click (Name) and type ofdPicture
94. Still in the Properties window for the open file control, click Filter and type:
    Bitmap Files (*.bmp)|*.bmp|JPEG Files (*.jpg,*.jpeg)|*.jpg|GIF Files (*.gif)|*.gif|PNG Files (*.png)|*.png
95. Save the form
96. Still in the Properties window for the open file control, click DefaultExt and type bmp
97. Save the form
98. On the form, click File and double-click Open Picture
99. Implement the event as follows:
     

    private void mnuFileOpenPicture_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { if (ofdPicture.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK) { bmpPicture = new Bitmap(ofdPicture.FileName); Invalidate(); mnuToolsOriginalSize_Click(sender, e); } }

100. Return to the form
101. Click Tools and double-click Exit
102. Implement the event as follows:
      

     private void mnuFileExit_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { Close(); }

103. Execute the application
104. Open a picture and use the menu items
      
105. Close the form and return to your programming environment