ACC2000: Device Independent Bitmaps (DIBs) Not Visible in Microsoft Access (262437)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Access 2000, when used with:
    • the operating system: Microsoft Windows 2000
This article was previously published under Q262437
Novice: Requires knowledge of the user interface on single-user computers.

This article applies to a Microsoft Access database (.mdb) and to a Microsoft Access project (.adp).

SYMPTOMS

When you insert a device-independent bitmap (DIB) into an OLE object field in Microsoft Access, the bitmap is not displayed.

CAUSE

You are using Microsoft Access on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows 2000. When Access is used on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows 2000, Access loses the OLE information necessary to render the object as a device-independent bitmap (DIB).

RESOLUTION

For a resolution to this problem, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

304575 Cannot View Bitmap in Access Form on Windows 2000-Based Computer

To work around this problem, use an image control instead of an OLE object frame control on a form to store the image. The image control uses a graphics filter to render the image and does not have to use OLE.

For additional information about using an image control to display an image, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

210100 ACC2000: How to Display an Image from a Folder in a Form

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in Microsoft Access.

MORE INFORMATION

Because Microsoft Access cannot display a bitmap image natively, Access must rely on an OLE Server application, such as Microsoft Paint, to render the image. The OLE server is responsible for displaying the image when it is activated from the client application. However, this means the client application has to communicate with the server application through OLE.

Device-independent bitmaps (DIBs) are bitmaps that contain an embedded color table used to describe how pixel values in the bitmap correspond to RGB color values. It is an image that can be displayed without requiring an OLE server application. Therefore, it is useful to insert DIBs into Access when you want to avoid the overhead of having an OLE server application render the image. You can insert DIBs into Access in two ways:
  • By converting an existing OLE object to a DIB. You can do this by right-clicking the image, pointing to Bitmap Image Object, and then clicking Convert on the shortcut menu.
  • By using the Paste Special command on the Edit menu. This offers you the option of pasting an OLE object from the clipboard as a DIB.

Steps to Reproduce the Behavior

  1. On a computer that is running Microsoft Windows 2000, start Microsoft Access.
  2. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.
  3. Open the Employees form in Form view.
  4. Click the OLE object control that contains the employee photo.
  5. On the Edit menu, point to Bitmap Image Object, and then click Convert.
  6. Click Picture (Device Independent Bitmap), and then click OK.
  7. Move to another record, and then back to the first record.Note that the image in the OLE object frame control is no longer displayed.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:6/25/2004
Keywords:kbbug KB262437
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