The Windows Imaging Component (WIC) framework, provided with Windows Vista and Windows XP Service Pack 3, provides a single, common set of APIs that allow developers to create applications that process images, with no prior knowledge of the specific image formats required. Once an image format codec is written for WIC, and installed on a machine that supports WIC, you get system-wide support for that format in all applications that use WIC or WPF. This means that any application using WIC can access, display, process, save, and print images using a consistent interface for all image file formats.
LEAD has done the work of writing WIC codecs for you. The LEAD WIC-Enabled Codec set provides you with over forty image encoders and decoders that integrate seamlessly with the Windows Imaging Component (WIC) framework.
By registering these, applications that support WIC and WPF (like Vista Photo Explorer) will automatically have access to over forty image file formats. And, when using the Windows Explorer thumbnail view, users will see an actual thumbnail image for all of these file formats, instead of a generic icon.
Note: Registering some of the LEAD WIC Codecs can have undesired effects on applications that were written to use the Microsoft .Net WIC codec classes. This is a known bug in the Microsoft .Net runtime. The following list shows the LEAD WIC Codecs and the affected Microsoft .Net classes:
LEAD WIC Codec | Microsoft .Net Class |
---|---|
LEAD Bmp Decoder | System.Windows.Media.Imaging.BmpBitmapDecoder |
LEAD Gif Decoder | System.Windows.Media.Imaging.GifBitmapDecoder |
LEAD Icon Decoder | System.Windows.Media.Imaging.IconBitmapDecoder |
LEAD Jpeg Decoder | System.Windows.Media.Imaging.JpegBitmapDecoder |
LEAD Png Decoder | System.Windows.Media.Imaging.PngBitmapDecoder |
LEAD Tiff Decoder | System.Windows.Media.Imaging.TiffBitmapDecoder |
LEAD Hdp Decoder | System.Windows.Media.Imaging.WmpBitmapDecoder |
The following code illustrates the problem and shows how to work around this issue:
//You cannot use TiffBitmapDecoder if the LEAD WIC Tiff Decoder is registered.
//This is a bug in the .Net runtime.
TiffBitmapDecoder decoder = new BitmapDecoder(uri, BitmapCreateOptions.None, BitmapCacheOption.Default);
//You can work around this by using the static Create method
BitmapDecoder decoder = BitmapDecoder.Create(stream, BitmapCreateOptions.None, BitmapCacheOption.Default);
Key Features
- Integrates with Windows Vista or Windows XP Service Pack 3
- Adds support for over 40 supported image formats to any WIC or WPF application
- Generates thumbnail images in Windows Explorer
- Enables read/write of all supported formats in Vista Photo Explorer
- Many additional subformats
Supported Environments
LeadCodec.dll comes in Win32 and x64 editions that can support development of software applications for any of the following environments:
- Windows Vista
- Windows XP
- Windows Server 2003
Note that in order for a WPF application to run, Microsoft .Net Framework 3.0 must be installed on the client. Internet Explorer 7 can auto-detect whether Framework is installed under certain conditions. For more information, refer to Deploying a WPF Application (WPF).
Programming Reference
Getting Started with LEAD WIC-Enabled CodecsTutorials
Files to be Included with Your Application
Example Requirements
LEAD WIC-Enabled File Formats
IWICLeadBitmapEncoderInterface Members
WICLead Enumerations
Reference
Introduction to LEADTOOLS for WPFWindows Imaging Component
Licencing Requirements
Registering LEAD WIC-Enabled Codecs
Technical Support
WPF Assemblies
Leadtools.Windows.Media.EffectsLeadtools.Windows.Controls