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Deriving from RasterImage and Serialization
The RasterImage interface and the RasterImage class implement the ISerializable interface and thus support standard .NET serialization.
Serialization is the process of converting the state of an object into a form that can be persisted or transported. The complement of serialization is deserialization, which converts a stream into an object. Together, these processes allow data to be easily stored and transferred.
You can easily save and restore the image data of a RasterImage object by saving/loading the image back into one of the numerous file image formats supported by LEADTOOLS. However, by doing so, you lose any data that is not supported by the image file format. For example, the region data you currently have in the image is not supported by any file image format. The metadata (tags, markers and comments) are supported by some formats but not all.
Serialization solves these problems by saving everything in the image and later deserializing back into its original state. Moreover, when you derive your own class from RasterImage, you can extend the serialization mechanism to support saving/restoring your own data inside the image.
The RasterImage supports both binary and XML serialization.
You can use binary serialization to share the RasterImage object between different applications by serializing it to the Clipboard. You can serialize the RasterImage to a stream, to a disk, to memory, over the network, and so forth. Remoting uses binary serialization to pass objects "by value" from one computer or application domain to another.
Binary serialization is the most efficient way to serialize a RasterImage object both in speed of serialization/deserialization as well using less space for the object data.
Examples of binary serialization:
[Visual Basic]Imports System.IO Imports System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary Imports Leadtools Imports Leadtools.Codecs Private Sub BinarySerializationTest() Dim codecs As RasterCodecs = New RasterCodecs() ' Load an image Dim image1 As RasterImage = codecs.Load("C:\Users\Public\Documents\LEADTOOLS Images\Image1.cmp") ' Use the binary formatter Dim formatter As BinaryFormatter = New BinaryFormatter() ' Serialize this image into a memory stream Dim ms As MemoryStream = New MemoryStream() formatter.Serialize(ms, image1) ' We are done with the image image1.Dispose() ' Move back to the beginning of the stream ms.Position = 0 ' De-serialize the image back Dim image2 As RasterImage = CType(If(TypeOf formatter.Deserialize(ms) Is RasterImage, formatter.Deserialize(ms), Nothing), RasterImage) ' re-save the image codecs.Save(image2, "C:\Users\Public\Documents\LEADTOOLS Images\Image1_Serialized.bmp", RasterImageFormat.Bmp, 24) ' Clean up image2.Dispose() ms.Close() codecs.Dispose() End Sub[C#]
using System.IO; using System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary; using Leadtools; using Leadtools.Codecs; private void BinarySerializationTest() { RasterCodecs codecs = new RasterCodecs(); // Load an image RasterImage image1 = codecs.Load(@"C:\Users\Public\Documents\LEADTOOLS Images\Image1.cmp"); // Use the binary formatter BinaryFormatter formatter = new BinaryFormatter(); // Serialize this image into a memory stream MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream(); formatter.Serialize(ms, image1); // We are done with the image image1.Dispose(); // Move back to the beginning of the stream ms.Position = 0; // De-serialize the image back RasterImage image2 = formatter.Deserialize(ms) as RasterImage; // re-save the image codecs.Save(image2, @"C:\Users\Public\Documents\LEADTOOLS Images\Image1_Serialized.bmp", RasterImageFormat.Bmp, 24); // Clean up image2.Dispose(); ms.Close(); codecs.Dispose(); }
You can also use serialize a RasterImage object to XML. Since XML is an open standard, XML serialization is an attractive choice for sharing a RasterImage object across the Web.
However, since XML is a text format, XML serialization is not recommended to be used with a RasterImage object. The speed of serialization/deserialization is a lot slower than binary serialization and XML serialization uses a lot more space for the object data.
Serialization Example (Using the Windows Clipboard)The following example shows you how to copy and paste a RasterImage object to the Windows clipboard using serialization. This example assumes that you have added the code to a Form and call the method created in the example from the constructor or another method on the form.
[Visual Basic]Imports System Imports System.Windows.Forms Imports Leadtools Imports Leadtools.Codecs Imports Leadtools.WinForms Private panel1 As Panel Private loadButton As Button Private clearButton As Button Private copyButton As Button Private pasteButton As Button Private rasterImageViewer1 As RasterImageViewer Private codecs1 As RasterCodecs Private Sub ClipboardTest() ' Add the controls to the form ' 1. RasterImageViewer control ' 2. Load button to load an image into the viewer ' 3. Clear button to reset the viewer's image. ' 3. Copy button to copy the image to the clipboard ' 4. Paste button to paste the image from the clipboard to the viewer ' Create the controls Me.SuspendLayout() loadButton = New Button panel1 = New Panel panel1.Dock = DockStyle.Left panel1.Width = loadButton.Width Me.Controls.Add(panel1) loadButton.Text = "Load" loadButton.Location = New Point(0, 0) panel1.Controls.Add(loadButton) loadButton.BringToFront() AddHandler loadButton.Click, AddressOf loadButton_Click clearButton = New Button clearButton.Text = "Clear" clearButton.Location = New Point(0, loadButton.Bottom) panel1.Controls.Add(clearButton) clearButton.BringToFront() AddHandler clearButton.Click, AddressOf clearButton_Click copyButton = New Button copyButton.Text = "Copy" copyButton.Location = New Point(0, clearButton.Bottom) panel1.Controls.Add(copyButton) copyButton.BringToFront() AddHandler copyButton.Click, AddressOf copyButton_Click pasteButton = New Button pasteButton.Text = "Paste" pasteButton.Location = New Point(0, copyButton.Bottom) panel1.Controls.Add(pasteButton) pasteButton.BringToFront() AddHandler pasteButton.Click, AddressOf pasteButton_Click rasterImageViewer1 = New RasterImageViewer rasterImageViewer1.Dock = DockStyle.Fill Controls.Add(rasterImageViewer1) rasterImageViewer1.BringToFront() Me.ResumeLayout() ' Initialize the codecs object codecs1 = New RasterCodecs ' Update our user interface UpdateMyUserInterface() End Sub Private Sub UpdateMyUserInterface() ' Update the buttons depending on the application state ' The Clear button is enabled if we have an image clearButton.Enabled = (Not rasterImageViewer1.Image Is Nothing) ' The Copy button is enabled if we have an image copyButton.Enabled = (Not rasterImageViewer1.Image Is Nothing) ' The paste button is enabled if we have a valid clipboard format Dim data As IDataObject = Clipboard.GetDataObject() pasteButton.Enabled = data.GetDataPresent(GetType(RasterImage)) End Sub Private Sub loadButton_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) ' Load a new image into the viewer Dim dlg As New OpenFileDialog dlg.Filter = "All Files|*.*" If (dlg.ShowDialog(Me) = DialogResult.OK) Then Try rasterImageViewer1.Image = codecs1.Load(dlg.FileName) Catch ex As Exception MessageBox.Show(Me, ex.Message) Finally ' Update the user interface UpdateMyUserInterface() End Try End If End Sub Private Sub clearButton_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) ' Delete the image in the viewer rasterImageViewer1.Image = Nothing ' Update the user interface UpdateMyUserInterface() End Sub Private Sub copyButton_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) ' Copy the image in the viewer into the clipboard Clipboard.SetDataObject(rasterImageViewer1.Image, True) ' Update the user interface UpdateMyUserInterface() End Sub Private Sub pasteButton_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As EventArgs) ' Paste the image from the clipboard into the viewer Dim data As IDataObject = Clipboard.GetDataObject() rasterImageViewer1.Image = CType(data.GetData(GetType(RasterImage)), RasterImage) ' Update the user interface UpdateMyUserInterface() End Sub[C#]
using System; using System.Windows.Forms; using Leadtools; using Leadtools.Codecs; using Leadtools.WinForms; private Panel panel1; private Button loadButton; private Button clearButton; private Button copyButton; private Button pasteButton; private RasterImageViewer rasterImageViewer1; private RasterCodecs codecs1; private void ClipboardTest() { // Add the controls to the form // 1. RasterImageViewer control // 2. Load button to load an image into the viewer // 3. Clear button to reset the viewer's image. // 3. Copy button to copy the image to the clipboard // 4. Paste button to paste the image from the clipboard to the viewer // Create the controls this.SuspendLayout(); loadButton = new Button(); panel1 = new Panel(); panel1.Dock = DockStyle.Left; panel1.Width = loadButton.Width; this.Controls.Add(panel1); loadButton.Text = "Load"; loadButton.Location = new Point(0, 0); panel1.Controls.Add(loadButton); loadButton.BringToFront(); loadButton.Click += new EventHandler(loadButton_Click); clearButton = new Button(); clearButton.Text = "Clear"; clearButton.Location = new Point(0, loadButton.Bottom); panel1.Controls.Add(clearButton); clearButton.BringToFront(); clearButton.Click += new EventHandler(clearButton_Click); copyButton = new Button(); copyButton.Text = "Copy"; copyButton.Location = new Point(0, clearButton.Bottom); panel1.Controls.Add(copyButton); copyButton.BringToFront(); copyButton.Click += new EventHandler(copyButton_Click); pasteButton = new Button(); pasteButton.Text = "Paste"; pasteButton.Location = new Point(0, copyButton.Bottom); panel1.Controls.Add(pasteButton); pasteButton.BringToFront(); pasteButton.Click += new EventHandler(pasteButton_Click); rasterImageViewer1 = new RasterImageViewer(); rasterImageViewer1.Dock = DockStyle.Fill; Controls.Add(rasterImageViewer1); rasterImageViewer1.BringToFront(); this.ResumeLayout(); // Initialize the codecs object codecs1 = new RasterCodecs(); // Update our user interface UpdateMyUserInterface(); } private void UpdateMyUserInterface() { // Update the buttons depending on the application state // The Clear button is enabled if we have an image clearButton.Enabled = rasterImageViewer1.Image != null; // The Copy button is enabled if we have an image copyButton.Enabled = rasterImageViewer1.Image != null; // The paste button is enabled if we have a valid clipboard format IDataObject data = Clipboard.GetDataObject(); pasteButton.Enabled = data.GetDataPresent(typeof(RasterImage)); } private void loadButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { // Load a new image into the viewer OpenFileDialog dlg = new OpenFileDialog(); dlg.Filter = "All Files|*.*"; if(dlg.ShowDialog(this) == DialogResult.OK) { try { rasterImageViewer1.Image = codecs1.Load(dlg.FileName); } catch(Exception ex) { MessageBox.Show(this, ex.Message); } finally { // Update the user interface UpdateMyUserInterface(); } } } private void clearButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { // Delete the image in the viewer rasterImageViewer1.Image = null; // Update the user interface UpdateMyUserInterface(); } private void copyButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { // Copy the image in the viewer into the clipboard Clipboard.SetDataObject(rasterImageViewer1.Image, true); // Update the user interface UpdateMyUserInterface(); } private void pasteButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e) { // Paste the image from the clipboard into the viewer IDataObject data = Clipboard.GetDataObject(); rasterImageViewer1.Image = data.GetData(typeof(RasterImage)) as RasterImage; // Update the user interface UpdateMyUserInterface(); }
The RasterImage class can be derived from to add user-defined functionality. Derived classes might need to add new class member variables to the class that define this new functionality. The author must add support for serializing these new class member variables in order to participate in the serialization process.
The following example shows MyRasterImage, a class that derives from RasterImage adding two new properties.
[Visual Basic]Imports System.IO Imports System.Runtime.Serialization Imports System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary Imports Leadtools Imports Leadtools.Codecs Public Class MyRasterImage Inherits RasterImage ' Our new members ' We are going to do the serialization ourselves Private _myIntegerData As Integer Private _myStringData As String ' Accessors Public Property MyIntegerData() As Integer Get Return _myIntegerData End Get Set(ByVal Value As Integer) _myIntegerData = Value End Set End Property Public Property MyStringData() As String Get Return _myStringData End Get Set(ByVal Value As String) _myStringData = Value End Set End Property ' Constructor Public Sub New(ByVal src As RasterImage) MyBase.New(src) _myIntegerData = 0 _myStringData = String.Empty End Sub ' Serialization code Protected Sub New(ByVal info As SerializationInfo, ByVal context As StreamingContext) MyBase.New(info, context) ' Load our data _myIntegerData = info.GetInt32("MyIntegerData") _myStringData = info.GetString("MyStringData") End Sub Public Overrides Sub GetObjectData(ByVal info As SerializationInfo, ByVal context As StreamingContext) ' Always call the base method MyBase.GetObjectData(info, context) ' Save our data info.AddValue("MyIntegerData", _myIntegerData) info.AddValue("MyStringData", _myStringData) End Sub End Class Private Sub MyRasterImageTest() ' Load an image Dim codecs As New RasterCodecs Dim img As RasterImage = codecs.Load("C:\Users\Public\Documents\LEADTOOLS Images\Image1.cmp") ' create a new MyRasterImage instance out of this image Dim myImage As MyRasterImage = New MyRasterImage(img) ' Set custom data myImage.MyIntegerData = 10 myImage.MyStringData = "My string" Dim msg As String = String.Format("Before serialization. MyIntegerData = {0}, MyStringData = {1}", myImage.MyIntegerData, myImage.MyStringData) MessageBox.Show(msg) ' img is invalid now and should be disposed img.Dispose() ' Serialize myImage Dim formatter As New BinaryFormatter Dim ms As New MemoryStream formatter.Serialize(ms, myImage) ' dispose myImage myImage.Dispose() myImage = Nothing ' Deserialize back from the stream ms.Position = 0 myImage = DirectCast(formatter.Deserialize(ms), MyRasterImage) msg = String.Format("After serialization. MyIntegerData = {0}, MyStringData = {1}", myImage.MyIntegerData, myImage.MyStringData) MessageBox.Show(msg) ' Clean up ms.Close() myImage.Dispose() codecs.Dispose() End Sub[C#]
using System.IO; using System.Runtime.Serialization; using System.Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary; using Leadtools; using Leadtools.Codecs; [Serializable] public class MyRasterImage : RasterImage { // Our new members // We are going to do the serialization ourselves [NonSerialized] private int _myIntegerData; [NonSerialized] private string _myStringData; // Accessors public int MyIntegerData { get { return _myIntegerData; } set { _myIntegerData = value; } } public string MyStringData { get { return _myStringData; } set { _myStringData = value; } } // Constructor public MyRasterImage(RasterImage src) : base(src) { _myIntegerData = 0; _myStringData = string.Empty; } // Serialization code protected MyRasterImage(SerializationInfo info, StreamingContext context) : base(info, context) { // Load our data _myIntegerData = info.GetInt32("MyIntegerData"); _myStringData = info.GetString("MyStringData"); } public override void GetObjectData(SerializationInfo info, StreamingContext context) { // Always call the base method base.GetObjectData(info, context); // Save our data info.AddValue("MyIntegerData", _myIntegerData); info.AddValue("MyStringData", _myStringData); } } private void MyRasterImageTest() { // Load an image RasterCodecs codecs = new RasterCodecs(); RasterImage img = codecs.Load(@"C:\Users\Public\Documents\LEADTOOLS Images\Image1.cmp"); // create a new MyRasterImage instance out of this image MyRasterImage myImage = new MyRasterImage(img); // Set custom data myImage.MyIntegerData = 10; myImage.MyStringData = "My string"; string msg = string.Format("Before serialization. MyIntegerData = {0}, MyStringData = {1}", myImage.MyIntegerData, myImage.MyStringData); MessageBox.Show(msg); // img is invalid now and should be disposed img.Dispose(); // Serialize myImage BinaryFormatter formatter = new BinaryFormatter(); MemoryStream ms = new MemoryStream(); formatter.Serialize(ms, myImage); // dispose myImage myImage.Dispose(); myImage = null; // Deserialize back from the stream ms.Position = 0; myImage = formatter.Deserialize(ms) as MyRasterImage; msg = string.Format("After serialization. MyIntegerData = {0}, MyStringData = {1}", myImage.MyIntegerData, myImage.MyStringData); MessageBox.Show(msg); // Clean up ms.Close(); myImage.Dispose(); codecs.Dispose(); }