Member Avatar for Sevyt

I creating a small program which basically reads Electronic identity cards and stores the information in a SQL database.
There is more to the program of course, but this is where i need help with.

The EID has a picture from the person also.
I decided not to save the image directly into the SQL database, but store it in the application directory.
However i cannot seem to figure out how i can save it with a filename taken from one or more textboxes.

This is what i am using right now, but as you can see it saves it as Test.Jpeg

        Dim file_name As String = Application.ExecutablePath
        file_name = file_name.Substring(0, _
            file_name.LastIndexOf("\bin")) & "\test."
        Dim bm As Bitmap = EidPic.Image
        bm.Save(file_name & "jpg", _
            System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Jpeg)

I am thinking it would be the easiest if i stored the picture with a filename which is less common.
For example the ID card number or social security number, since these are always unique.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

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Generated

Short answer: ’s approach (use the EID card number / the textbox value as the filename) is fine and it’s what fixed the immediate problem for . Below are practical, production‑ready refinements and common pitfalls to avoid when saving images with a name from a textbox.

  • Build paths with Path.Combine rather than manual string concatenation so you don’t accidentally mangle separators. Sanitize the textbox value: remove or replace characters returned by Path.GetInvalidFileNameChars before using it as a file name. Ensure the target folder exists (Directory.CreateDirectory) before you call Image.Save. Prefer a writable data folder (e.g., per‑user AppData) instead of writing into Program Files or the app’s install folder. Avoid embedding highly sensitive PII (SSNs) in filenames — store an internal ID or a GUID and map that to the PII in a protected database instead. (learn.microsoft.com)

  • Example VB.NET pattern (keeps the filename safe, makes the folder if needed, and avoids collisions):

' sanitize textbox, choose folder, ensure unique name, save as JPEG
Dim raw = EIDCardNr.Text.Trim()
If String.IsNullOrEmpty(raw) Then raw = Guid.NewGuid().ToString()

Dim invalid = System.IO.Path.GetInvalidFileNameChars()
For Each c As Char In invalid
    raw = raw.Replace(c, "_"c)
Next

Dim storeDir = System.IO.Path.Combine(Environment.GetFolderPath(Environment.SpecialFolder.ApplicationData), "MyApp", "Images")
System.IO.Directory.CreateDirectory(storeDir)

Dim candidate = System.IO.Path.Combine(storeDir, raw & ".jpg")
Dim i As Integer = 1
While System.IO.File.Exists(candidate)
    candidate = System.IO.Path.Combine(storeDir, raw & "_" & i.ToString() & ".jpg")
    i += 1
End While

Try
    Using bmp As Bitmap = CType(EidPic.Image, Bitmap)
        bmp.Save(candidate, System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Jpeg)
    End Using
Catch ex As Exception
    ' log or show a meaningful error (permissions, file locked, invalid image, etc.)
End Try
  • Quick troubleshooting notes: Image.Save will throw if you try to overwrite the same source file the image was loaded from — save to a temp name and replace if needed. Watch for UnauthorizedAccessException when writing to protected folders; using AppData avoids that. Always validate and log exceptions so you can see file/permission errors quickly. (learn.microsoft.com)

These steps keep the simple textbox‑named filename idea that suggested, but make it robust, safe, and ready for real‑world deployment.

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Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

Assuming you have the card number stored in a variable named EIDCardNo, just replace your line

file_name.LastIndexOf("\bin")) & "\test."

with

file_name.LastIndexOf("\bin")) & "\" & EIDCardNo & "."
Member Avatar for Sevyt

Well once i click the read button it will first collect all data from the card.
And puts it in the textboxes, at this point its still not saved.
So i want it to get the text/numbers from the EIDCard number textbox and use that as name to save the imageonce i go to the next step, which will also save to the database.
So the name is taken from the EIDCardNr.text.

Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

In that case use

file_name.LastIndexOf("\bin")) & "\" & EIDCardNr.Text & "."
Member Avatar for Sevyt

Works like a charm, thanks a lot.

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