function _loadFile($filename)
    {
        if (file_exists($filename))
        {
            $info = getimagesize($filename);
            $filedata['width'] = $info[0];
            $filedata['height'] = $info[1];
            ($filedata['width'] >= $filedata['height']) ? ($filedata['bias'] = IMAGE_TOOLBOX_BIAS_HORIZONTAL) : ($filedata['bias'] = IMAGE_TOOLBOX_BIAS_VERTICAL);
            $filedata['aspectratio'] = $filedata['width'] / $filedata['height'];
            $filedata['type'] = $info[2];

            if ($this->_types[$filedata['type']]['supported'] < 1)
            {
                //trigger_error($this->_error_prefix . 'Imagetype ('.$this->_types[$filedata['type']]['ext'].') not supported for reading.', E_USER_ERROR);
                return null;
            }
            switch ($filedata['type'])
            {
                case 1:
                    $dummy = imagecreatefromgif($filename);
                    $functionname = $this->_imagecreatefunction;
                    $filedata['resource'] = $functionname($filedata['width'], $filedata['height']);
                    imagecopy($filedata['resource'], $dummy, 0, 0, 0, 0, $filedata['width'], $filedata['height']);
                    imagedestroy($dummy);
                    break;

                case 2:
                    $filedata['resource'] = imagecreatefromjpeg($filename);
                    break;

                case 3:
                    $dummy = imagecreatefrompng($filename);
                    if (imagecolorstotal($dummy) != 0)
                    {
                        $functionname = $this->_imagecreatefunction;
                        $filedata['resource'] = $functionname($filedata['width'], $filedata['height']);
                        imagecopy($filedata['resource'], $dummy, 0, 0, 0, 0, $filedata['width'], $filedata['height']);
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        $filedata['resource'] = $dummy;
                    }
                    unset($dummy);
                    break;

                default:
                    //trigger_error($this->_error_prefix . 'Imagetype not supported.', E_USER_ERROR);
                    return null;
            }
            return $filedata;
        }
        else
        {
            //trigger_error($this->_error_prefix . 'Imagefile (' . $filename . ') does not exist.', E_USER_ERROR);
            return null;
        }
    }