Image from sheet in imagebox control (VBA)

Question

I'm looking for a simple way to have an image loaded to the image control in a userform, vba project in excel.

Is it possible to load directly a pasted linked image from the sheet it self, and then have that object serving as source for the image control?

I found that it is possible to do so, but it takes exporting the image (or saving the image as image) and then load it to the image control, but I am looking for a way that does not involve external data from the excel file.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Well, after searching with google, I found this solution:

For the example you will need:

+----------------+----------------+
| Control        | Name           |
+----------------+----------------+
| User Form      | UserForm1      |
| Image          | Image1         |
| Command Button | CommandButton1 |
+----------------+----------------+

And 2 normal modules, and I use this Names:

+---------------+
| Module Names  |
+---------------+
| Functions_VBA |
| Image_Job     |
+---------------+

Inside the UserForm1 use this code:

Option Explicit

Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
    Paste_ThePicture 'I will explain later...
     Me.Image1.Picture = LoadPicture(thePath) 'Just this... load the picture
     'If you want to delete the picture from directory
     'Uncomment this:
     'Kill thePath
End Sub

Inside the Image_Job Module put this:

Option Explicit
Public thePath As String

Sub Paste_ThePicture() 'The procedure inside UserForm1
Dim fname As String
Dim objPicture As Variant

    With ActiveSheet.Shapes("Picture 1") 'The name of the picture inside the excel sheet
                                         'you can loop over the pictures or do somenthing
                                         'to take the picture you want
        .CopyPicture xlScreen, xlBitmap
        Set objPicture = PastePicture(xlBitmap) 'Store the picture inside the var
        fname = ThisWorkbook.Path & "\" & .Name & ".bmp" 'Create the path for the picture full path
    End With
    thePath = fname 'Store the full path to use it later
SavePicture objPicture, fname 'save the picture in the directory
                              'you can delete it later
                              'Look inside the userForm code
End Sub

And the magic come heres! Inside the Functions_VBA put this:

Option Explicit
Option Compare Text

''' User-Defined Types for API Calls
'Declare a UDT to store a GUID for the IPicture OLE Interface
Private Type GUID
    Data1 As Long
    Data2 As Integer
    Data3 As Integer
    Data4(0 To 7) As Byte
End Type
'Declare a UDT to store the bitmap information
Private Type uPicDesc
    Size As Long
    Type As Long
    hPic As Long
    hPal As Long
End Type

'''Windows API Function Declarations
'Does the clipboard contain a bitmap/metafile?

Private Declare Function IsClipboardFormatAvailable Lib "user32" (ByVal wFormat As Integer) As Long
'Open the clipboard to read
Private Declare Function OpenClipboard Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long) As Long
'Get a pointer to the bitmap/metafile
Private Declare Function GetClipboardData Lib "user32" (ByVal wFormat As Integer) As Long
'Close the clipboard
Private Declare Function CloseClipboard Lib "user32" () As Long
'Convert the handle into an OLE IPicture interface.
Private Declare Function OleCreatePictureIndirect Lib "olepro32.dll" (PicDesc As uPicDesc, RefIID As GUID, ByVal fPictureOwnsHandle As Long, IPic As IPicture) As Long
'Create our own copy of the metafile, so it doesn't get wiped out by subsequent clipboard updates.
Declare Function CopyEnhMetaFile Lib "gdi32" Alias "CopyEnhMetaFileA" (ByVal hemfSrc As Long, ByVal lpszFile As String) As Long
'Create our own copy of the bitmap, so it doesn't get wiped out by subsequent clipboard updates.
Declare Function CopyImage Lib "user32" (ByVal handle As Long, ByVal un1 As Long, ByVal n1 As Long, ByVal n2 As Long, ByVal un2 As Long) As Long
'The API format types we're interested in
Const CF_BITMAP = 2
Const CF_PALETTE = 9
Const CF_ENHMETAFILE = 14
Const IMAGE_BITMAP = 0
Const LR_COPYRETURNORG = &H4
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
''' Subroutine: PastePicture
'''
''' Purpose:    Get a Picture object showing whatever's on the clipboard.
'''
''' Arguments:  lXlPicType - The type of picture to create.  Can be one of:
'''                          xlPicture to create a metafile (default)
'''                          xlBitmap to create a bitmap
'''
''' Date        Developer           Action
''' --------------------------------------------------------------------------
''' 30 Oct 98   Stephen Bullen      Created
''' 15 Nov 98   Stephen Bullen      Updated to create our own copies of the clipboard images
'''

Function PastePicture(Optional lXlPicType As Long = xlPicture) As IPicture
'Some pointers
Dim h As Long, hPicAvail As Long, hPtr As Long, hPal As Long, lPicType As Long, hCopy As Long
'Convert the type of picture requested from the xl constant to the API constant
lPicType = IIf(lXlPicType = xlBitmap, CF_BITMAP, CF_ENHMETAFILE)
'Check if the clipboard contains the required format
hPicAvail = IsClipboardFormatAvailable(lPicType)
If hPicAvail <> 0 Then
    'Get access to the clipboard
    h = OpenClipboard(0&)
    If h > 0 Then
        'Get a handle to the image data
        hPtr = GetClipboardData(lPicType)
        'Create our own copy of the image on the clipboard, in the appropriate format.
        If lPicType = CF_BITMAP Then
            hCopy = CopyImage(hPtr, IMAGE_BITMAP, 0, 0, LR_COPYRETURNORG)
        Else
            hCopy = CopyEnhMetaFile(hPtr, vbNullString)
        End If
        'Release the clipboard to other programs
        h = CloseClipboard
        'If we got a handle to the image, convert it into a Picture object and return it
        If hPtr <> 0 Then Set PastePicture = CreatePicture(hCopy, 0, lPicType)
    End If
End If
End Function

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
''' Subroutine: CreatePicture
'''
''' Purpose:    Converts a image (and palette) handle into a Picture object.
'''
'''             Requires a reference to the "OLE Automation" type library
'''
''' Arguments:  None
'''
''' Date        Developer           Action
''' --------------------------------------------------------------------------
''' 30 Oct 98  Stephen Bullen      Created
'''

Private Function CreatePicture(ByVal hPic As Long, ByVal hPal As Long, ByVal lPicType) As IPicture

' IPicture requires a reference to "OLE Automation"
Dim r As Long, uPicInfo As uPicDesc, IID_IDispatch As GUID, IPic As IPicture

'OLE Picture types
Const PICTYPE_BITMAP = 1
Const PICTYPE_ENHMETAFILE = 4
' Create the Interface GUID (for the IPicture interface)
With IID_IDispatch
    .Data1 = &H7BF80980
    .Data2 = &HBF32
    .Data3 = &H101A
    .Data4(0) = &H8B
    .Data4(1) = &HBB
    .Data4(2) = &H0
    .Data4(3) = &HAA
    .Data4(4) = &H0
    .Data4(5) = &H30
    .Data4(6) = &HC
    .Data4(7) = &HAB
End With
' Fill uPicInfo with necessary parts.
With uPicInfo
    .Size = Len(uPicInfo)                                                   ' Length of structure.
    .Type = IIf(lPicType = CF_BITMAP, PICTYPE_BITMAP, PICTYPE_ENHMETAFILE)  ' Type of Picture
    .hPic = hPic                                                            ' Handle to image.
    .hPal = IIf(lPicType = CF_BITMAP, hPal, 0)                              ' Handle to palette (if bitmap).
End With
' Create the Picture object.
r = OleCreatePictureIndirect(uPicInfo, IID_IDispatch, True, IPic)
' If an error occured, show the description
If r <> 0 Then Debug.Print "Create Picture: " & fnOLEError(r)
' Return the new Picture object.
Set CreatePicture = IPic
End Function
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
''' Subroutine: fnOLEError
'''
''' Purpose:    Gets the message text for standard OLE errors
'''
''' Arguments:  None
'''
''' Date        Developer           Action
''' --------------------------------------------------------------------------
''' 30 Oct 98   Stephen Bullen      Created
'''

Private Function fnOLEError(lErrNum As Long) As String
'OLECreatePictureIndirect return values
Const E_ABORT = &H80004004
Const E_ACCESSDENIED = &H80070005
Const E_FAIL = &H80004005
Const E_HANDLE = &H80070006
Const E_INVALIDARG = &H80070057
Const E_NOINTERFACE = &H80004002
Const E_NOTIMPL = &H80004001
Const E_OUTOFMEMORY = &H8007000E
Const E_POINTER = &H80004003
Const E_UNEXPECTED = &H8000FFFF
Const S_OK = &H0
Select Case lErrNum
Case E_ABORT
    fnOLEError = " Aborted"
Case E_ACCESSDENIED
    fnOLEError = " Access Denied"
Case E_FAIL
    fnOLEError = " General Failure"
Case E_HANDLE
    fnOLEError = " Bad/Missing Handle"
Case E_INVALIDARG
    fnOLEError = " Invalid Argument"
Case E_NOINTERFACE
    fnOLEError = " No Interface"
Case E_NOTIMPL
    fnOLEError = " Not Implemented"
Case E_OUTOFMEMORY
    fnOLEError = " Out of Memory"
Case E_POINTER
    fnOLEError = " Invalid Pointer"
Case E_UNEXPECTED
    fnOLEError = " Unknown Error"
Case S_OK
    fnOLEError = " Success!"
End Select
End Function

With all that, you will:

Open the UserForm1 and click the CommandButton1 this will take from the ActiveSheet the shape name "Picture 1" (it is your picture) and Save it in the same path of the Workbook , after that, take that path (the stored picture) and insert it into Image1 . If you want you can delete the picture from the path.

I try to take the picture directly from the clipboard, but I don not know if that is possible, if you can do it, please let me know how you did it, by now this is my help in your question.

Note: I take the magic code from here: Stephen Bullen

Answer 2

With the code provided by Elbert Villarreal/Stephen Bullen (Functions_VBA/PastePicture), it is possible to paste the image directly from the clipboard (without saving it to disk):

Sub Paste_ThePicture()
    With ActiveSheet.Shapes("Picture 1")
        .CopyPicture xlScreen, xlBitmap
        UserForm1.Image1.Picture = PastePicture(xlBitmap)
    End With
End Sub