How to Save an Image in a SQL Server Database?

Most of the web applications have a lot of images used in it. These images are usually stored in a web server folder and they are accessed by giving the relative path to the file with respect to the root folder of the website. .Net being the platform for distributed application now, ASP.Net can be used to store images that are small to be stored in a database like SQL Server 2000 and later versions. For this purpose the SQL Server database provides a data type called "image" which is used to store images in the database.

To access these images stored in the database we will be using the ADO.Net classes. To find out how to insert and retrieve an image in to the SQL Server database, you can create a .aspx page which can have a HTMLInputFile control which is used to select the image file that is to be saved in the database. You can also create a textbox control in which you can add the image name or some comment or an image id for the image saved. Use a button control to upload the image to the database. Namespaces like System.Data.SqlClient, System.Drawing, System.Data, System.IO, and System.Drawing.Imaging are used in this task.

In the OnClick property of the button you can write the following code to upload an image to the database.

// create a byte[] for the image file that is uploaded
int imagelen = Upload.PostedFile.ContentLength;
byte[] picbyte = new byte[imagelen];
Upload.PostedFile.InputStream.Read (picbyte, 0, imagelen);
// Insert the image and image id into the database
SqlConnection conn = new SqlConnection (@"give the connection string
here...");
try
{
conn.Open ();
SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand ("insert into ImageTable "
+ "(ImageField, ImageID) values (@pic, @imageid)",
conn);cmd.Parameters.Add ("@pic", picbyte);
cmd.Parameters.Add ("@imageid", lblImageID.Text);
cmd.ExecuteNonQuery ();
}
finally
{
conn.Close ();
}

You can also write the above code in a function and call that function in the OnClick event of the upload button. The code given above performs the following steps in the process of inserting an image into the database.

1. Get the content length of the image that is to be uploaded
2. Create a byte[] to store the image
3. Read the input stream of the posted file
4. Create a connection object
5. Open the connection object
6. Create a command object
7. Add parameters to the command object
8. Execute the sql command using the ExecuteNonQuery method of the command object
9. Close the connection object

To retrieve the image from the SQL Database you can perform the following steps.

1. Create a MemoryStream object. The code can be something like, MemoryStream mstream = new MemoryStream ();

2. Create a Connection object

3. Open the connection to the database

4. Create a command object to execute the command to retrieve the image

5. Use the command object's ExecuteScalar method to retrieve the image

6. Cast the output of the ExecuteScalar method to that of byte[] byte[] image = (byte[]) command.ExecuteScalar ();

7. Write the stream mstream.Write (image, 0, image.Length);

8. Create a bitmap object to hold the stream Bitmap bitmap = new Bitmap (stream);

9. Set the content type to "image/gif" Response.ContentType = "image/gif";

10. Use the Save method of the bitmap object to output the image to the OutputStream. bitmap.Save (Response.OutputStream, ImageFormat.Gif);

11. Close the connection

12. Close the stream mstream.Close();

Using the above steps you can retrieve and display the image from the database to the web page.

You can use these algorithms and take advantage of the "image" data type available in the SQLServer 2000 database to store small images that correspond to a particular record in the table of the database. This method of storing avoids the tedious task of tracking the path of the web folder if the images are stored in a web folder.

Visit A Guide to .NET for a complete introduction to .NET framework. Learn about ASP.NET, VB.NET, C# and other related technologies.

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


4 Computer Money-saving Tips

Tip #1 -- Rebates: A rebate is not always a... Read More

Maintain Your Computer ? Keep Your Business Running

Maintaining your computer is extremely important ? especially if you... Read More

iPod users get the picture

iPod users start to get the picture and it's turning... Read More

PC Tools Youd Never Think You Need

Do you use Windows standard uninstall feature? How do you... Read More

Lives With Games Tradition and Industry

The United States Of America citizen feels that games is... Read More

Emulation Manual - A Complete Guide on How to Change Your Windows XP to Mac OS X

IntroductionMac OS X is the most technologically advanced operating system... Read More

Virtual Memory - What is It?

I recently got an e-mail asking about virtual memory. The... Read More

An All Too Familar Pain

Lost & Found for the 21st CenturyIn today's hectic world... Read More

Cisco CCNA / CCNP Certification: OSPF ASBRs Explained And Illustrated

When I first started studying for my CCNP, some of... Read More

Protect Your PC from Viruses, Worms & Trojans

Each of the items in the checklist below is part... Read More

How I Started Working With 3D Modeling Programs

So I'll start from the very beginning.One day I was... Read More

Linux Power Tools - Great Tools to Make System Administration Easy

World War II - Germany decided to attack Poland. Poland... Read More

A Beginners Guide to Avoiding Viruses

"Aaaaaahhhhhh! I've been invaded by a virus!" Getting a virus... Read More

Digital Cameras + Photo Printers = Quality Instant Photographs

In the 1950's and 1960's Polaroid's instant cameras were all... Read More

5 Steps to Remove Spyware for Free

Have you ever tried to remove Spyware off your PC... Read More

Apache, MySQL & PHP for Windows

Apache, MysQL and PHP for Windows could be a nice... Read More

10 Tips to Stay Safe and Secure Online

The Internet can be a dangerous place.While you're enjoying the... Read More

Image Formats: GIF, JPEG, BMP

When browsing the internet you are likely to come across... Read More

Computer Viruses are Bad Luck

OK, so you caught a computer virus and your system... Read More

USB Drives - What to Look For in a USB Device

Those small USB drives have so many names, pocket drives,... Read More

Dont Let the Internet Overstimulate Your Mind

The Internet is an awesome tool, but be careful and... Read More

MobiTV and Visual Stimulation Imput for Personal Cognitive Performance

Stimulus thru Caffiene or Visual Input?It appears that the Mobi... Read More

How Does My PC Get Hot

There are many sources of heat that can raise the... Read More

Got Virus?

GOT VIRUS? Your Data is NOT lost forever!In the wake... Read More

How Does a Palm Pilot Work?

Just The Facts, Ma'mPalm pilots are all the rage now.... Read More

Selecting a Personal Digital Assistant

A Computer in Your HandCarrying around an address book and... Read More

What Exactly are Screensavers? - part I

After reading this good article you will know some important... Read More

How to Switch to Firefox and Why You should

First things first, what is Firefox? Well, it's a browser.... Read More

Improve PC Performance - 6 Tips You Must Know

Are you frustrated with your PC?Is it feeling sluggish or... Read More

Advantages and Guidelines of Automated Testing

"Automated Testing" is automating the manual testing process currently in... Read More

System File Checker - A Maintenance Utility

System File Checker is a great utility that is typically... Read More

PDA Bible Free Download

Your Bible At Your FingertipsIt is fairly easy to find... Read More

Review of Rio MP3 Players

Below you will find some useful information and comments about... Read More