Visual Basic Graphics Programming

by Rod Stephens

This Wrox Blox shows you how to add graphics to Visual Basic 2008 applications by explaining fundamental graphics techniques such drawing shapes with different colors and line styles; filling areas with colors, gradients, and patterns; drawing text that is properly aligned, sized, and clipped exactly where you want it; manipulating images and saving results in bitmap, JPEG, and other types of files. Also covered are instructions for how to greatly increase your graphics capabilities using transformations, which allow you to move, stretch, or rotate graphics. They also let you work in coordinate systems that make sense for your application. The author also describes techniques for using the above in printouts, describing the sequence of events that produce a printout and show how to generate and preview printouts, with examples which show how to wrap long chunks of text across multiple pages, if necessary.In addition, you will learn about two powerful new graphic tools that were introduced with .NET Framework 3.0: WPF graphics and FlowDocuments. XAML graphic commands allow a WPF application to draw and fill the same kinds of shapes that a program can draw by using graphics objects.Finally, a discussion on the FlowDocument object shows you how to define items that should be flowed across multiple pages as space permits. This lets you display text, graphics, controls, and other items that automatically flow across page breaks. FlowDocument viewers make displaying these documents easy for you, and simplifies the user's reading of the documents.This Wrox Blox also contains 35 example programs written in Visual Basic 2008, although most of the code works in previous versions of Visual Basic .NET as well. The most notable exceptions are WPF graphics and FlowDocuments, both of which require WPF provided in .NET Framework 3.0 and later.Table of ContentsSection 1: Using Graphics, Pens, and Brushes 2Getting a Graphics Object 3Using a Graphics Object 5Creating Pens 8Creating Brushes 11Section 1 Wrap-up 13Section 2: Using Advanced Pens and Brushes 14Custom Dash Patterns 14Longitudinal Stripes 16Custom End Caps 17Linear Gradient Brushes 18Path Gradient Brushes 20Section 2 Wrap-up 21Section 3: Drawing Text 22Drawing Simple Text 22Using Layout Rectangles 23Section 3 Wrap-up 27Section 4: Manipulating Images 27Creating and Loading Bitmaps 27Manipulating Bitmaps 29Saving Image Files 32Section 4 Wrap-Up 33Section 5: Using Transformations 33Basic Transformations 33World Coordinate Mapping 36Section 5 Wrap-up 40Section 6: Printing 40Using PrintPage 41Using Other Event Handlers 44Printing Transformations 45Section 6 Wrap-up 48Section 7: Using WPF Graphics 48Decorative Controls 49Shape Controls 49Brushes 53ImageBrush 56Section 7 Wrap-up 57Section 8: Building FlowDocuments 57BlockUIContainer 58List 58Paragraph 58Section 58Table 58Section 8 Wrap-up 60Conclusion 61About Rod Stephens 62Usage Rights for Wiley Wrox BloxAny Wrox Blox you purchase from this site will come with certain restrictions that allow Wiley to protect the copyrights of its products. After you purchase and download this title, Are entitled to three downloadsAre entitled to make a backup copy of the file for your own useAre entitled to print the Wrox Blox for your own useAre entitled to make annotations and comments in the Wrox Blox file for your own useMay not lend, sell or give the Wrox Blox to another userMay not place the Wrox Blox file on a network or any file sharing service for use by anyone other than yourself or allow anyone other than yourself to access itMay not copy the Wrox Blox file other than as allowed aboveMay not copy, redistribute, or modify any portion of the Wrox Blox contents in any way without prior permission from WileyIf you have any questions about these restrictions, you may contact Customer Care at (877) 762-2974 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m. EST, Monday - Friday). If you have any issues related to Technical Support, please contact us at 800-762-2974 (United States only) or 317-572-3994 (International) 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. EST, Monday - Friday).

Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 1997