title: VB.net - insert/retrieve picture from mysql Database directly to/from a Picturebox
body: <p>I'm am having a heck of a time finding a code snippet that works for this. I have got to the point where it appears the picture is stored as a blob (perhaps incorrectly) by using this code.</p>
  
  <pre class="lang-vb prettyprint-override"><code>Dim filename As String = txtName.Text + ".jpg"
  Dim FileSize As UInt32
  Dim ImageStream As System.IO.MemoryStream
  
  ImageStream = New System.IO.MemoryStream
  PbPicture.Image.Save(ImageStream, System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat.Jpeg)
  ReDim rawdata(CInt(ImageStream.Length - 1))
  ImageStream.Position = 0
  ImageStream.Read(rawdata, 0, CInt(ImageStream.Length))
  FileSize = ImageStream.Length
  
  Dim query As String = ("insert into actors (actor_pic, filename, filesize) VALUES    (?File, ?FileName, ?FileSize)")
  cmd = New MySqlCommand(query, conn)
  cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("?FileName", filename)
  cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("?FileSize", FileSize)
  cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("?File", rawData)
  
  cmd.ExecuteNonQuery()
  
  MessageBox.Show("File Inserted into database successfully!", _
  "Success!", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Asterisk)
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>but on retrieving to the picturebox using the following code:</p>
  
  <pre class="lang-vb prettyprint-override"><code>Private Sub GetPicture()
      'This retrieves the pictures from a mysql DB and buffers the rawdata into a memorystream 
  
      Dim FileSize As UInt32
      Dim rawData() As Byte
      Dim conn As New MySqlConnection(connStr)
  
      conn.Open()
      conn.ChangeDatabase("psdb")
  
      Dim cmd As New MySqlCommand("SELECT actor_pic, filesize, filename FROM actors WHERE actor_name = ?autoid", conn)
      Cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("?autoid", Actor1Box.Text)
  
      Reader = cmd.ExecuteReader
      Reader.Read()
  
      'data is in memory 
  
      FileSize = Reader.GetUInt32(Reader.GetOrdinal("filesize"))
      rawData = New Byte(FileSize) {}
  
      'get the bytes and filesize 
      Reader.GetBytes(Reader.GetOrdinal("actor_pic"), 0, rawData, 0, FileSize)
  
      Dim ad As New System.IO.MemoryStream(100000)
      ' Dim bm As New Bitmap
  
      ad.Write(rawData, 0, FileSize)
  
      Dim im As Image = Image.FromStream(ad) * "error occurs here" (see below)
      Actor1Pic.Image = im
  
      Reader.Close()
      conn.Close()
      conn.Dispose()
      ad.Dispose()
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I get the error "parameter not valid" in the area noted. FYI If anyone even has some better (working) code examples than this that I can plug in versus debugging this mess that would be great too.</p>