Appendix M : Graphics

This appendix provides information about graphics classes.

Graphics Namespaces

This section describes the most important graphics namespaces and their most useful classes, structures, and enumerated values.

System.Drawing

This namespace defines the most important graphics objects such as Graphics, Pen, Brush, Font, FontFamily, Bitmap, Icon, and Image. The following table describes the namespace’s most useful classes and structures.

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Classes and Structures	Purpose
Bitmap	Represents a bitmap image defined by pixel data.
Brush	Represents area fill characteristics.
Color	Defines a color’s red, green, blue, and alpha components as values between 0 and 255. Alpha = 0 means the object is transparent; alpha = 255 means it is opaque.
Font	Represents a particular font (name, size, and style, such as italic or bold).
FontFamily	Represents a group of typefaces with similar characteristics.
Graphics	Represents a drawing surface. Provides methods to draw on the surface.
Icon	Represents a Windows icon.
Image	Abstract base class from which Bitmap, Icon, and Metafile inherit.
Metafile	Represents a graphic metafile.
Pen	Represents line drawing characteristics (such as color, thickness, and dash style).
Pens	Provides a large number of predefined pens with different colors and width 1.
Point	Defines a point’s X and Y coordinates.
PointF	Defines a point’s X and Y coordinates with floating-point values.
Rectangle	Defines a rectangle using a Point and a Size.
RectangleF	Defines a rectangle using a PointF and a SizeF (with floating-point values).
Region	Defines a shape created from rectangles and paths for filling, hit testing, or clipping.
Size	Defines a width and height.
SizeF	Defines a width and height with floating-point values.
SolidBrush	Represents a solid brush.

System.Drawing.Drawing2D

This namespace contains classes for more advanced two-dimensional drawing. Some of these classes refine more basic drawing classes. For example, the HatchBrush class represents a specialized type of Brush that fills with a hatch pattern. Other classes define values for use by other graphics classes. For example, the Blend class defines color-blending parameters for a LinearGradientBrush.

The following table describes this namespace’s most useful classes and enumerations.

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Classes and Enumerations	Purpose
Blend	Defines blend characteristics for a LinearGradientBrush.
ColorBlend	Defines blend characteristics for a PathGradientBrush.
DashCap	Enumeration that determines how the ends of a dash in a dashed line are drawn.
DashStyle	Enumeration that determines how a dashed line is drawn.
GraphicsPath	Represents a series of connected lines and curves for drawing, filling, or clipping.
HatchBrush	Defines a Brush that fills an area with a hatch pattern.
HatchStyle	Enumeration that determines the hatch style used by a HatchBrush object.
LinearGradientBrush	Defines a Brush that fills an area with a linear color gradient.
LineCap	Enumeration that determines how the ends of a line are drawn.
LineJoin	Enumeration that determines how lines are joined by a GDI method that draws connected lines.
Matrix	Represents a transformation matrix.
PathGradientBrush	Defines a Brush that fills an area with a color gradient that follows a path.

System.Drawing.Imaging

This namespace contains objects that deal with more advanced bitmap graphics. It includes classes that define image file formats such as GIF and JPG, classes that manage color palettes, and classes that define metafiles. The following table describes this namespace’s most useful classes.

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Class	Purpose
ColorMap	Defines a mapping from old color values to new ones.
ColorPalette	Represents a palette of color values.
ImageFormat	Specifies an image’s format (bmp, emf, gif, jpeg, and so on).
Metafile	Represents a graphic metafile that contains drawing instructions.
MetafileHeader	Defines the attributes of a Metafile object.
MetaHeader	Contains information about a Windows metafile (WMF).
WmfPlaceableFileHeader	Specifies how a metafile should be mapped to an output device.
System.Drawing.Text	This namespace contains only three classes for working with installed fonts. The following table describes these classes.

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Class	Purpose
FontCollection	Base class for the derived InstalledFontCollection and PrivateFontCollection classes.
InstalledFontCollection	Provides a list of the system’s installed fonts.
PrivateFontCollection	Provides a list of the application’s privately installed fonts.

System.Drawing.Printing

This namespace contains objects for printing and managing the printer’s characteristics. The following table describes the most useful of these classes.

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Class	Purpose
PageSettings	Defines the page settings for either an entire PrintDocument or for a particular page. This object has properties that are Margins, PaperSize, PaperSource, PrinterResolution, and PrinterSettings objects.
Margins	Defines the margins for the printed page.
PaperSize	Defines the paper’s size.
PaperSource	Defines the printer’s paper source.
PrinterResolution	Defines the printer’s resolution.
PrinterSettings	Defines the printer’s settings.