DOCUMENT:Q147667 11-JAN-2001 [vbwin] TITLE :PRB: 'Invalid Picture' Error When Setting Metafile (WMF) PRODUCT :Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows PROD/VER:WINDOWS:4.0 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS: ====================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Visual Basic Standard Edition, 32-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 - Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition, 16-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 - Microsoft Visual Basic Professional Edition, 32-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 - Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition, 16-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 - Microsoft Visual Basic Enterprise Edition, 32-bit, for Windows, version 4.0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SYMPTOMS ======== Setting the Picture property of picture box control to a metafile (.wmf) format file can cause Visual Basic to raise the following error: Invalid Picture. Sample code as well as compiled executables for utilities to convert between these metafile formats exist in the articles listed in the REFERENCES section. CAUSE ===== This error may occur if you attempt to set the picture property to an image type that the control does not understand. If the file or other source of the image is corrupt then the control may not be able to interpret the image well enough to determine what kind of image it is, let alone display and manipulate it. With .wmf (metafile) image formats, an additional wrinkle is relevant. Visual Basic 4.0, and other Microsoft products such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, do not use the 'standard' metafile format. Instead, these applications use an 'Aldus Placeable Format' metafile. The formats differ in that placeable metafiles include a 22-byte 'metafileheader' data structure at the beginning of the file. The placeable metafile format is incompatible with such Windows API functions as CreateMetaFile, GetMetaFile, CopyMetaFile, and PlayMetaFile. STATUS ====== This behavior is by design. REFERENCES ========== The following article provides a 16-bit utility that can convert between normal Windows metafiles and the corresponding Aldus Placeable Format metafiles: Q129658 SAMPLE: Reading and Writing Aldus Placeable Metafiles The following article contains a sample that provides a 32-bit utility to work with the 32-bit enhanced metafile format. The utility can also convert between normal (16-bit) metafiles and Aldus Placeable Format metafiles: Q145999 SAMPLE: How to Create & Play Enhanced Metafiles in Win32 Additional query words: 4.00 vb4win vb4all ====================================================================== Keywords : Technology : kbVBSearch kbAudDeveloper kbVB400Search kbVB400 kbVB16bitSearch Version : WINDOWS:4.0 Issue type : kbprb ============================================================================= THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY. Copyright Microsoft Corporation 2001.