Sending/Receiving PictureBox Image in C# To/From Microsoft SQL SERVER

Introduction

This article is intended to fulfill the lack of clarity in retrieving and sending PictureBox images or let's say any image in a Windows application to a database and vice versa. So guys, don't panic, just relax because the code is so simple.

Background

I will advice those guys who are still not familiar with the SQL language and broadly speaking, those not having database interaction knowledge in Windows application in .NET to leave this page and go after those mentioned items.

Using the Code

The entire code with comments in each line is shown below. Enjoy it!

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Data.SqlClient;
using System.IO;

//author:Morteza Naeimabadi  Location=IRAN ,Yazd
//written in 2008/03/12

namespace SampleOfMorteza
{
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            //We are using SQL express.
            //My database name is "PictureDb".
            SqlConnection con = new SqlConnection
                               ("Server=.;database=PictureDb;integrated security=true");
            //I have used a table named "tblUsers" and fill the fields
            SqlCommand com = new SqlCommand("insert into tblUsers
                            (fldCode,fldPic) values(1,@Pic)", con);

            //In here, I have to save the picturebox image to tblUsers
            //because you were not able to send the PictureBox1.Image
            //to field "fldPic" that is of kind
            //"image" in SQL SERVER EXPRESS, then you should do something else
            // and that is converting
            //your picture box image to an array of bytes and then sending
            //that array to database.
            //Below, we have used a stream which will be used to
            //contain our picturebox image bytes.
            MemoryStream stream=new MemoryStream();
            //through the instruction below, we save the
            //image to byte in the object "stream".
            pictureBox1.Image.Save(stream,System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Jpeg);

            //Below is the most important part, actually you are
            //transferring the bytes of the array
            //to the pic which is also of kind byte[]
            byte[] pic=stream.ToArray();

            com.Parameters.AddWithValue("@Pic", pic);
            try
            {
                con.Open();
                com.ExecuteNonQuery();
            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
            }
            finally
            {
                con.Close();
            }
        }

        private void button2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            SqlConnection connect = new SqlConnection
                             ("Server=.;database=PictureDb;integrated security=true");
            SqlCommand command = new SqlCommand
                                ("select fldPic from tblUsers where fldCode=1", connect);
            //for retrieving the image field in SQL SERVER EXPRESS
            //Database you should first bring
            //that image in DataList or DataTable
            //then add the content to the byte[] array.
            //That's ALL!
            SqlDataAdapter dp = new SqlDataAdapter(command);
            DataSet ds = new DataSet("MyImages");

            byte[] MyData = new byte[0];

            dp.Fill(ds, "MyImages");
            DataRow myRow;
            myRow = ds.Tables["MyImages"].Rows[0];

            MyData = (byte[])myRow["fldPic"];

            MemoryStream stream = new MemoryStream(MyData);
            //With the code below, you are in fact converting the byte array of image
            //to the real image.
            pictureBox2.Image = Image.FromStream(stream);
        }
    }
}

History

• 11^th May, 2008: Initial post