Bitmap to picturebox

[MrLucky]

I have a program, that can create a chart with System.Drawing.

Is it possible when the chart is created, the chart is the image for a Picture box?

So when the chart is created, it will direchtly shown in a picture box.

Is that possible?

 

[snarfblam]

Are you drawing the chart? Or are you using a third party library? Is the output in the form of an in-memory bitmap? A .bmp file?

 

[MrLucky]

I use this class:

using System;
using System.IO;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Drawing.Text;
using System.Drawing.Drawing2D;
using System.Drawing.Imaging;

namespace RM
{
	public class PieChart
	{
		private int[] values;
		private string[] legends;
		public System.Drawing.Image Final;
				
		public PieChart()
		{
		}

		public void SetValues(int[] values)
		{
			this.values = values;
		}

		public void SetLegends(string[] legends)
		{
			this.legends = legends;
		}

		public void Render(string title, string subTitle, int width, int height)
		{
			 const int SIDE_LENGTH = 400;
			 const int PIE_DIAMETER = 200;

			 //calculate total amount of units in the pie, based on the data passed in
			 float sumData = 0;
			 foreach(int value in this.values)
			 {
				sumData += Convert.ToSingle(value);
			 }

			 //create a new image
			 Bitmap bm = new Bitmap(width,height);
			 Graphics g = Graphics.FromImage(bm);

			 //set image attributes
			 g.ScaleTransform((Convert.ToSingle(width))/SIDE_LENGTH,(Convert.ToSingle(height))/SIDE_LENGTH);
			 g.SmoothingMode = SmoothingMode.HighQuality;
			 g.TextRenderingHint = TextRenderingHint.AntiAlias;

			 //draw canvas and border
			 g.Clear(Color.White);
			 g.DrawRectangle(Pens.Black,0,0,SIDE_LENGTH-1,SIDE_LENGTH-1);

			 //draw title
			 g.DrawString(title,new Font("Tahoma",14),Brushes.Black,new PointF(5,5));

			 //draw sub-title
			 g.DrawString(subTitle,new Font("Tahoma",10),Brushes.Black,new PointF(7,35));

			 //draw the pie
			 float curAngle = 0;
			 float totalAngle = 0;
			 for(int i=0; i < this.values.Length; i++)
			 {
				curAngle = Convert.ToSingle(this.values[i]) / sumData * 360;

				g.FillPie(new SolidBrush(ChartUtil.GetChartItemColor(i)),100,65,PIE_DIAMETER,PIE_DIAMETER, totalAngle, curAngle);
				g.DrawPie(Pens.Black,100,65,PIE_DIAMETER,PIE_DIAMETER,totalAngle,curAngle);

				totalAngle += curAngle;
			 }

			 //draw legend box and label
			 g.DrawRectangle(Pens.Black,200,300,199,99);
			 g.DrawString("Legend",new Font("Tahoma",10,FontStyle.Bold),Brushes.Black,new PointF(200,300));

			 //draw legend items
			 PointF boxOrigin = new PointF(210,330);
			 PointF textOrigin = new PointF(235,326);

			 float percent = 0;
			 for(int i=0; i < this.legends.Length; i++)
			 {
				g.FillRectangle(new SolidBrush(ChartUtil.GetChartItemColor(i)),boxOrigin.X,boxOrigin.Y,20,10);
				g.DrawRectangle(Pens.Black,boxOrigin.X,boxOrigin.Y,20,10);

				percent = Convert.ToSingle(this.values[i]) / sumData * 100;
				g.DrawString(this.legends[i] + " - " + this.values[i] + " (" + percent.ToString("0") + "%)",new Font("Tahoma",10),Brushes.Black,textOrigin);
				boxOrigin.Y += 15;
				textOrigin.Y += 15;
			 }
			 
			 this.Final = bm;

			 //garbage collection
			 bm.Dispose();
			 g.Dispose();
		}
	}
}

I want the image created with that, in my picture box

 

[MrLucky]

Got it
used:

bm.Save(Application.LocalUserAppDataPath + "/chart.png", ImageFormat.Png);
			 this.Final = Image.FromFile(Application.LocalUserAppDataPath + "/chart.png");

 

[snarfblam]

I dont understand how that helps. Are you trying to save the image? Or show it in a PictureBox? To put it in a picture box, you dont need to save it. Just Do something like this:

SomePictureBox.Image = SomePieChartObject.Final;

 

[MrLucky]

When I tried that, I got an error saying it was not the right type.

My chart was a System.Drawing.Bitmap and a picturebox needs a System.Drawing.Image..

 

[snarfblam]

System.Drawing.Bitmap is a System.Drawing.Image. Bitmap and Metafile both inherit from the Image property. Anything that asks for an Image will accept a Bitmap or Metafile. Perhaps you should post the code where this exception is being thrown.

 

[MrLucky]

Ok without saving, I use this function:

		public Bitmap Render(string title, string subTitle, int width, int height)
		{
			 const int SIDE_LENGTH = 400;
			 const int PIE_DIAMETER = 150;
			 const float PIE_X = 100;
			 const float PIE_Y = 65;

			 //calculate total amount of units in the pie, based on the data passed in
			 float sumData = 0;
			 foreach(int value in this.values)
			 {
				sumData += Convert.ToSingle(value);
			 }

			 //create a new image
			 Bitmap bm = new Bitmap(width,height);
			 Graphics g = Graphics.FromImage(bm);

			 //set image attributes
			 g.ScaleTransform((Convert.ToSingle(width))/SIDE_LENGTH,(Convert.ToSingle(height))/SIDE_LENGTH);
			 g.SmoothingMode = SmoothingMode.HighQuality;
			 g.TextRenderingHint = TextRenderingHint.AntiAlias;

			 //draw canvas and border
			 g.Clear(Color.White);
			 g.DrawRectangle(Pens.Black,0,0,SIDE_LENGTH-1,SIDE_LENGTH-1);

			 //draw title
			 g.DrawString(title,new Font("Tahoma",16),Brushes.Black,new PointF(5,5));

			 //draw sub-title
			 g.DrawString(subTitle,new Font("Tahoma",12),Brushes.Black,new PointF(7,35));
			 
			 //draw the pie
			 float curAngle = 0;
			 float totalAngle = 0;
			 for(int i=0; i < this.values.Length; i++)
			 {
				curAngle = Convert.ToSingle(this.values[i]) / sumData * 360;

				g.FillPie(new SolidBrush(this.colors[i]), PIE_X, PIE_Y, PIE_DIAMETER, PIE_DIAMETER, totalAngle, curAngle);
				g.DrawPie(Pens.Black, PIE_X, PIE_Y,PIE_DIAMETER,PIE_DIAMETER,totalAngle,curAngle);

				totalAngle += curAngle;
			 }

			 //draw legend box and label
			 g.DrawRectangle(Pens.Black, 10, PIE_Y + PIE_DIAMETER + 5,SIDE_LENGTH - 20,height);
			 g.DrawString("Legend",new Font("Tahoma",10,FontStyle.Bold),Brushes.Black,new PointF(15, PIE_Y + PIE_DIAMETER + 10));

			 //draw legend items
			 PointF boxOrigin = new PointF(15, PIE_Y + PIE_DIAMETER + 30);
			 PointF textOrigin = new PointF(35,PIE_Y + PIE_DIAMETER + 27);

			 float percent = 0;
			 for(int i=0; i < this.legends.Length; i++)
			 {
				g.FillRectangle(new SolidBrush(this.colors[i]),boxOrigin.X,boxOrigin.Y,20,10);
				g.DrawRectangle(Pens.Black,boxOrigin.X,boxOrigin.Y,20,10);

				percent = Convert.ToSingle(this.values[i]) / sumData * 100;
				g.DrawString(this.legends[i] + " - " + this.values[i] + " (" + percent.ToString("0") + "%)",new Font("Tahoma",10),Brushes.Black,textOrigin);
				boxOrigin.Y += 15;
				textOrigin.Y += 15;
			 }
			 
			 /*string random_string = ChartUtil.RandomString(8, false);
			 			 			 
			 FileStream filestream = new FileStream(System.IO.Path.GetTempPath() + "/" + random_string + ".png", FileMode.OpenOrCreate, FileAccess.Write);			 
			 bm.Save(filestream, ImageFormat.Png);
			 filestream.Close();
			 
			 this.Final = Image.FromFile(System.IO.Path.GetTempPath() + "/" + random_string + ".png");*/
			 
			 System.Drawing.Bitmap final = bm;
			 
			 //garbage collection
			 bm.Dispose();
			 g.Dispose();
			 
			 return final;
		}
	}

In my form class: i use this:

						chart.SetValues(values);
						chart.SetLegends(legends);
						chart.SetColors(colors);
						System.Drawing.Bitmap final = chart.Render("Most played songs", "", 400, 400);
						
						// Update our picturebox
						graphMostPlayed.Image = final;

But when I start my program, and click the button, so my chart will be created, i get this error:

Parameter is not valid

on this line:

graphMostPlayed.Image = final;

 

[snarfblam]

The problem is that you dispose of the bitmap...

System.Drawing.Bitmap final = bm;
bm.Dispose();

then you try to display it...

graphMostPlayed.Image = final;

Although you are Disposing() one variable and assigning a different variable to the PictureBox, they both reference the same object.