How to Retrieve File Thumbnails Using the Windows API in C#?

Retrieving File Thumbnails via the Windows API in C

Introduction

Accessing file thumbnails is a useful feature in modern applications. However, parsing and creating thumbnails manually is a tedious and impractical task. This article provides a solution for retrieving thumbnails using the Windows API through C#.

Question

How can we obtain the thumbnail image from any file on the system via the shell using C#?

Answer

The solution involves using the WindowsAPICodePack NuGet package. Here's the implementation:

// Install WindowsAPICodePack-Shell through NuGet
using Shell32;

// Instantiate a ShellFile object
ShellFile shellFile = ShellFile.FromFilePath(pathToYourFile);

// Retrieve the thumbnail as a Bitmap
Bitmap shellThumb = shellFile.Thumbnail.ExtraLargeBitmap;

Explanation

The WindowsAPICodePack package provides the ShellFile class, which allows you to interact with the shell. By specifying the file path, you can create a ShellFile object. The Thumbnail property provides access to various thumbnail sizes, with ExtraLargeBitmap representing the largest thumbnail available.

Considerations

• This solution works for files that Windows supports native thumbnails for, such as .DOC, .PDF, and .3DM.
• Custom shell extensions may provide additional thumbnail support for unsupported file formats.
• Ensure you use the correct thumbnail size for your application's requirements.

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