Loading Various Image Types into Image Controls

[Lauren Quantrell]

Is there any speed difference or advantage to loading different types
of images from a folder residing on a client machine into an Access
Image Control on a form?

For example, if I have a folder of .JPGs and a folder of .BMPs each
with the same images (stored in the two different formats) will the
Image Control load faster with a JPG or a BMP or does it not make a
difference?

Thaks,
lq

[Stephen Lebans]

Assuming the Bitmap files are stored uncompressed, then the compressed JPG
files will always take longer to load. If the Images are stored on a
network drive then you will have to test to determine whether network speed
or local decoding will have the largest impact on displaying the images.

--

HTH
Stephen Lebans
http://www.lebans.com
Access Code, Tips and Tricks
Please respond only to the newsgroups so everyone can benefit.
"Lauren Quantrell" <la*************@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:11**********************@g47g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...

Is there any speed difference or advantage to loading different types
of images from a folder residing on a client machine into an Access
Image Control on a form?

For example, if I have a folder of .JPGs and a folder of .BMPs each
with the same images (stored in the two different formats) will the
Image Control load faster with a JPG or a BMP or does it not make a
difference?

Thaks,
lq

[David W. Fenton]

"Lauren Quantrell" <la*************@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:11**********************@g47g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com:

For example, if I have a folder of .JPGs and a folder of .BMPs
each with the same images (stored in the two different formats)
will the Image Control load faster with a JPG or a BMP or does it
not make a difference?

Well, since a JPG is going to be converted to a bitmap before being
displayed (Access can't deal with anything but bitmaps -- if it's
displaying a JPG or GIF, it's because behind the scenes the source
file has been opened and converted to a bitmap for display), I'd say
it would surely be faster to store the bitmaps.

That said, bitmaps are not of much use outside Access, and take up
an awful lot of space. One of my clients' applications displays
pictures that they've created for their website and for sending to
clients. In that case, displaying the pictures in Access is a
secondary purpose, so it's no real issue that they are being
converted, as storing them for Access efficiency would subvert the
primary use for the graphics.

So, if the primary purpose for these graphics is for Access display,
then store tham as bitmaps. If the primary purpose is outside Access
and you're just using Access to display graphics created for other
purposes, then keep them in the original format.

In any event, the conversion lag is small enough to not matter.

--
David W. Fenton http://www.bway.net/~dfenton
dfenton at bway dot net http://www.bway.net/~dfassoc