Encoding Pictures

If your script needs resources such as icons or pictures, you do not have to ship these resources separately. They can be Base64-encoded and added to your script as plain text.

This example illustrates how to convert a JPG picture into a Base64-encoded string:

function Convert-JPG2Base64 
 {
     param
     (
         [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
         [String]
         $Path
     )

    $format = [System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat]::Jpeg

    $image = [System.Drawing.Image]::FromFile($Path)
    $stream = New-Object -TypeName System.IO.MemoryStream
    $image.Save($stream, $format)
    $bytes = [Byte[]]($stream.ToArray())
    [System.Convert]::ToBase64String($bytes, 'InsertLineBreaks')
}
 
# find a random picture
$picture = Get-ChildItem $env:windir\Web\Wallpaper *.jpg -Recurse |
   Select-Object -First 1
   
$pictureString = Convert-JPG2Base64 -Path $picture.FullName
 
$pictureString

The function Convert-JPG2Base64 accepts the path to a JPG picture and returns the Base64-encoded picture. In this example, we take the first JPG wallpaper found in your Windows folder. Make sure your Windows folder contains wallpaper pictures, or change the path to a JPG picture of your choice.

The resulting text can be embedded into a script. However, the resulting Base64-text can be pretty large, depending on the size and quality of the picture.

Tomorrow, we show how to load the picture from the Base64-string into memory, and use the picture in your own WPF window.

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