# Storing animated .gif images

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/storing-animated-gif-images/65321>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [August 17, 2006, 3:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/storing-animated-gif-images/65321 "2006-08-17T15:44:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pkspence](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@pkspence](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pkspence)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2006, 3:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/storing-animated-gif-images/65321/1 "2006-08-17T15:44:10Z")

</div>

The following code throws the error indicated in the code. Apparently  
this only appears to happen with animated gifs. Other image formats;  
jpg, etc., are ok. A VB version of this code, which also uses ADO, works  
w/o any problems.

require ‘win32ole’

ADTYPETEXT = 0  
ADTYPEBINARY = 1

ADSTATECLOSED = 0  
ADSTATEOPEN = 1  
ADSTATEEXECUTING = 4  
ADSTATEFETCHING = 8

ADOPENKEYSET = 1  
ADLOCKOPTIMISTIC = 3

begin

imageFile = “dj.gif” #-- this is an animated gif!

st = WIN32OLE.new(“adodb.stream”)  
st.Type = ADTYPEBINARY  
st.Open  
st.loadFromFile(imageFile)

puts(“Size of image file: #{st.size()} bytes”)

oCn = WIN32OLE.new(“adodb.connection”)  
oCn.open(“Provider=sqloledb;Data Source=(local);Initial  
Catalog=xxxxx;Integrated Security=SSPI;”)

oRs = WIN32OLE.new(“adodb.recordset”)  
oRs.open(“SELECT \* FROM xxxx”, oCn, ADOPENKEYSET, ADLOCKOPTIMISTIC)

oRs.addNew()

#-- store the name of the image file  
oRs.fields(“imageFile”).value = imageFile

#-- throws the following error when the next line is executed  
=begin  
OLE error code:80040E21 in Provider  
Multiple-step OLE DB operation generated errors. Check each OLE DB  
status value, if available. No work was done.  
HRESULT error code:0x80020009  
Exception occurred.  
=end  
oRs.fields(“imageBinary”).value = (st.read().to\_s())

oRs.update()

rescue Exception =\> ex

puts(“Exception: #{ex.message()}”)

ensure

#-- close and release recordset and database objects  
unless oRs.nil?  
unless oRs.state == ADSTATECLOSED  
oRs.close  
end  
oRs = nil  
end

unless oCn.nil?  
unless oCn.state == ADSTATECLOSED  
oCn.close  
end  
oCn = nil  
end

unless st.nil?  
st.close()  
end

end

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pkspence](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@pkspence](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pkspence)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/storing-animated-gif-images/65321/2 "2006-08-23T15:30:11Z")

</div>

Patrick S. wrote:

> The following code throws the error indicated in the code. Apparently  
> this only appears to happen with animated gifs. Other image formats;  
> jpg, etc., are ok. A VB version of this code, which also uses ADO, works  
> w/o any problems.

\<_big_ snip\>

I guess I’ve answered my own question… an animated gif file is  
actually _several_ layered images. No bloody wonder I was getting the  
aforementioned error when I attempted to store it in the SQL Server  
table. On the brighter side of things, I’ve stumbled across a way to  
store and retrieve other binary files; specifically .jpg’s, in a table,  
w/o resorting to using the ADODB.Stream object. If there’s any interest,  
I’ll post the code.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pkspence](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@pkspence](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pkspence)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/storing-animated-gif-images/65321/3 "2006-08-23T17:49:09Z")

</div>

Patrick S. wrote:

> I guess I’ve answered my own question… an animated gif file is  
> actually _several_ layered images. No bloody wonder I was getting the  
> aforementioned error when I attempted to store it in the SQL Server  
> table. On the brighter side of things, I’ve stumbled across a way to  
> store and retrieve other binary files; specifically .jpg’s, in a table,  
> w/o resorting to using the ADODB.Stream object. If there’s any interest,  
> I’ll post the code.

That’s not exactly correct. It’s still only 1 file, and you couldn’t  
split the file at several points and end up with whole images.

An animated gif is indeed several image pieces in a single file, but  
there’s no reason trying to store that file should break anything.  
There no ‘EOF’ markers or any crazy thing in the middle of the file.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pkspence](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@pkspence](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/pkspence)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 7:07pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/storing-animated-gif-images/65321/4 "2006-08-23T19:07:39Z")

</div>

William C. wrote:

> An animated gif is indeed several image pieces in a single file, but  
> there’s no reason trying to store that file should break anything.  
> There no ‘EOF’ markers or any crazy thing in the middle of the file.

Agreed. My assumption was just a stab in the dark because I could come  
up with no other explanation. Although I don’t have time to test it  
right now, my guess is that if the field were defined as a “binary”  
datatype, vs. an “image”, it would probably work okay.