Getting Started with LEAD WIC-Enabled Codecs

LEAD has done the work of writing WIC codecs for you. The LEAD WIC-Enabled Codec set provides you with over forty image encoders and decoders that integrate seamlessly with the Windows Imaging Component (WIC) framework.

By registering your LEAD WIC-Enabled Codecs, applications that support WIC and WPF (like Vista Photo Explorer) will automatically have access to over forty image file formats. And, when using the Windows Explorer thumbnail view, users will see an actual thumbnail image for all of these file formats, instead of a generic icon.

Note: Registering some of the LEAD WIC Codecs can have undesired effects on applications that were written to use the Microsoft .Net WIC codec classes. This is a known bug in the Microsoft .Net runtime. The following list shows the LEAD WIC Codecs and the affected Microsoft .Net classes:

LEAD WIC Codec	Microsoft .Net Class
LEAD Bmp Decoder	System.Windows.Media.Imaging.BmpBitmapDecoder
LEAD Gif Decoder	System.Windows.Media.Imaging.GifBitmapDecoder
LEAD Icon Decoder	System.Windows.Media.Imaging.IconBitmapDecoder
LEAD Jpeg Decoder	System.Windows.Media.Imaging.JpegBitmapDecoder
LEAD Png Decoder	System.Windows.Media.Imaging.PngBitmapDecoder
LEAD Tiff Decoder	System.Windows.Media.Imaging.TiffBitmapDecoder
LEAD Hdp Decoder	System.Windows.Media.Imaging.WmpBitmapDecoder

The following code illustrates the problem and shows how to work around this issue:

The Windows Imaging Component (WIC) framework, provided with Windows Vista (and later)
and Windows XP Service Pack 3, provides a single, common set of APIs that allow developers
to create applications that process images, with no prior knowledge of the specific image
formats required. Once an image format codec is written for WIC, and installed on a machine
that supports WIC, you get system-wide support for that format in all applications that use WIC
or WPF. This means that any application using WIC can access, display, process, save, and
print images using a consistent interface for all image file formats.
LEAD has done the work of writing WIC codecs for you. The LEAD WIC-Enabled Codec set
provides you with over forty image encoders and decoders that integrate seamlessly with the
Windows Imaging Component (WIC) framework.
By registering your LEAD WIC-Enabled Codecs, applications that support WIC and WPF (like Vista Photo Explorer) will automatically have access to over forty image file formats. And, when using the Windows Explorer thumbnail view, users will see an actual thumbnail image for all of these file formats, instead of a generic icon.
Note: Registering some of the LEAD WIC Codecs can have undesired effects on applications that were written to use the Microsoft .Net WIC codec classes. This is a known bug in the Microsoft .Net runtime. The following list shows the LEAD WIC Codecs and the affected Microsoft .Net classes:

LEAD WIC Codec	Microsoft .Net Class
LEAD Bmp Decoder	System.Windows.Media.Imaging.BmpBitmapDecoder
LEAD Gif Decoder	System.Windows.Media.Imaging.GifBitmapDecoder
LEAD Icon Decoder	System.Windows.Media.Imaging.IconBitmapDecoder
LEAD Jpeg Decoder	System.Windows.Media.Imaging.JpegBitmapDecoder
LEAD Png Decoder	System.Windows.Media.Imaging.PngBitmapDecoder
LEAD Tiff Decoder	System.Windows.Media.Imaging.TiffBitmapDecoder
LEAD Hdp Decoder	System.Windows.Media.Imaging.WmpBitmapDecoder

The following code illustrates the problem and shows how to work around this issue:

//You cannot use TiffBitmapDecoder if the LEAD WIC Tiff Decoder is registered. //This is a bug in the .Net runtime. TiffBitmapDecoder decoder = new BitmapDecoder(uri, BitmapCreateOptions.None, BitmapCacheOption.Default); //You can work around this by using the static Create method BitmapDecoder decoder = BitmapDecoder.Create(stream, BitmapCreateOptions.None, BitmapCacheOption.Default);

Installing LEAD WIC-Enabled Codecs into Windows Vista or Windows XP SP3

Install the required LEAD libraries in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC) by dragging them to the GAC location (typically c:\windows\assembly), or by using a utility like gacutil.exe (the .NET utilty used to work with the GAC).
Register the LEAD WIC-Enabled Codecs that you want to use.

Programming with the LEAD WIC Enabled Codec

The LEAD WIC-Enabled Codec is a COM object that supports standard WIC codecs interfaces. The LEAD CLeadBitmapDecoder is the class that implements the LEAD Bitmap decoders. The LEAD CLeadBitmapEncoder is the class that implements the LEAD Bitmap Encoders. A summary of the interfaces implemented by these classes is given below:

CLeadBitmapDecoder Implemented Interfaces
IWICBitmapFrameDecode
IWICBitmapDecoder
IWICBitmapCodecProgressNotification
IWICMetadataBlockReader
IThumbnailProvider
IInitializeWithStream

CLeadBitmapEncoder Implemented Interfaces
IWICBitmapEncoder
IWICBitmapFrameEncode
IWICLeadBitmapEncoder

Demos

The source code for LeadCodecDemo_Original.exe is installed as part of the toolkit. It is written in C++, and shows how to program with the LeadCodec.dll COM object directly.

The LeadCodecDemo_Original.exe can do the following:

Display all WIC decoders and encoders that are registered on your system.
Display the property bag items of all encoders on your system.
Open and display image files using any of the codecs registered on your system. The log shows detailed information about the decoder used.
Save image files using any of the codecs registered on your system. When choosing one of the LEAD Encoders, the IWICLeadBitmapEncoder interface is used to show detailed options in the file save dialog.

Tutorials

LEAD WIC Enabled Codecs Tutorials show how to programmatically work with the LEAD WIC Enabled Codecs, as well as any other codecs that are registered on your system.

Installing LEAD WIC-Enabled Codecs into Windows Vista or Windows XP SP3

Install the required LEAD libraries in the Global Assembly Cache (GAC) by dragging them to the GAC location (typically c:\windows\assembly), or by using a utility like gacutil.exe (the .NET utilty used to work with the GAC).
Register the LEAD WIC-Enabled Codecs that you want to use.

Programming with the LEAD WIC Enabled Codec

CLeadBitmapDecoder Implemented Interfaces
IWICBitmapFrameDecode
IWICBitmapDecoder
IWICBitmapCodecProgressNotification
IWICMetadataBlockReader
IThumbnailProvider
IInitializeWithStream

CLeadBitmapEncoder Implemented Interfaces
IWICBitmapEncoder
IWICBitmapFrameEncode
IWICLeadBitmapEncoder

Demos

The source code for LeadCodecDemo_Original.exe is installed as part of the toolkit. It is written in C++, and shows how to program with the LeadCodec.dll COM object directly.

The LeadCodecDemo_Original.exe can do the following:

Display all WIC decoders and encoders that are registered on your system.
Display the property bag items of all encoders on your system.
Open and display image files using any of the codecs registered on your system. The log shows detailed information about the decoder used.
Save image files using any of the codecs registered on your system. When choosing one of the LEAD Encoders, the IWICLeadBitmapEncoder interface is used to show detailed options in the file save dialog.

Tutorials

LEAD WIC Enabled Codecs Tutorials show how to programmatically work with the LEAD WIC Enabled Codecs, as well as any other codecs that are registered on your system.

Programming Reference

Tutorials
Files to be Included with Your Application
Example Requirements
LEAD WIC-Enabled File Formats
IWICLeadBitmapEncoderInterface Members
WICLead Enumerations

Reference

LEAD WIC-Enabled Codecs Overview
Introduction to LEADTOOLS for WPF
Windows Imaging Component
Licensing Requirements
Registering LEAD WIC-Enabled Codecs
Technical Support

WPF Assemblies

Leadtools.Windows.Media.Effects
Leadtools.Windows.Controls