Visual Basic Reference
Image Control
See Also Example Properties Methods Events
Use the Image control to display a graphic. An Image control can display a graphic from a bitmap, icon, or metafile, as well as enhanced metafile, JPEG, or GIF files.
Syntax
Image
Remarks
The Image control uses fewer system resources and repaints faster than a PictureBox control, but it supports only a subset of the PictureBox properties, events, and methods. Use the Stretch property to determine whether the graphic is scaled to fit the control or vice versa. Although you can place an Image control within a container, an Image control can't act as a container.
Note The Unisys Corporation has a patent that it alleges covers certain aspects of GIF-LZW compression technology, which the PictureBox and Image controls use. Microsoft Corporation obtained a license to the Unisys LZW patents in September, 1996. Microsoft's license does not, however, extend to software developers or third parties who use any Microsoft toolkit, language development, or operating system products to provide GIF read/write and/or any other LZW capabilities in their own products (for example, by way of DLLs and APIs).
If your commercial application uses one of these controls (and thus, the LZW technology), you may wish to obtain an independent legal opinion on the effect of the patent, or contact Unisys USA at http://www.unisys.com/ for more information.