Drawing in .Net With GDI+

Drawing in .Net With GDI+

GDI+ is an application programming interface (API) that forms the subsystem of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. GDI+ is responsible for displaying information on screens and printers. As its name suggests, GDI+ is the successor to GDI, the Graphics Device Interface included with earlier versions of Windows.

The GDI+ API is exposed through a set of classes deployed as managed code. This set of classes is called the managed class interface to GDI+. The following namespaces make up the managed class interface:

• System.Drawing:

The Graphics class provides methods for drawing to the display device. Classes such as Rectangle and Point encapsulate GDI+ primitives. The Pen class is used to draw lines and curves, while classes derived from the abstract class Brush are used to fill the interiors of shapes.

Classes

• Bitmap:Encapsulates a GDI+ bitmap, which consists of the pixel data for a graphics image and its attributes. A Bitmap is an object used to work with images defined by pixel data.
• Brush:Defines objects used to fill the interiors of graphical shapes such as rectangles, ellipses, pies, polygons, and paths.
• Brushes:Brushes for all the standard colors. This class cannot be inherited.
• BufferedGraphics:Provides a graphics buffer for double buffering.
• BufferedGraphicsContext: Provides methods for creating graphics buffers that can be used for double buffering.
• ColorConverter: Converts colors from one data type to another. Access this class through the TypeDescriptor.
• ColorTranslator : Translates colors to and from GDI+ Color structures. This class cannot be inherited.
• Font : Defines a particular format for text, including font face, size, and style attributes. This class cannot be inherited.
• FontConverter : Converts Font objects from one data type to another.
• FontConverter.FontNameConverter : Infrastructure. FontConverter.FontNameConverter is a type converter that is used to convert a font name to and from various other representations.
• FontConverter.FontUnitConverter : Infrastructure. Converts font units to and from other unit types.
• FontFamily : Defines a group of type faces having a similar basic design and certain variations in styles. This class cannot be inherited.
• Graphics : Encapsulates a GDI+ drawing surface. This class cannot be inherited.
• Icon : Represents a Windows icon, which is a small bitmap image used to represent an object. Icons can be thought of as transparent bitmaps, although their size is determined by the system.
• IconConverter : Converts an Icon object from one data type to another. Access this class through the TypeDescriptor object.
• Image : An abstract base class that provides functionality for the Bitmap and Metafile descended classes.
• ImageAnimator : Animates an image that has time-based frames.
• ImageConverter: ImageConverter is a class that can be used to convert Image objects from one data type to another. Access this class through the TypeDescriptor object.
• ImageFormatConverter : ImageFormatConverter is a class that can be used to convert ImageFormat objects from one data type to another. Access this class through the TypeDescriptor object.
• Pen: Defines an object used to draw lines and curves. This class cannot be inherited.
• Pens : Pens for all the standard colors. This class cannot be inherited.
• PointConverter : Converts a Point object from one data type to another. Access this class through the TypeDescriptor object.
• PointConverter :Converts a Point object from one data type to another. Access this class through the TypeDescriptor object.
• RectangleConverter: Converts rectangles from one data type to another. Access this class through the TypeDescriptor.
• Region :Describes the interior of a graphics shape composed of rectangles and paths. This class cannot be inherited.
• SizeConverter : The SizeConverter class is used to convert from one data type to another. Access this class through theTypeDescriptor object.
• SizeFConverter : Converts SizeF objects from one type to another.
• SolidBrush : Defines a brush of a single color. Brushes are used to fill graphics shapes, such as rectangles, ellipses, pies, polygons, and paths. This class cannot be inherited.
• StringFormat : Encapsulates text layout information (such as alignment, orientation and tab stops) display manipulations (such as ellipsis insertion and national digit substitution) and OpenType features. This class cannot be inherited.
• SystemBrushes : Each property of the SystemBrushes class is a SolidBrush that is the color of a Windows display element.
• SystemColors : Each property of the SystemColors class is a Color structure that is the color of a Windows display element.
• SystemFonts : Specifies the fonts used to display text in Windows display elements.
• SystemIcons : Each property of the SystemIcons class is an Icon object for Windows system-wide icons. This class cannot be inherited.
• SystemPens : Each property of the SystemPens class is a Pen that is the color of a Windows display element and that has a width of 1 pixel.
• TextureBrush :Each property of the TextureBrush class is a Brush object that uses an image to fill the interior of a shape. This class cannot be inherited.
• ToolboxBitmapAttribute : Allows you to specify an icon to represent a control in a container, such as the Microsoft Visual Studio Form Designer.