Storing Images to Database and Retrieving to GridView

Creating the File Upload page:

We will start with the default page, from where we will provide the user the functionality to upload the images. Open Default.aspx and switch to design-view. Drag-n-drop controls from the toolbox onto the page to create a similar form:

The Text-Box followed by the Browse button is the HTML File Input control. After adding this control onto the form switch to Source-View and add modify the control's source to include runat="server". This will allow us to use the control as a server control.

In the above page, the controls are as follows:

1. fileUpload - To select the file to upload.
2. txtTitle - The title of the image.
3. btnUpload - On click uploads the selected image.
4. lnkView - The View Images link that loads the images from the databases inside a GridView.
5. Validation Controls - The Required Field Validation Controls in order to make sure that Title and File are selected.

Let us suppose that the Database File already exists. If not then add one now by right-clicking the Project and clicking on Add Item. Select Database and name it imgDB.mdf. The database will contain one table which is as follows:

Switch to the code-behind class of Default.aspx and add a button click event handler for btnUpload.

Protected Sub btnUpload_Click(..., ...) Handles btnUpload.Click

Dim intLength As Integer

Dim arrContent As Byte()

If fileUpload.PostedFile Is Nothing Then

lblStatus.Text = "No file specified."

Exit Sub

Else

Dim fileName As String = fileUpload.PostedFile.FileName

Dim ext As String = fileName.Substring(fileName.LastIndexOf("."))

ext = ext.ToLower

Dim imgType = fileUpload.PostedFile.ContentType

If ext = ".jpg" Then

ElseIf ext = ".bmp" Then

ElseIf ext = ".gif" Then

ElseIf ext = "jpg" Then

ElseIf ext = "bmp" Then

ElseIf ext = "gif" Then

Else

lblStatus.Text = "Only gif, bmp, or jpg format files supported."

Exit Sub

End If

intLength = Convert.ToInt32(fileUpload.PostedFile.InputStream.Length)

ReDim arrContent(intLength)

fileUpload.PostedFile.InputStream.Read(arrContent, 0, intLength)

If Doc2SQLServer(txtTitle.Text.Trim, arrContent, intLength, imgType) = True Then

lblStatus.Text = "Image uploaded successfully."

Else

lblStatus.Text = "An error occured while uploading Image... Please try again."

End If

End If

End Sub

What this function does is that it grabs the file selected in the File Input control and gets its extension. If the file is of type jpg, bmp, or gif, then it proceeds otherwise it throws an error. This terminates upload if the selected file is not an image of supported format.

After checking the file format, we get the length of the file and create a Byte Array of that same length. This Byte Array will store our file/image for us. Using the InputStream.Read method of fileUpload control, we load the image into the Byte Array.

After having saved the file into the byte array, we call our function Doc2SQLServer to store the file. We pass in the title that was supplied by the user, the byte array (which is our image), the total length, and the type of image.

In the Doc2SQLServer method, we create a connection to our SQL Express database and create an insertion command. After connecting to the database, we execute the query and store our image and its information to the database. Below is the Doc2SQLServer method.

Protected Function Doc2SQLServer(ByVal title As String, ByVal Content As Byte(), ByVal Length As Integer, ByVal strType As String) As Boolean

Try

Dim cnn As Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection

Dim cmd As Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand

Dim param As Data.SqlClient.SqlParameter

Dim strSQL As String

strSQL = "Insert Into tblImage(imgData,imgTitle,imgType,imgLength) Values(@content,@title,@type,@length)"

Dim connString As String = "Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;AttachDbFilename=""|DataDirectory|\imgDB.mdf"";Integrated Security=True;User Instance=True"

cnn = New Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection(connString)

cmd = New Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand(strSQL, cnn)

param = New Data.SqlClient.SqlParameter("@content", Data.SqlDbType.Image)

param.Value = Content

cmd.Parameters.Add(param)

param = New Data.SqlClient.SqlParameter("@title", Data.SqlDbType.VarChar)

param.Value = title

cmd.Parameters.Add(param)

param = New Data.SqlClient.SqlParameter("@type", Data.SqlDbType.VarChar)

param.Value = strType

cmd.Parameters.Add(param)

param = New Data.SqlClient.SqlParameter("@length", Data.SqlDbType.BigInt)

param.Value = Length

cmd.Parameters.Add(param)

cnn.Open()

cmd.ExecuteNonQuery()

cnn.Close()

Return True

Catch ex As Exception

Return False

End Try

End Function

The Image Grabber

Next we create a web-page that will grab the image whose id is passed to it as a query string. Right-click the project in solution explorer and add a web-page imgGrab.aspx.

Define the page_load method as follows:

Protected Sub Page_Load(...,...) Handles Me.Load

Try

Dim ds As New DataSet

Dim da As SqlClient.SqlDataAdapter

Dim arrContent As Byte()

Dim dr As DataRow

Dim strSql As String

strSql = "Select * from tblImage Where imgId=" & Request.QueryString("ID")

Dim connString As String = "Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;AttachDbFilename=""|DataDirectory|\imgDB.mdf"";Integrated Security=True;User Instance=True"

da = New SqlClient.SqlDataAdapter(strSql, connString)

da.Fill(ds)

dr = ds.Tables(0).Rows(0)

arrContent = CType(dr.Item("imgData"), Byte())

Dim conType As String = dr.Item("imgType").ToString()

Response.ContentType = conType

Response.OutputStream.Write(arrContent, 0, dr.Item("imgLength"))

Response.End()

Catch ex As Exception

End Try

End Sub

What this does is quite simple. It gets the image data whose id is passed in and writes it to the web-page. Response.ContentType sets the web-page as an image content holder and when we write the complete byte array to the response stream, we actually get the image.

Loading Images into the GridView Control

A major problem faced by developers is when loading images back into the datagrid or the new gridview control. I myself faced long hours trying to come up with a solution for this, which in the end was a simple procedure.

Create a new-page, Viewer.aspx and add a GridView onto it. (This page is linked from the Default.aspx page via lnkView). Name the GridView imgGrid and click on the small box located at the upper-right corner of the control.

Click on Edit Columns to open the Fields Dialog as shown below.

In this dialog, uncheck "Auto-generate fields" and add two fields; a bound field and an image field. For the bound field set the column header text to Title and the DataField property to imgTitle (This will bind this column to the imgTitle column in the dataset to which we will load our table data). As for the image field, set the caption to Picture and the DataImageUrlField to imgFile. You might think where this imgFile comes from, especially since the database does not contain a column with such a name.

Switch to the code-behind class and create the page_load event as follows:

Protected Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Load

Dim ds As New DataSet

Dim da As SqlClient.SqlDataAdapter

Dim strSQL As String

strSQL = "Select imgId,imgTitle from tblImage"

Dim connString As String = "Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;AttachDbFilename=""|DataDirectory|\imgDB.mdf"";Integrated Security=True;User Instance=True"

da = New SqlClient.SqlDataAdapter(strSQL, connString)

da.Fill(ds)

ds.Tables(0).Columns.Add("imgFile")

For Each tempRow As DataRow In ds.Tables(0).Rows

tempRow.Item("imgFile") = ("imgGrab.aspx?id=" & tempRow.Item("imgID"))

Next

imgGrid.DataSource = ds

imgGrid.DataBind()

End Sub

What this function does is the simple task of grabbing data from the database. It grabs two columns, imgId and imgTitle. What it does afterwards is the key concept... and the few-lines of code that marks the solution to a big problem.

After filling in the dataset, we know that it contains one table, at index 0 of course. We add a custom column "imgFile" to it.

After that, we traverse through each dataRow in the table. And for each row, we make a call to our imgGrab.aspx page with the id from that row. We set this equal to the record for imgFile for that row.

Thus on display of the GridView, for each row being displayed, the imgGrab.aspx web-page is called and the image is displayed in return.

A screen-shot of the resulting grid: