Load picturebox image in C# from file in relative path

Question

I have a picturebox image in a Windows Form Solution. After user selects an item from a database, I want to load an image into this picturebox. The filename of the image will come from the database and all images must be stored in a subfolder of the application folder (\Images). I don't want to include all these (2000-3000 images) in my solution, besides, more images will be added by users as the database grows. Also, I don't want to code an absolute path. So this is not what I want:

pictureBox.Image = Image.FromFile(@"C:\Program Files\Application\Images\" + dbase.filename);

I want to code a relative path to the image folder, so regardless of where the application will be installed, the images can be loaded from this particular subfolder. I've tried things like these, using a temporary test-image called "test.jpg":

pictureBox.Image = Image.FromFile(@"Images\test.jpg");
pictureBox.Image = Image.FromFile(@"..\Images\test.jpg");
pictureBox.Image = Image.FromFile(@"|DataDirectory|\Images\test.jpg");

But these don't work. I can only get it to work with an absolute path, like "C:\Images\test.jpg". What should I do?

Solution 1

Have you tried the PictureBox.Load Method?

If the url parameter indicates a local file, the recommended format is a local file path. For example, an image file named myPicture.jpglocated atc:\ would be accessed by passing c:\myPicture.jpg for the url parameter. A full path, such as http://www.contoso.com/path/images/image.jpg, or a relative path, such as ./images/image.jpg, can be used. If a relative path is used, it will be considered relative to the working directory. A call to the Load method sets the ImageLocation property to the value of url.

Solution 2

I would use reflection to get the executing directory, such as:

string ImagesDirectory = 
    Path.Combine(
        Path.GetDirectoryName(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location),
        "Images"
    );

Comments

[Ivo77]

Thank you Maverick. The picturebox.load suggestion was helpful to get me started in the project. I could succesfully retrieve the image with [pictureBox.Load ("./Images/test.jpg")]. However, when I publish and install my application in a folder like C:\Test, it doesn't find the Images folder anymore. I've copied it to C:\Test\Images and every subfolder, but no success.

[Ivo77]

Thank you Raney. Your suggestion works perfectly when I use it in my VS2012 project. But as mentioned in my comments above, I get stuck when I publish and install the application. It doesn't find the \Images subfolder anywhere inside the folder of the installed application.

[Code Maverick]

@Ivo77 - In your project, when you look at the properties of your Image, what is its Build Action? Also, based on that emboldened part of the quote in my answer, it states that the relative path is relative to the working directory. Therefore, the next logical question is what do you have the working directory set to?

[Ivo77]

It's actually not in my project. My final application will be using a collection of 2000 to 3000 images in the \Images folder. The number of images will grow when new items are added to a database by the user (with the option of selecting an image, which will be resized and saved to the Images folder). So, I cannot make the images part of the project, just the subfolder that is reserved for them.

[Code Maverick]

@Ivo77 - I would just make sure you set the working directory via Environment.CurrentDirectory = @"C:\Program Files\Application\Images\"; and then all you would have to do in the Load() method is pass in the image name test.jpg ... or you could do Environment.CurrentDirectory = @"C:\Program Files\Application\"; and pass in ./Images/test.jpg.

[Ivo77]

So basically, what I need to do, next to that, is make sure the application will always be installed into the folder that is defined as Environment.CurrentDirectory (in your example: C:\Program Files\Application). I was hoping for a way to let the user decide where to install the app, and just let \Images be a subfolder of the application folder, regardless of where it is located.

[Code Maverick]

@Ivo77 - You can. You basically need to do what @raney's answer says, but instead of assigning it to a variable, you need to make it the current directory. So it would be Environment.CurrentDirectory = Path.Combine(Path.GetDirectoryName(Assembly.GetExecutingAsse‌​mbly().Location), "Images"); or Environment.CurrentDirectory = Path.GetDirectoryName(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Locati‌​on); depending on which way you want to go.

[Ivo77]

Thank you Maverick. I've been trying this today, but still no luck. With your method, I can get it to work, when I place the \Images folder into \bin\debug in my project folder and use something like: pictureBox.Load (Environment.CurrentDirectory + "/pic0001.jpg"); But I get stuck when I publish and install the application. Where will it look for the \Images folder?? I've copied it into the root app folder and every possibility of a subfolder. How do I make this work in a published and installed app?

[Code Maverick]

@Ivo77 - Have you set the Environment.CurrentDirectory to one of the two choices?

[Ivo77]

Yes, the first: Environment.CurrentDirectory = Path.Combine(Path.GetDirectoryName(Assembly.GetExecutingAsse‌​mbly().Location), "Images");

[Ivo77]

Are there any other suggestions? Sadly, I still haven't found a way to get this to work.

[Code Maverick]

@Ivo77 - So if you've set Environment.CurrentDirectory = Path.Combine(Path.GetDirectoryName(Assembly.GetExecutingAsse‌​mbly().Location), "Images"); then the next line would simply be pictureBox.Load("test.jpg");. This is because you set the current directory to the Images folder. Now, you need to make sure that the Images folder actually exists inside that executing assembly location which I'm guessing is the bin\debug folder. Otherwise, you need to change that current directory to the root where the Images folder resides.

[Ivo77]

I've set the CurrentDirectory exactly as stated in your comment, Maverick. Also, I used: pictureBox.Load("test.jpg"). This image is located in ..\bin\Debug\Images. When I run the project, it works. Next, I publish the application to C:\test, where I get file setup.exe, folder Application Files, and file testproject.application. Next, I manually copy-paste the folder \Images (with test.jpg inside it) into c:\test, into c:\test\Application Files and into c:\test\Application Files\testproject_1_0_0_5. When I run setup and start the application, it is unable to open the image file. I'm at a loss.

[Code Maverick]

@Ivo77 - I'm really confused as to what your file structure looks like. The code is pretty simple. It's going to set the current directory to the directory where the executable is. So for you to load the images, you need to specify the relative path to that directory in the Load() method. I would simply make sure the Images folder is at the root of your application and change your code to Environment.CurrentDirectory = AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory and then pictureBox.Load("./Images/test.jpg");.

[Ivo77]

I've done exactly what you suggested, but still no luck. I added a messagebox to show where Environment.CurrentDir leads to. In my VS2012 project, it shows: "D:\Projectfolder\Testproject\bin\Debug. After I publish to c:\test and run setup.exe so it installs the app in c:\test, the messagebox says the CurrentDir is "C:\Users\myname\AppData\Local\Apps\2.0\JL02K8RB.63M\3RDXJ01‌​7.QEO\... and more jibberish. I was hoping that after publish and setup in C:\test, the CurrentDir would simply point to C:\test, or C:\test\Application Files.

[Ivo77]

Ok, so I went to this abstract looking subfolder in C:\Users\...\Local\Apps\etc. and I found with my testproject.exe, testproject.exe.config, testproject.exe.deploy and a couple more files. However, the installed application is in C:\test. The included subfolder \database with SQL database inside it is also in C:\test. When I run the app from c:\test, it finds the database. When I run the .exe from the C:\...\Local\Apps\... folder, it doesn't find a database. And neither will load the image from the \Images folder. The only one that works perfectly is the project in VS2012.

[Ivo77]

Allright, I think I finally found the solution!! I shouldn't publish my project, but simply build a release version (instead of debug). This creates a \Release folder in the \bin folder of my project. Then, I could copy the contents of the \Release folder into an empty c:\test folder (or any other), copy the \images folder into it as well, and that did the trick! No fancy setup.exe, but at least now I can place and run the application from any desired folder or subfolder and have it find the necessary images, database and other resources in it's own subfolders.

[Ivo77]

I'm glad I found this last step, but still, thank you very much for your patience and for the previous steps that got me here, Maverick. Thank you!

[Code Maverick]

@Ivo77 - I actually built a test project and was going to figure it out for you. You shouldn't have to do anything crazy like that.

[Ivo77]

Well, I've tried a little more and I found that all I need from the release folder is the .exe file it generates. I place that in any other folder and include the \database and \images folders from my project, and it works. Still curious about the correct publish procedure though, but I'm very releaved that at least I know I can continue creating my application now.

[Code Maverick]

@Ivo77 - Here's what I did. I simply went to Properties > Resources > Add Resource > Add Existing File and then navigated to my images folder, selected ALL of them and clicked Open. I could then access each image by a strongly-typed name. My code became one line: pictureBox1.Image = Properties.Resources.LightBulb; (as my image was LightBulb.png). That's it!

[Ivo77]

Well, that could work for me, but the problem is that in the project itself, the images will not be included. They will be part of a database that will be populated with user input. Part of that is for user to select images, that will be resized by the app and then stored in the \Images folder.

[Code Maverick]

@Ivo77 - The other solution I had was that I stored the Images directory path in an application setting called ImagesDirectory so that I could then access it via: pictureBox1.Load(Properties.Settings.Default.ImagesDirectory + "light-bulb.png");

[Ivo77]

What do you mean by 'application setting', Maverick? I'm trying to understand how I should do this. No hurries though, I have at least one working option, so I'm a happy man :-)

[Code Maverick]

Application Settings are in your Project Properties. Just right click on your Project and click Properties or double-click on the Properties node in your Solution Explorer.

[Ivo77]

I'm sorry for being a noob, but I still don't see it. I go to proj.properties and I get: 'startup project', 'dependencies', 'analysis settings', 'debug source files', 'configuration'. Can't really add something, except for 'debug source files'. Should I add an empty Images folder to that list?. Or I can set 'configuration' from 'debug' to 'release', but then I can't add anything. Sorry about my confusion, it still puzzles me.

[Code Maverick]

Those are the Solution Properties, not Project Properties. In your Solution Explorer, expand the Project and underneath that is a Properties node. Just double click that.

[Ivo77]

Ah, found it! Allright, Maverick. Once again, you're the man!