Defining and comparing Images?

[diurnal]

Hi all,

I'm doing a little project (big for me because I'm pretty much a noob). I have this soltaire game and when a card is captured. I want that card to be colored with a blue background. In other words, that its been played.

How would you go about comparing 1 card say the ace of spades to that same card in another picturebox? Meaning The card is capture in one picturebox and the other picturebox will turn a certain color, making it disappear.

My pseudo code is something like this:
If pictbox1 = pictbox2 Then
color that pictbox2 to blue
Else leave it visible
End IF

So the real problem is how do I compare images and define them, like a .bmp to the same image as in ,say pictbox2.

Could I find a specific hex color on the card and then the card in pictbox2 disappears. How would you define hex color and how would you analzye it?

Sorry for the many questions. If you have a question I can clear it up for you.

Thanks

PS working with vb.net 2005

[hariharanmca]

Hi all,

I'm doing a little project (big for me because I'm pretty much a noob). I have this soltaire game and when a card is captured. I want that card to be colored with a blue background. In other words, that its been played.

How would you go about comparing 1 card say the ace of spades to that same card in another picturebox? Meaning The card is capture in one picturebox and the other picturebox will turn a certain color, making it disappear.

My pseudo code is something like this:
If pictbox1 = pictbox2 Then
color that pictbox2 to blue
Else leave it visible
End IF

So the real problem is how do I compare images and define them, like a .bmp to the same image as in ,say pictbox2.

Could I find a specific hex color on the card and then the card in pictbox2 disappears. How would you define hex color and how would you analzye it?

Sorry for the many questions. If you have a question I can clear it up for you.

Thanks

PS working with vb.net 2005

I think your problem is pretty complicated


which Database you are using?

use control array and diff pic in that

[diurnal]

I'm not using a database. I think I need to research more on visual basics. This is over my head. I started about a month ago so maybe I can refine my questions with more research and studying.

Thanks for the reply

[hariharanmca]

I'm not using a database. I think I need to research more on visual basics. This is over my head. I started about a month ago so maybe I can refine my questions with more research and studying.

Thanks for the reply

is your project is an playing cards

[diurnal]

No its not making a card game..its basically a cardcounter. Really I need to know how to compare .bmp. Or images. Like what API do I call or methods?

I looked around the net and have not came to a tutorial on this, however I came to things that are similiar in nature of what I want to do. It's just not clicking, and maybe some one could throw out some ideas on how these can be achieved. Namely, comparing images to other images.

Moreover the game is already made.
Thanks

[hariharanmca]

No its not making a card game..its basically a cardcounter. Really I need to know how to compare .bmp. Or images. Like what API do I call or methods?

I looked around the net and have not came to a tutorial on this, however I came to things that are similiar in nature of what I want to do. It's just not clicking, and maybe some one could throw out some ideas on how these can be achieved. Namely, comparing images to other images.

Moreover the game is already made.
Thanks

Image or picture controls are basically to display purpose only.

If you want to compare there may be two ways

1. Give different names or each image which you are going to compare.
2. Give different path or each image which you are going to compare.

[NathanDetroit]

I think comparing images is not the way to go here. As suggested above, I think you need to define unique names for each card and associate the names with the proper images, possibly using an array or collection. Then you need to have your code keep track of which cards played. I don't use .Net so I can't suggest the best method there. In VB6, I'd play with something like - assuming you have 52 card images 0-51:

Option Explicit
 
Private Type Card
 
cName As String
cFace As String
cPlayed As Boolean
 
End Type
 
Private Sub cmd_Click()
CreateDeck
End Sub
 
Private Sub CreateDeck()
 
Dim Deck(51) As Card
Dim intSuit As Integer
Dim intCard As Integer
Dim intValue As Integer
Dim intFace As Integer
Dim strFaces(51) As String
Dim CardValue()
Dim CardSuit()
 
CardSuit = Array("Hearts", "Diamonds", "Clubs", "Spades")
CardValue = Array("Ace", "Two", "Three", "Four", "Five", "Six", _
"Seven", "Eight", "Nine", "Ten", "Jack", "Queen", "King")
 
intCard = 0
 
    For intFace = 0 To 51
        strFaces(intFace) = "E:\Temp\Cards\" & intFace & ".gif"
    Next intFace
 
    For intSuit = 0 To 3
        For intValue = 0 To 12
            Deck(intCard).cName = CardValue(intValue) & " of " & CardSuit(intSuit)
            Deck(intCard).cFace = strFaces(intCard)
            Deck(intCard).cPlayed = False
            intCard = intCard + 1
        Next intValue
    Next intSuit
 
End Sub
 
Private Sub Method_1()
'---------------------------------------------------
'Using type variables
 
Dim ThisCard As Card
Dim ThatCard As Card
 
ThisCard = Deck(0)
ThatCard = Deck(51)
 
picCard1.Picture = LoadPicture(ThisCard.cFace)
ThisCard.cPlayed = True
MsgBox ThisCard.cName & " Played"
 
ThatCard = Deck(51)
picCard2.Picture = LoadPicture(ThatCard.cFace)
 
    If ThatCard.cPlayed = True Then
        picCard2.Picture = Nothing
    End If
 
End Sub
 
Private Sub method_2()
'---------------------------------------------------
'Using array subscript directly and tag property of PictureBox
picCard1.Picture = LoadPicture(Deck(0).cFace)
picCard1.Tag = 0
MsgBox Deck(0).cName & " Played"
 
picCard2.Picture = LoadPicture(Deck(51).cFace)
picCard1.Tag = 51
 
    If picCard2.Tag = picCard1.Tag Then
        picCard2.Picture = Nothing
    End If
 
End Sub
 

That may be overly complex - all you really need is an array of 52 cards with the images and refer to the array subscript. That's my general idea. If you have an array of picturebox controls, you can easily load card(1) into pic(1), etc. You can use another array of booleans to track which cards have been played if you need that. Just keep track of which card is displayed where and that should do it. Comparing the actual bitmaps would be difficult and IMO unnecessary here.

An even better solution would be to use the cards.dll that Windows Solitare uses - there's a tutorial here:

http://www.codeproject.com/csharp/drawcardscp1.asp

It's in C# though, maybe you can find a VB.Net version. The dll does a lot of the work of drawing and moving cards for you but I don't know if it tracks the play - you may still have to do that yourself.

Heres a VB6 version:http://www.catch22.net/tuts/cardtut.asp with an example. Search around, there are probably several example card games in VB that may give you some ideas also.

[hariharanmca]

Yes, I too think about that, but he told it’s not a card game. Refer thread #4 and #5. I think he mean, to refer images directly

[Killer42]

Yes, I too think about that, but he told it’s not a card game. Refer thread #4 and #5. I think he mean, to refer images directly

The point is, you should be comparing the values which are represented by the images - not the images themselves. Comparing images is a very "expensive" process. The images should be seen as simply a visual indication of what value is being manipulated in the program.

[hariharanmca]

The point is, you should be comparing the values which are represented by the images - not the images themselves. Comparing images is a very "expensive" process. The images should be seen as simply a visual indication of what value is being manipulated in the program.

Comparing images is a very "expensive" process.

My head is triggering a question. Is it possible to compare images (not with the reference of Image path or Image Name) through VB? (It’s not urgent. But looking for at least hints).

[Killer42]

My head is triggering a question. Is it possible to compare images (not with the reference of Image path or Image Name) through VB? (It’s not urgent. But looking for at least hints).

The short answer is "yes". The longer answer is "yes, but how depends on what you mean".

For instance, you could say If Picture1.Picture = Picture2.Picture - this will tell you whether they are references to the same image. I don't recall the technical terminology, but it involves handles and device contexts and stuff like that. This will work in many cases, quite possibly including the one raised here by the OP.

On the other hand, if you like, you can certainly loop through and compare the images pixel by pixel to see whether they are identical. I have actually written an image comparison utility, many years ago, which I had planned to release as shareware. So despite a poor memory, I do have some idea what I'm talking about.

You could even go further and do pattern recognition to try and determine whether images are of the same subject - but that's way out of my league.

[hariharanmca]

The short answer is "yes". The longer answer is "yes, but how depends on what you mean".

On the other hand, if you like, you can certainly loop through and compare the images pixel by pixel to see whether they are identical. I have actually written an image comparison utility, many years ago, which I had planned to release as shareware. So despite a poor memory, I do have some idea what I'm talking about.

You could even go further and do pattern recognition to try and determine whether images are of the same subject - but that's way out of my league.

thank you for such grate hints and good luck to get more money to release your shareware.

all the best

[diurnal]

I was talking to a programmer the other day but he had to go. He said the way he did image comparison was with GETPIXEL. He gave me snippet , however, I kind of clueless on what it means. Could anyone elaborate on this:

dim clr as color
clr = getpixel(x,y)
debug.print(clr.tostring)

Thanks

[hariharanmca]

I was talking to a programmer the other day but he had to go. He said the way he did image comparison was with GETPIXEL. He gave me snippet , however, I kind of clueless on what it means. Could anyone elaborate on this:

dim clr as color
clr = getpixel(x,y)
debug.print(clr.tostring)

Thanks

this is what it means.

dim clr as color
'Declaring clr as Color
clr = getpixel(x,y)
'assigening clr value(pixel) in X and Y axis through getpixel
debug.print(clr.tostring)
'Convert clr to string and Printing it in debug editor

[Killer42]

dim clr as color
...
debug.print(clr.tostring)

What is this, VB.Net?