Picture property does not display picture on tab control.

First: If you're referring to the picture list you see when you click the Build button on the Picture property, then these aren't "builtin Access pictures", but instead the icon collection used by Office for toolbars, button images, etc ... even then, they're .ico images and can't be uses as a backgroup picture (and even if you could they're so small you couldn't see them).

As with other versions of Access, you must install the correct graphics filters in order for Access to use these images. This isn't a bug, as it's expected behavior and is documented in MSDN. In order to install the filters, you must do a repair/reinstall of Office (i.e. the Install Additional Features item in the install) and then select which graphics filters to use. Even then, if you are going to deploy this you must make sure that your endusers have the correct graphics filters installed else they won't see your images.

Finally: are you sure you need background images? They do look nice, but they can cause a lot of problems (as you see) and can bloat your database, and can cause more frequent corruption. Most business class applications have no need for images as backgrounds unless they are important to the understanding of the current operation (i.e. a complex operation that can be best explain via a picture). Adding images because they make the form "look" nice is, IMO, unnecessary - but that's just my opinion!

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear. I'm not using the "built-in" icon collection as backgrounds, but for the little tabs on the tab control.  For example, on the buttons on this web page, you have "Bookmark", "Printer Friendly", "Send to Friend", all with little icons next to the word.  I understand your concern for a professional looking application, but I think we are on the same page here.  I want these little icons on my tabs of the tab control.

I reproduced this bug on multiple copies of Access 2007 so I know there's something going on.  I can add the little icons ("pictures" is what Access calls them) onto button controls, but when I try to on the tab control, nothing happens - unless I go to the Current Database Options (Access Options) and select "Convert all picture data to bitmaps" but this is not default, gives poor quality, and the pictures that are built-in are not as good (dated).  Why would it work for command buttons but not tabs?

Ahh ... you need to add an Icon file (.ico) as the picture. There are plenty of conveters which can change your bitmaps to icons, or there are also lots of free Icon collections ... you can even use the ones in Office:

http://www.vbaccelerator.com/home/Resources/Graphics_Library/Icons/index.asp

I just tested it on my copy of 07 (SP1), and was able to add Icons to several Tabs, as well as a Command button.

For the record, I do agree with icons and such for Tabs, buttons, etc so long as they indicate what the control does. All too often we get questions here from people who want to add a 4mb image to every form and report because "it looks good" and they do so without thinking these things through ... that's obviously not the case here, so my apologies.

Also, the "pictures" you see are part of the Office collection and are maintained in a "media catalog" ... not sure what format they're in when the come out, although I'd bet bitmap ...

Help should be more clear on this, however ... the help file and MSDN indicate that you can use a Bitmap for this (and I suppose you could, if it were small enough).

Okay, but here is the "bug" was describing:

You have two options on how Access handles "pictures" (since we are referring to the property named "picture").

Option 1) "Preserve source image format" (this is the default and much better quality - I think .PNG but definately not .BMP)
Option 2) "Convert all picture data to bitmaps" (the ugly old way using bmp)

I want Option 1.  Both options work fine when inserting into a command button, but Option 1 does not work when inserting into a tab.  Again, I'm using the built-in "pictures" (icons) that come up when clicking the builder (...) button on the Picture property (you know, the old ones that had a wrench, toilet - which thank God they finally got rid of).

Thanks for the continued errort here,
Mike

It sounds like this is indeed a bug, at which there isn't a solution (we can only report it).  Both the command button and tab have the same property "picture".  Both the command button and tab allow you to set this property, however only one of them (the command button) actually displays the pitcture.  Why would both the tab and command button picture property work the same using Option 2) but the tab completely ignore any settings under Option 1) - which is the default, sounds like a definate "bug".

Especially since Access allows you to click the build (...), shows a list of images, and then upon clicking OK, "not" display that image.  Yet, it does this fine on another control (the command button).  And again, this is the default setting.

I think the only work-around would be to screenshot the image that I want, then use Photoshop to covert to a .bmp (I tried even the smallest of .ico and Access won't take it either).  But, the .bmp is converted to 16 colors (yes - 16).  Very ugly - even for a tiny icon.

Summary: Tab control, unlike other controls like the command button, only supports .bmp and 16 color images for picture property, and passively ignores any inserting of a picture (no message box warning, etc.).  Hope they can fix this soon.

Thanks LSM!

I have run into the same issue and .ico files are not accepted.  Only bmp files work and that to under Option 2 and not option 1.  Anyone who has a suggestion to make it work differently?
I believe this is definitely a bug!

Hi Jake45,

You've posted in a question that is closed, and only two people - myself and the Author - are aware of this posting. EE is a little different than many online forums in that once a question is closed, it's not really exposed to many people.

Since you've got some points, you can post a new question about this, and see if anyone else has come up with a different solution. You can use the "ask a related question" link to do this (it's immediately above the box where you type a new comment), and your question will be exposed to many new and different Experts.

Scott

Thanks for your guidance!