ACC: How to Use Graphic Images As Wallpaper for Forms

ID: Q103428

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

Novice: Requires knowledge of the user interface on single-user computers.

You can use graphic images as "wallpaper," or background, for your forms to make them more attractive.

NOTE: In Microsoft Access for Windows 95 version 7.0 or Microsoft Access 97, you can set the form's Picture property to any .bmp, .dib, or .wmf file type and set a watermark for the background of a form. To do so, give the complete path in the Picture property, for example, c:\windows\clouds.bmp.


MORE INFORMATION

The following example demonstrates how to add wallpaper to a form:

  1. Start the Microsoft Windows Paintbrush program (or any graphics program of your choice) and open the WINLOGO.BMP bitmap file (or any bitmap file of your choice).


  2. Select the graphics image. If you are using Paintbrush, choose the Pick tool (a pair of open scissors below a dotted rectangle) from the toolbox. Select the bitmap image by using the mouse to place the crosshairs in the upper-left corner of the bitmap, and then click and hold down the left mouse button and drag the rectangle to the lower- right corner to encompass the entire image.


  3. From the Edit menu, choose Copy. This places a copy of the bitmap image on the Windows Clipboard.


  4. Start Microsoft Access, and open the sample database NWIND.MDB.


  5. Open the Customers form in Design view. Select the form by clicking the small, white box in the upper-left corner of the form.


  6. From the Edit menu, choose Paste. This pastes the bitmap image to an object frame control on the form.

    Note that the graphic image does not cover the entire form, but only the upper-left corner of it. This is because this particular graphic image is too small for the form. To cover the entire form, either use a larger graphic image, or use a different graphics program to alter the graphic's size.


  7. From the Layout menu, choose Send To Back. This puts the graphic image in the background.

    NOTE: In version 2.0, Send to Back is on the Format menu.


  8. On this form, the BackStyle property for all the label controls is set to Clear. In order to make the labels more readable against the new background, change the labels' BackStyle properties to Normal. You can also change the BackColor properties, using the Color Palette.



REFERENCES

"Inside Microsoft Access," April 1993, Vol. 1, No. 2, pages 1-5

Additional query words: 


Keywords          : kbusage GnlApp 
Version           : WINDOWS:1.0,1.1,2.0
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: July 15, 1999