Core API

Core API

Aspose.Imaging FOSS for .NET’s entire public surface is three classes: ImageProbe (the static facade), ImageInfo (the result value), and ImageFormat (the format enum). This page covers how they fit together as a contract, beyond the per-feature tour in Features and Functionalities.

The three-class contract

• ImageProbe — static, stateless. Every call is independent; there is nothing to configure or dispose.
• ImageInfo — sealed, immutable. All five properties (Format, Width, Height, BitDepth, FrameCount) are read-only once constructed.
• ImageFormat — an enum with one value per recognized format, plus Unknown.

using Aspose.Imaging.Foss;

var info = ImageProbe.ProbeFile("photo.jpg");
ImageFormat format = info.Format;   // always set
int? width = info.Width;            // set only when the format's header carries it

Constructing ImageInfo directly

ImageInfo’s constructor is public — only format is required, every other parameter defaults to null. This is useful for unit tests that need a stand-in result without probing a real file:

using Aspose.Imaging.Foss;

// Fake a PNG result for a test double, with no dimensions
var fakeInfo = new ImageInfo(ImageFormat.Png);

// Fake a fully-populated result
var fullInfo = new ImageInfo(ImageFormat.Gif, width: 64, height: 48, bitDepth: 8, frameCount: 3);

There is no corresponding way to mutate an ImageInfo after construction — every property is get-only, so a probed or constructed instance is safe to pass around and cache without defensive copying.

Choosing the right overload

ProbeFile opens and reads the file itself — there’s no need to open a FileStream first just to call Probe(stream).

Batch-probing a directory

Because ImageProbe never throws, a directory scan can call it in a tight loop with no per-file try/catch:

using Aspose.Imaging.Foss;

foreach (var path in Directory.GetFiles("incoming"))
{
    var info = ImageProbe.ProbeFile(path);

    if (info.Format == ImageFormat.Unknown)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"{path}: not a recognized image format, skipping");
        continue;
    }

    Console.WriteLine($"{path}: {info.Format} {info.Width}x{info.Height}");
}

Any file whose header doesn’t match one of the 11 recognized formats resolves to ImageFormat.Unknown rather than throwing — the loop above never needs a catch block.

The never-throws contract

This isn’t incidental behavior — it’s a deliberate part of the API contract. If a recognized format’s header is truncated or malformed partway through parsing, ImageProbe still returns an ImageInfo with Format set to the format it did recognize; it does not propagate a parse exception to the caller. Only Format is guaranteed — treat every other property as optional regardless of which format was detected.

Common Issues

FAQ

Can I subclass ImageInfo or ImageProbe?

No. ImageInfo is sealed and ImageProbe is static — neither is designed for subclassing or instantiation via inheritance.

Is ImageProbe thread-safe?

ImageProbe holds no mutable state between calls — each call to Probe, ProbeFile, or DetectFormat is independent, making concurrent calls from multiple threads safe.

Do I need to dispose of anything?

No. ImageProbe has no IDisposable resources of its own. If you pass a Stream you opened yourself, you remain responsible for disposing that stream — Probe(stream) does not close it.

API Reference Summary

See Also

• Aspose.Imaging — Enterprise Documentation