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.NET TWAIN image scanner

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12 May 2002Public Domain2 min read 7.3M   132.2K   421   996
Using TWAIN API to scan images

Sample Screenshot

Abstract

In Windows imaging applications, the most used API for scanning is TWAIN www.twain.org. Unfortunately, the new .NET Framework has no built-in support for TWAIN. So we have to work with the interop methods of .NET to access this API. This article doesn't explain this interop techniques, and good knowledge of the TWAIN 1.9 specifications is assumed! The sample code included doesn't present a finished library, only some essential steps for a minimal TWAIN adaption to .NET applications.

Details

First step was to port the most important parts of TWAIN.H, these are found in TwainDefs.cs. The real logic for calling TWAIN is coded in the class Twain, in file TwainLib.cs.. As the TWAIN API is exposed by the Windows DLL, twain_32.dll, we have to use the .NET DllImport mechanism for interop with legacy code. This DLL has the central DSM_Entry(), ordinal #1 function exported as the entry point to TWAIN. This call has numerous parameters, and the last one is of variable type! It was found to be best if we declare multiple variants of the call like:

C#
[DllImport("twain_32.dll", EntryPoint="#1")]
private static extern TwRC DSMparent(
    [In, Out] TwIdentity origin,
    IntPtr zeroptr,
    TwDG dg, TwDAT dat, TwMSG msg,
    ref IntPtr refptr );

The Twain class has a simple 5-step interface:

C#
class Twain
{
    Init();
    Select();
    Acquire();
    PassMessage();
    TransferPictures();
}

For some sort of 'callbacks', TWAIN uses special Windows messages, and these must be caught from the application-message-loop. In .NET, the only way found was IMessageFilter.PreFilterMessage(), and this filter has to be activated with a call like Application.AddMessageFilter(). Within the filter method, we have to forward each message to Twain.PassMessage(), and we get a hint (enum TwainCommand) back for how we have to react.

Sample App

The sample is a Windows Forms MDI-style application. It has the two TWAIN-related menu items Select Source... and Acquire... Once an image is scanned in, we can save it to a file in any of the GDI+ supported file formats (BMP, GIF, TIFF, JPEG...)

Limitations

All code was only tested on Windows 2000SP2, with an Epson Perfection USB scanner and an Olympus digital photo camera. The scanned picture is (by TWAIN spec) a Windows DIB, and the sample code has VERY little checking against error return codes and bitmap formats. Unfortunately, no direct method is available in .NET to convert a DIB to the managed Bitmap class... Some known problems may show up with color palettes and menus.

Note, TWAIN has it's root in 16-Bit Windows! For a more modern API supported on Windows ME/XP, have a look at Windows Image Acquisition (WIA).

License

This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under A Public Domain dedication


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Comments and Discussions

 
QuestionPreview image stream without standart window [modified] Pin
Victor VP6-Nov-06 0:32
Victor VP6-Nov-06 0:32 
QuestionProgrammatically capturing the image Pin
lifesabirch.org31-Oct-06 3:31
lifesabirch.org31-Oct-06 3:31 
QuestionHow can I display the scanner settings dialog without starting the scan process? Pin
DJM16-Oct-06 0:36
DJM16-Oct-06 0:36 
AnswerRe: How can I display the scanner settings dialog without starting the scan process? Pin
gabegabe25-Apr-07 10:32
gabegabe25-Apr-07 10:32 
GeneralAutocrop Pin
MrPieGuy12-Oct-06 7:59
MrPieGuy12-Oct-06 7:59 
GeneralRe: Autocrop Pin
duwke16-Oct-06 16:35
duwke16-Oct-06 16:35 
GeneralRe: Autocrop Pin
MrPieGuy17-Oct-06 3:42
MrPieGuy17-Oct-06 3:42 
GeneralRe: Autocrop Pin
cmchuan29-Oct-06 22:53
cmchuan29-Oct-06 22:53 
Imports System
Imports System.Text
Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices
Imports System.Drawing
Imports System.Collections
Imports System.ComponentModel

Namespace ScanSoft
<StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, Pack:=2)> Friend Class BITMAPINFOHEADER
Public biSize As Integer
Public biWidth As Integer
Public biHeight As Integer
Public biPlanes As Short
Public biBitCount As Short
Public biCompression As Integer
Public biSizeImage As Integer
Public biXPelsPerMeter As Integer
Public biYPelsPerMeter As Integer
Public biClrUsed As Integer
Public biClrImportant As Integer
End Class


Public Class scanToImage

<DllImport("gdi32.dll", ExactSpelling:=True)> Friend Shared Function SetDIBitsToDevice(ByVal hdc As IntPtr, ByVal xdst As Integer, ByVal ydst As Integer, ByVal width As Integer, ByVal height As Integer, ByVal xsrc As Integer, ByVal ysrc As Integer, ByVal start As Integer, ByVal lines As Integer, ByVal bitsptr As IntPtr, ByVal bmiptr As IntPtr, ByVal color As Integer) As Integer
End Function
<DllImport("kernel32.dll", ExactSpelling:=True)> Friend Shared Function GlobalLock(ByVal handle As IntPtr) As IntPtr
End Function
<DllImport("kernel32.dll", ExactSpelling:=True)> Friend Shared Function GlobalFree(ByVal handle As IntPtr) As IntPtr
End Function
<DllImport("kernel32.dll", CharSet:=CharSet.Auto)> Public Shared Sub OutputDebugString(ByVal outstr As String)
End Sub

Dim bmi As BITMAPINFOHEADER
Dim bmprect As Rectangle
Dim dibhand As IntPtr
Dim bmpptr As IntPtr
Dim pixptr As IntPtr

Public Sub New(ByVal dibhandp As IntPtr)
bmprect = New Rectangle(0, 0, 0, 0)
dibhand = dibhandp
bmpptr = GlobalLock(dibhand)
pixptr = GetPixelInfo(bmpptr)

End Sub

Protected Function GetPixelInfo(ByVal bmpptr As IntPtr) As IntPtr
bmi = New BITMAPINFOHEADER
Marshal.PtrToStructure(bmpptr, bmi)
bmprect.X = bmprect.Y = 0
bmprect.Width = bmi.biWidth
bmprect.Height = bmi.biHeight


If (bmi.biSizeImage = 0) Then
bmi.biSizeImage = Int((((bmi.biWidth * bmi.biBitCount) + 31) & Hex(Not (31))) / 2 ^ 3) * bmi.biHeight
End If

Dim p As Integer = bmi.biClrUsed
If ((p = 0) And (bmi.biBitCount <= 8)) Then
p = Int(1 * 2 ^ bmi.biBitCount)
End If
p = (p * 4) + bmi.biSize + CType(bmpptr.ToInt32, Integer)
Return New IntPtr(p)
End Function

Public Function ImgToBitmap(ByVal dibhandp As IntPtr) As Bitmap
bmprect = New Rectangle(0, 0, 0, 0)
dibhand = dibhandp
bmpptr = GlobalLock(dibhand)
pixptr = GetPixelInfo(bmpptr)
Dim TempBMP As Bitmap = New Bitmap(bmprect.Width, bmprect.Height)
Dim TempGrap As Graphics = Graphics.FromImage(TempBMP)
Dim hdc As IntPtr = TempGrap.GetHdc
SetDIBitsToDevice(hdc, 0, 0, bmprect.Width, bmprect.Height, 0, 0, 0, bmprect.Height, pixptr, bmpptr, 0)
TempGrap.ReleaseHdc(hdc)
TempGrap.Dispose()
GlobalFree(dibhand)
dibhand = IntPtr.Zero
Return (TempBMP)
End Function
End Class
End Namespace

'Put this code in a new class. Change the following code in the mainform
Public Function PreFilterMessage(ByRef m As Message) As Boolean Implements IMessageFilter.PreFilterMessage
Dim cmd As TwainCommand = tw.PassMessage(m)
If (cmd = TwainCommand.Not) Then
Return False
End If

Select Case cmd
Case TwainCommand.CloseRequest
EndingScan()
tw.CloseSrc()
Case TwainCommand.CloseOk
EndingScan()
tw.CloseSrc()
Case TwainCommand.DeviceEvent

Case TwainCommand.Failure
EndingScan()
tw.CloseSrc()

Case TwainCommand.TransferReady
Dim pics As ArrayList = tw.TransferPictures()
EndingScan()
tw.CloseSrc()
picnumber += 1
Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To pics.Count - 1 Step 1
Dim img As IntPtr = CType(pics(i), IntPtr)
Dim scan As New scanToImage(img)
PictureBox1.Image = scan.ImgToBitmap(img)
GetPictureInfo()
Next
End Select

Return True
End Function


GeneralRe: Autocrop Pin
nsk_saravana21-Nov-11 18:28
nsk_saravana21-Nov-11 18:28 
GeneralRe: Autocrop Pin
nsk_saravana21-Nov-11 18:30
nsk_saravana21-Nov-11 18:30 
QuestionEnhancement to your application Pin
bijulsoni11-Oct-06 2:32
bijulsoni11-Oct-06 2:32 
Questionwat if this application is to be run in ASP.net Pin
madx_hu11-Oct-06 1:45
madx_hu11-Oct-06 1:45 
Generalseems to be bug if scanner is locked Pin
Bartosz Wegielewski7-Oct-06 23:57
Bartosz Wegielewski7-Oct-06 23:57 
GeneralMessages disappear on Win2000 Pin
jorn_e18-Sep-06 3:44
jorn_e18-Sep-06 3:44 
GeneralRe: Messages disappear on Win2000 Pin
cmchuan18-Sep-06 16:25
cmchuan18-Sep-06 16:25 
GeneralAutomatic Document Feeder - Multiple document Pin
ajlaluan30-Aug-06 15:03
ajlaluan30-Aug-06 15:03 
GeneralRe: Automatic Document Feeder - Multiple document Pin
duwke16-Oct-06 16:30
duwke16-Oct-06 16:30 
QuestionConfiguring Scanning Resolution Pin
mosquets30-Aug-06 4:44
mosquets30-Aug-06 4:44 
AnswerRe: Configuring Scanning Resolution [modified] Pin
cmchuan13-Sep-06 18:01
cmchuan13-Sep-06 18:01 
QuestionRe: Configuring Scanning Resolution Pin
Victor VP7-Nov-06 21:23
Victor VP7-Nov-06 21:23 
GeneralScan once, but not twice Pin
Bastid27-Aug-06 11:20
Bastid27-Aug-06 11:20 
GeneralConfiguring scan area Pin
sbayeta22-Aug-06 12:00
sbayeta22-Aug-06 12:00 
GeneralRe: Configuring scan area Pin
cmchuan13-Sep-06 19:24
cmchuan13-Sep-06 19:24 
GeneralRe: Configuring scan area Pin
cmchuan18-Sep-06 16:23
cmchuan18-Sep-06 16:23 
QuestionRe: Configuring scan area Pin
yo ncv15-Oct-06 23:00
yo ncv15-Oct-06 23:00 

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