Implementing Annotations

Note: This topic is for Document/Medical only.

LEADTOOLS maintains annotations separately from bitmaps. Annotations, which are based on vectored drawing functions, are associated with a bitmap only as an overlay of the displayed image. Ordinarily, your application code is responsible for maintaining the relationships between images and annotations. For example, the annotation example that ships with LEADTOOLS, creates an annotation file that has the same name as its associated image file, but with a different extension. When the image file is loaded, the program looks for an associated annotation file and loads it as well.

Database operations are an exception. When binding to a data control in Visual Basic, if a LEAD control has annotations, they are automatically stored with the bitmap. With ODBC operations, annotations are not supported.

The LEAD control implements annotations by turning on automated features. You can set the following property to let a user add annotations (in design mode) or view annotations (in run mode). You can also use this property to make the annotations invisible.

AnnUserMode property

The following property lets you automatically rotate annotations to match the bitmap's rotation:

AnnAutoRotate property

The following property lets you automatically resize annotations to match the bitmap, after the bitmap has been resized:

AnnAutoResize property

In design mode, the following property lets you select an annotation tool:

AnnTool property

Run mode activation of a hot spot or button annotation generates the following event where you can add your own code:

AnnClicked event

If your application requires you to uniquely identify an annotation object, you can use the following methods to maintain numeric tags, and retrieve an object based on that tag:

AnnSetTag method

AnnGetTag method

AnnGetObjectFromTag method

The following method lets you identify the type of the specified annotation object:

AnnGetType method

To determine the number of items present in an object, use the following:

AnnEnumerate event

AnnEnumerate method

The following events let you add code to adapt your application to the automated annotation features:

AnnCreate event

AnnDestroy event

AnnDrawn event

AnnChange event

AnnSelect event

The following methods let you flip, reverse, rotate, or move annotations programmatically:

AnnFlip method

AnnReverse method

AnnRotate method

AnnMove method

AnnRectHeight property

AnnRectLeft property

AnnRectTop property

AnnRectWidth property

AnnBringToFront method

AnnSendToBack method

The following properties and methods let you create, manipulate, and remove annotation objects:

AnnCreate method

AnnCreateItem method

AnnInsert method

AnnSetAutoDefaults method

AnnRectLeft property

AnnRectHeight property

AnnRectLeft property

AnnRectWidth property

AnnSetVisible method

AnnGetVisible method

AnnSetSelected method

AnnRemove method

The following properties let you get the boundaries of the bounding rectangle of the specified annotation object:

AnnBoundingRectHeight property

AnnBoundingRectLeft property

AnnBoundingRectTop property

AnnBoundingRectWidth property

The following methods let you handle a region:

AnnGetArea method

AnnGetRgnHandle method

The following methods let you work with the Ruler object:

AnnGetDistance method

AnnGetBitmapDpiX method

AnnGetBitmapDpiY method

AnnGetGaugeLength method

AnnSetGaugeLength method

The following methods let you handle the annotation object characterstics:

AnnGetAutoBackColor method

AnnGetBackColor method

AnnGetForeColor method

AnnSetAutoBackColor method

AnnSetBackColor method

AnnSetForeColor method

AnnGetFillMode method

AnnGetFillPattern method

AnnGetLineStyle method

AnnGetLineWidth method

AnnGetMetafile method

AnnGetName method

AnnGetNodes method

AnnGetPolyFillMode method

AnnGetPredefinedMetafile method

AnnGetSelected method

AnnGetText method

AnnGetUnit method

AnnHitTest method

AnnSetFillMode method

AnnSetFillPattern method

AnnSetLineStyle method

AnnSetLineWidth method

AnnSetMetafile method

AnnSetName method

AnnSetNodes method

AnnSetPolyFillMode method

AnnSetPredefinedMetafile method

AnnSetText method

AnnGetFontBold method

AnnGetFontItalic method

AnnGetFontName method

AnnGetFontSize method

AnnGetFontStrikeThrough method

AnnGetFontUnderline method

AnnSelectPoint method

AnnSetFontBold method

AnnSetFontItalic method

AnnSetFontName method

AnnSetFontSize method

AnnSetFontStrikeThrough method

AnnSetFontUnderline method

The following methods let you use ROP2:

AnnGetROP2 method

AnnSetROP2 method

The following methods let you handle the bitmap:

AnnGetBitmap method

AnnGetTransparentColor method

AnnSetBitmap method

AnnSetBitmapDpiX method

AnnSetBitmapDpiY method

AnnSetTransparentColor method

AnnGetTransparent method

AnnSetTransparent method

AnnGetSecondaryBitmap method

AnnSetSecondaryBitmap method

When painting annotations on a bitmap, normally, the image is painted first, and then the annotations are rendered. This can cause flicker, and, it allows the portion under the annotation objects, for example a Redact object, to be visible. To avoid this flicker, enable double buffer image display by setting the DoubleBuffer property to TRUE.

The following methods and properties let you select annotation objects relative to a window:

AnnSelectPoint method

AnnSelectRect method

AnnSelectRectHeight property

AnnSelectRectLeft property

AnnSelectRectTop property

AnnSelectRectWidth property

The following methods let you group or ungroup annotations:

AnnGetGrouping method

AnnGroup method

AnnSetGrouping method

AnnUngroup method

For more information on grouping and ungrouping annotations, refer to Grouping and Ungrouping Annotation Objects.

You can manipulate the mouse when working with annotations using the following:

AnnMouseDown event

AnnMouseMove event

AnnMouseUp event

SetMousePos method

The following method lets you apply annotations to the bitmap, itself.

AnnRealize method

The following method lets you restore the background of redact objects.

AnnUnrealize method

The following methods let you load annotations from a file or save them to a file:

AnnLoad method

AnnDataPath property

AnnLoadArray method

AnnLoadMemory method

AnnSave method

AnnSaveArray method

AnnSaveMemory method

AnnSaveOffset method

The following method lets you save annotations in a Wang compatible TIFF tag:

AnnSaveTag method

The following methods and property support Windows clipboard operations:

AnnCopy method

AnnCut method

AnnPasteReady property

AnnPaste method

The following property and methods let you control and customize the menus and other text strings that appear in automation mode:

AnnAutoDialogFontSize property

AnnAutoMenuEnable property

AnnAutoDrawEnable property

AnnGetAutoText method

AnnSetAutoText method

AnnGetAutoMenuItemEnable method

AnnSetAutoMenuItemEnable method

For information on modifying the annotation automation menu through the AnnMenu object, refer to Annotation Menu.

To undo changes made to objects or automation operations, use the following methods and properties:

AnnAddUndoNode method

AnnUndo method

AnnUndoDepth property

AnnUndoEnable property

For more information on undoing operations, refer to Undoing Automation Operations.

You can use LEADTOOLS DLL functions to further customize the automated annotation features. Keep in mind, however, that the ActiveX relies on particular ways of identifying, scaling and positioning annotation objects. Modifying the behavior with DLL functions can break the automated features. The following methods, properties, and events can be helpful when using DLL functions:

AnnContainer property

AnnGetContainer method

AnnGetTopContainer method

AnnAutomation property

AnnGetSelectCount method

AnnGetSelectList method

AnnSelect event

AnnGetPointCount method

AnnGetPointX method

AnnGetPointY method

User Interface for Annotations

In design mode, you can select tools using the AnnTool property and draw annotation objects over the image in the window. You can then use the right mouse button to get a pop-up menu that is tailored to each object type. You can include the Annotation Toolbar to make tool selection easier. The toolbar and the pop-up menu appear as shown in the following example:

image\annmenu.gif

The popup menu is context sensitive. It lists only the properties that can be changed on the selected object or objects. If you use the popup menu to change a property, the value that you specify is applied to the current selection, and it becomes the default for the next object.

The following topics describe the automated annotation features for particular objects and tools:

See Also

Grouping and Ungrouping Annotation Objects

Annotation Toolbar

Annotation Menu