Create ImageBox in Microsoft Word document and insert image with Visual Basic

Question

I'm working on a project in VB which has to do with document processing in Microsoft Word. I have difficulty on creating an ImageBox with certain size in a the document. Does anybody have an idea on how to do this? Can it even be done? The goal is to create the ImageBox and then insert an image to this box. The image must stretch and get the size of the ImageBox.

What I've done until now is this:

(...)  
Dim NewSize As Size
NewSize = New Size(Width, Height)
ResizedImage = New Bitmap(ImageToInsert, NewSize)
(...)
WordDocument.AddPicture(DirectoryAddress & "\ResizedImage." & ImageExtension)

Though, what this code does, is to insert an image with specified size in the Word document. What I want is, the image to stretch and get the size of the ImageBox that will have been created. I hope I was clear enough.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Thanks to @CindyMeister and @macropod I managed to create what I needed. So here is the answer:

Dim rng As Word.Range
(...)
rng = para.Range
(...)

Dim img As Image = Image.FromFile(imagePath)
Dim objtable as Word.Table

'In my case I needed a temporary paragraph to be added for my project and later delete it. If you don't need it, just don't declare it.

Dim tempTablePara As Word.Paragraph = WordDoc.Content.Paragraphs.Add() 'Previously declared WordDoc as Word.Document
objtable = WordDoc.Tables.Add(rng, 1, 1)
objtable.Cell(1, 1).Width = img.Width * 0.75 'width is in pixels, convert to points
objtable.Cell(1, 1).Height = img.Height* 0.75 'height is in pixels, convert to points
objtable.Cell(1, 1).HeightRule = Word.WdRowHeightRule.wdRowHeightExactly ' Done so as the cell to get the same size with the picture

Dim objShapes = objtable.Range.InlineShapes

rng = tempTablePara.Range
tempTablePara.Range.Delete()

objShapes.AddPicture(imagePath)

'add cell borders

With objtable.Rows(1).Cells.Borders
.InsideLineStyle = Word.WdLineStyle.wdLineStyleSingle
.OutsideLineStyle = Word.WdLineStyle.wdLineStyleSingle
End With

Extra. What I was looking for, was to insert an image to an already designed frame in a word document. So for me the pre-designed frame was a one cell table. If you just want to add a frame around a picture then the following code should work just fine.

Dim shape
(...)

shape = WordDoc.InlineShapes.AddPicture(imagePath, Type.Missing, Type.Missing, rng)
rng = shape.Range
Dim objshape As Word.InlineShape
objshape = shape
objshape.Borders.OutsideLineStyle = Word.WdLineStyle.wdLineStyleSingleWavy
objshape.Borders.OutsideColor = Word.WdColor.wdColorBlack
rng.Collapse(Word.WdCollapseDirection.wdCollapseEnd)

Answer 2

Well, if you were to look at the properties of the table you're creating, you would see that you have not created a table with a fixed height and width. To do that, you could use something like:

NewTable = WordDoc.Tables.Add(para.Range, 1, 1, 0, 0)
NewTable.Cell(1,1).Width(500)
NewTable.Cell(1,1).Height(389)
NewTable.Cell(1, 1).HeightRule(2)

or, in VBA:

Set NewTable = WordDoc.Tables.Add(para.Range, 1, 1, 0, 0)
NewTable.Cell(1,1).Width = 500
NewTable.Cell(1,1).Height = 389
NewTable.Cell(1, 1).HeightRule = 2