Channel 9 Forums - Tech Off - C# 2.0 convert Bitmap to Icon problem http://mschnlnine.vo.llnwd.net/d1/Dev/App_Themes/C9/images/feedimage.png Channel 9 Forums - Tech Off - C# 2.0 convert Bitmap to Icon problem http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums Channel 9 keeps you up to date with the latest news and behind the scenes info from Microsoft that developers love to keep up with. From LINQ to SilverLight – Watch videos and hear about all the cool technologies coming and the people behind them. http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums en Mon, 20 May 2013 21:20:02 GMT Mon, 20 May 2013 21:20:02 GMT Rev9 12 -12 -1 Tech Off - C# 2.0 convert Bitmap to Icon problem The following code fails to create a valid icon recognized by Windows Explorer or VS2005; though, it can be opened in Paint.

using (Bitmap bmp = new Bitmap(@"C:\ABitmap.bmp"))
{
      bmp.Save(@"C:\IconFromBitmap.ico", ImageFormat.Icon);
}

After googling, a post in MSDN forum was found with similar problem http://forums.microsoft.com/msdn/showpost.aspx?postid=63447&siteid=1

The code seems rather straight-forward but it does not appear to do the job.

Does anyone have a solution?

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/130238#130238 Sun, 06 Nov 2005 04:08:13 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/130238#130238 Mar7in 12 http://channel9.msdn.com/Niners/Mar7in/Discussions/RSS Tech Off - C# 2.0 convert Bitmap to Icon problem It's a known bug. The .NET GDI doesn't even have an icon encoder so it saves it as a png file. I was trying to find a solution for that for a long time and the only thing I've found is that you can use a free image conversion library called FreeImage ( http://freeimage.sourceforge.net/ ) which can save images to many different icons. It's free and released under the GNU license if I'm not mistaken, but there's one limit - it can save icons only in this size range: 16x16 - 128x128 . So keep in mind that smaller or bigger images won't be saved.


If you find a better solution please share it with us. I'd really like to know how to solve it without using an external source.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/dc565d9aed1f44f1b5119dea012f0eb1#dc565d9aed1f44f1b5119dea012f0eb1 Sun, 06 Nov 2005 14:32:45 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/dc565d9aed1f44f1b5119dea012f0eb1#dc565d9aed1f44f1b5119dea012f0eb1 yyy 12 http://channel9.msdn.com/Niners/yyy/Discussions/RSS Tech Off - C# 2.0 convert Bitmap to Icon problem Since *.ico files are simply binary files containing an embedded resource list containing bitmap icons.

So couldn't you create an *.ico file using .NET's resource manipulation namespaces?

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/e823c479868c4cb59c669dea012f0eda#e823c479868c4cb59c669dea012f0eda Sun, 06 Nov 2005 19:23:53 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/e823c479868c4cb59c669dea012f0eda#e823c479868c4cb59c669dea012f0eda W3bbo 12 http://channel9.msdn.com/Niners/W3bbo/Discussions/RSS Tech Off - C# 2.0 convert Bitmap to Icon problem What are the .NET's resource manipulation namespaces?

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/3bc9aa59668149d290fa9dea012f0f02#3bc9aa59668149d290fa9dea012f0f02 Sun, 06 Nov 2005 19:32:46 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/3bc9aa59668149d290fa9dea012f0f02#3bc9aa59668149d290fa9dea012f0f02 yyy 12 http://channel9.msdn.com/Niners/yyy/Discussions/RSS Tech Off - C# 2.0 convert Bitmap to Icon problem
yyy wrote:
What are the .NET's resource manipulation namespaces?


System.Resources

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/e0e475bdde464f2b83d39dea012f0f2b#e0e475bdde464f2b83d39dea012f0f2b Sun, 06 Nov 2005 19:36:11 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/e0e475bdde464f2b83d39dea012f0f2b#e0e475bdde464f2b83d39dea012f0f2b W3bbo 12 http://channel9.msdn.com/Niners/W3bbo/Discussions/RSS Tech Off - C# 2.0 convert Bitmap to Icon problem Thanks but I don't think I know how to use it in order to create the icon. An icon file's layout is quite complicated, as explained in this article: http://www.codeproject.com/dotnet/MultiIcon.asp . I think that if you need to convert a bitmap to an icon you'll first have to get a lot of information from that bitmap and that's the hard part. But maybe there's something I don't know about.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/c0b0c6e0c3df49e6b7bc9dea012f0f54#c0b0c6e0c3df49e6b7bc9dea012f0f54 Sun, 06 Nov 2005 20:39:47 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/c0b0c6e0c3df49e6b7bc9dea012f0f54#c0b0c6e0c3df49e6b7bc9dea012f0f54 yyy 12 http://channel9.msdn.com/Niners/yyy/Discussions/RSS Tech Off - C# 2.0 convert Bitmap to Icon problem If you are willing to put one per file, you can just save it as a bitmap with the ICO extension.

Just make sure it is 16x16, 32x32, or 64x64 if you want to work in most places.

Jorgie

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/673ed28ba1404aac93a29dea012f0f7d#673ed28ba1404aac93a29dea012f0f7d Mon, 07 Nov 2005 02:42:33 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/673ed28ba1404aac93a29dea012f0f7d#673ed28ba1404aac93a29dea012f0f7d Jorgie 12 http://channel9.msdn.com/Niners/Jorgie/Discussions/RSS Tech Off - C# 2.0 convert Bitmap to Icon problem Jorgie, by just changing the file extension, Windows Explorer seems to recognize it. But when it is used as a Windows Form icon, VS2005 throws an error, "Argument 'picture' must be a picture that can be used as a Icon".

After some reading, it appears that to correctly do it, I have to manupulate Bitmap headers and Icon headers / structs myself based on Windows API documentation; and there will be quite some coding. That is rather odd to me since it is a known problem; nonetheless .NET 2.0 chooses not to address it.

Thanks guys for the replies. I will attemp to do some coding and it is surely going to be an interesting experience. Wink

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/add2281c7c6540dd97df9dea012f0fa7#add2281c7c6540dd97df9dea012f0fa7 Mon, 07 Nov 2005 05:51:52 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/add2281c7c6540dd97df9dea012f0fa7#add2281c7c6540dd97df9dea012f0fa7 Mar7in 12 http://channel9.msdn.com/Niners/Mar7in/Discussions/RSS Tech Off - C# 2.0 convert Bitmap to Icon problem Great - don't forget to tell us if you find out how to do it right. I'm also interested in this. BTW, maybe this can help you: http://www.codeproject.com/dotnet/safeicon.asp - it shows a code that can convert an Image object to an icon but it doesn't work with all sorts of icons.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/21e601810b7a4b899a499dea012f0fd0#21e601810b7a4b899a499dea012f0fd0 Mon, 07 Nov 2005 13:05:45 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/21e601810b7a4b899a499dea012f0fd0#21e601810b7a4b899a499dea012f0fd0 yyy 12 http://channel9.msdn.com/Niners/yyy/Discussions/RSS Tech Off - C# 2.0 convert Bitmap to Icon problem
yyy said:
Great - don't forget to tell us if you find out how to do it right. I'm also interested in this. BTW, maybe this can help you: http://www.codeproject.com/dotnet/safeicon.asp - it shows a code that can convert an Image object to an icon but it doesn't work with all sorts of icons.
has this been fixed in .NET 3.5 (maybe WPF)?

i tried the freeimage lib, the sample for .NET didn't even compile.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/ad6e145862a9491c8a369dea012f1013#ad6e145862a9491c8a369dea012f1013 Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:28:31 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/ad6e145862a9491c8a369dea012f1013#ad6e145862a9491c8a369dea012f1013 googlexp 12 http://channel9.msdn.com/Niners/googlexp/Discussions/RSS Tech Off - C# 2.0 convert Bitmap to Icon problem
googlexp said:
yyy said:
*snip*
has this been fixed in .NET 3.5 (maybe WPF)?

i tried the freeimage lib, the sample for .NET didn't even compile.
the .NET framework's class libraries have only been extended in .NET 3.0 and 3.5, all the core assemblies remain the same. So no.

Re: Jorgie: that wouldn't work because an ICO is application/x-icon, Explorer is just more tolerant and loads up the Win32 bitmap reader despite the file extension, a proper icon reader would choke on it.

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/57695b9127a748a4b06a9dea012f103c#57695b9127a748a4b06a9dea012f103c Mon, 28 Jul 2008 07:30:23 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/57695b9127a748a4b06a9dea012f103c#57695b9127a748a4b06a9dea012f103c W3bbo 12 http://channel9.msdn.com/Niners/W3bbo/Discussions/RSS Tech Off - C# 2.0 convert Bitmap to Icon problem             System.IO.Stream outputStream;

            Icon tIco;
            
            Bitmap tBmp = new Bitmap(pictureBox1.Image);

            outputStream = System.IO.File.Create(@textBox2.Text);
            tIco = Icon.FromHandle(tBmp.GetHicon());
            tIco.Save(outputStream);
            
            outputStream.Close();

----

   The only problem I have with the code it the apparent loss of colors.  Though the end result does show up in properties as 32bit.

   This will allow you to use the icon as an icon on your forms.

-Chazm

]]> http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/ddf141243a4a4301b2839dea012f1081#ddf141243a4a4301b2839dea012f1081 Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:25:00 GMT http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/TechOff/130238-C-20-convert-Bitmap-to-Icon-problem/ddf141243a4a4301b2839dea012f1081#ddf141243a4a4301b2839dea012f1081 ChazmCoder 12 http://channel9.msdn.com/Niners/ChazmCoder/Discussions/RSS