If I want to add pictures, I have to put those into the resources and access them from the picturebox.Image property by using this:
AddPicturesFromOtherFolders.Properties.Resources.myPicture
Thats the only way I know. That works fine if I have 10 or so images, but what if I had 500 images? Nobody could keep track of anything. So I would like to structure these hyperthetical 500 Images in a folder structure which I could then access with something like:
pictureBox1.Image= ../../Assets/img/specialImages/myImage.png
That would be very neat, but I have found no way, that involves 100% C# code.
I would be wuite grateful, if you could help me.
Have a nice day,
Alexander Lenssen
You could use Image.FromFile and load the image from any file you have stored in your file system. For example:
pictureBox1.Image.FromFile(#"D:/Assets/img/specialImages/myImage.png");
There is no way that involves 100% C# code. At least some Compiler options or Setup actions are nessesary. But the first question is even where to store it: Programm Directory or UserProfiles?
Asuming these images are static (will only change when a installer runs), you can just store them into the Programm Directory. And from there deploy them with the rest of the code. Getting them Into the Output directory is not that difficulty. Visual Studio has options for that: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/0c6xyb66.aspx You could go further, like having a Shared Repository for Images (i.e., most Photoshop programms have one Content Folder under Programms).
You can go as far as "soft linking" them, wich means you can have one actuall folder on your disk that will be copied/synched into the output directories on any buil.
If you need to Update those Images them on the fly (without adminsitrative rights), stuff becomes more complicated. You can still do it via the SpecialFolders. CommonApplicationData seems like the right place to put this kind of stuff. Even Steam and Minecraft's old Java Launcher do quite some storage there. Not to mention every WebBrowser.
Related
I have this code to add an Image to ImageList :
imageList1.Images.Add(Image.FromFile(path));
I want to somehow save the image in my application(resources maybe?!) just like the way you add Image to ImageList at design time so if I move my application files somewhere else the added images move with it. I don't want to save files in application path or database or other things like that.
Is there any way to do that ?
Can you logically explain how that should work? Did you think this through?
just like the way you add Image to ImageList at design time
If you do this, they get COMPILED INTO THE PROGRAM AS RESOURCE. Which not only requires the compiler and the source code (though you can put them into a resource only assembly), but also access to changing the program files.
Doable at compile time, totally not a sane approach at runtime.
It also effectively stored them in a resource assembly in the application path, which you rule out as a location.
I don't want to save files in application path or database or other things
like that.
latest "other things like that" would ALSO rule out modifying the program (as it would store them somewhere) and make this a total fallacy request. You want to store images but not store them. Grats. Even if not:
Programs should NOT NEVER EVER modify themselves. This is a high priviledge operation, normal users can not change the program files folder.
As you rule out all other places - where you want to store the iamge? Cloud? Magic?
There is no way to do what you want because you rule out all possibilities. And "Like at design time" only seems to think you think this works by magic.
So, no - the question as you have asked it has one answer: get realistic. You can not rule out all ways to save them and then want them saved. Requirements contradict themselves.
In my current game, modding is a HUGE part of the game. It took me a while to develop a good system of loading modded content into the game, but I finally settled on a method, and I would like to keep it if possible.
How I'm handling modded content
In the game's content folder (C:/Users/username/4X), there is a Mods folder. Each mod will have it's own folder inside of the Mod directory. The game goes through a file (Rather, it will. I haven't implemented it yet), and figures out which Mod directories that it's going to load. After it's figured that out, it loads all of the content into the game (I can explain in more detail if its pertinent to the topic, I just don't wan't to use up space on unnecessary things).
So what's your problem?
Well, the mods will all have raw resources (.fbx, .wav, .mp3), and since I can't load anything but XNB files, I have absolutely no idea how to load the mod's content. Well, I take it back, I've been thinking of a few solutions but I really don't know which is more practical, or if there is a better way of doing this.
First, I thought about borrowing some code from the Pipeline application, and building all of the mod's content the first time it was loaded, but I don't fully understand the Pipeline's code, and I didn't want to mess up something by partially implementing it.
Next, I thought about requiring mod creators to use the Pipeline to build their content before they release their mods, but that seemed kind of unprofessional, since I want to have a Mod Creation Engine that has all of the tools bundled together. Which brings me back to using some of the Pipeline's code and embedding it in the engine, but then I have the same issue as my last idea.
And finally, I thought about just loading raw content. But there's an obvious flaw with that idea.
So I guess what I'm asking is:
How can I load raw content? That is, content that hasn't been built into XNB Files
If not, how can I start learning about the code that makes the Pipeline application tick, since I'll probably have to use some of it's code?
You can actually load some raw content directly with MonoGame. For example:
var texture = Content.Load<Texture2D>("raw.png")`
should work if you've got the PNG file in the Content directory and set it's properties to Content / Copy if newer.
However, please note that this will only work for some content and some platforms. I know PNG files work, WAV files work (but they must be mono 44khz I believe) and I'm pretty sure I got MP3 files to work once.
You'll probably run into issues with FBX files and sprite fonts. There's nothing stopping you from bypassing the content manager and loading these yourself though. I've done this before with great success.
Oh, and the other thing I should mention, take a look at the TitleContainer.OpenStream method. This is a way to read a file without writing the platform specific code yourself.
I am looking for a few pointers to reaching am adequate solution to a problem/feature I need to implement/rectify in my asp.net mvc application.
My application is a LAN only interface that is run over a webserver. In this application there is a page that displays a bunch of files/folders.
I need to be able to store a set of attributes\properties about these files, and those props\attrs need to be independent of their location on the fileserver. This is my main issue, as I could easily link them to the db with the path as the primary key, but alas then as soon as the file moves their link to the db would be lost.
The types of files that need to be displayed unfortunately could be anything. .txt, .exe, media etc etc. So that provides a limiting option also from using something like the tagsharp lib.
One approach i was considering was simply storing a key somehow in the file itself, or with an ADS ( i have no experience in doing this, but am presently trying to research its potentiality).
Does anybody have any experience with this issue, and can recommend a simple approach. I am hoping i do not need to implement an ADS approach as what ive been reading so far is a little bit over my head and im not sure C# will handle the streams adequately for my needs.
Opinion based. Proposal anyway: what about an additional file which is found by a naming convention?
MyDocument.doxc
MyDomument.docx.properties
MyMovie.mp4
MyMovie.mp4.properties
When moving / renaming files, make sure you move / rename the properties file the same.
First of all thanks for taking a moment to reply.
I had considered the possibility of using a separate file. The problem is that the users of the filesystem ( which may or may not include users of the lan application ) need to be able to move/copy files independent of db application.
Therefore if a user moves a file in windows explorer, I need it to automatically move those additional properties with it. Unfortunately I cant rely on users to move those additional files on their own volition, and I cant ask users to only use the application to move files ( if i were to generate code for the program to do this ).
i am looking for a way to store a complete directory including sub directories in an application's resource and not have to extract it to use it.
Details:
We would like to use GeckoFx (Gecko as C# Component) in one of our applications.
GeckoFX needs the XUL-Runner and needs to find it's folder structure
We have some other data which I would not prefer to extracted to the customer's pc; At least not onto something persistent like a hdd...
Getting the complete directory into the resources is not that kind of a big deal. Compress to one file and done.
But not writing it to the disk to use it is something else.
I have a strong dislike against temp folders and such things. Would anything like a RAM drive be possible? Some part of the RAM beeing mounted? Does something like this even exist as a lib, or would this only be possible by a device driver?
Any thoughts on this?
Thanks in advance!
Corelgott
You can use GeckoMulti, it will save you a lot of time, it has already got done what you are trying to implemented.
I am planning to create a screen saver. Thinking of trying out some WPF as well. Anyways, I am not quite sure how I would organize the screen saver on disk in the file system. I have mainly two related issues that I am very uncertain on how to solve:
Normally an application lives, with all its 3rd party assemblies, static resources, images, etc., in the Program Files folder and is run from there. For example C:\Program Files\MyScreenSaver. But (if I haven't missed something) the executable of a screen saver in windows need to have the scr extension and to live in the system folder, for example C:\Windows\System32. How do you program the screen saver so that it can find the "rest of itself"? Would you use the windows registry? Or creat some sort of config file next to the scr file with the path to the rest? And would you make the scr to just be sort of a launcher of an exe in the application folder? Or would this be a bad idea?
I also want the screen saver to download new content from certain places on the internet. But where do I put it, and how does the screen saver find it? If I have understood correctly, an application is not to create new contents in its application folder, but rather in a user folder. How do I find that folder? Do you build it up from environment variables? And in what specific directory should things like this really be in? For example on Vista I see that you have one folder called C:\ProgramData. You also have C:\Users\username\AppData\Local, C:\Users\username\AppData\LocalLow and C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming. Have also seen a lot of programs dump stuff in the my documents folder (although I hate programs cluttering up my documents folder, so I will probably try to avoid that :p).
What are some best practices when it comes to these issues of laying out your application in the file system? I am want it to be best and "most correct" for Windows 7, which means it will probably work the same in Vista as well (?), but it would also need to work in XP, since a lot of people are using that still.
I'm still using XP :)
System.Environment.SpecialFolders is what you want for these special locations.
Say,
System.Environment.SpecialFolder.LocalApplicationData
For a screen saver I'd try to put most of it in the .exe (.scr) file. It might make the executable quite big but I think it's worth it.
For the downloaded content use application data folder, or maybe allow user to set the location (put the path in registry). For example if you are downloading images, the user might want to put that in My Pictures folder.
You can put it in the System32 (or SysWOW64) folder, but you can also put it in just the Windows folder, which would prevent x86 vs x64 issues.
You can find some other hard to find, but important information about writing screen savers here:
https://github.com/steveniles/MandelZoom/wiki
(Disclosure: I wrote the above wiki as a companion for the source code of one of my own screen savers.)