Rotate Images on Form at Different Time Intervals

[MNNovice]

I would like to display 3 different images on my form fMenu. I created three different images and placed them on the same spot of fMenu. Now I added this code but it is not working. What am I doing wrong? How do I fix it? Any help will be much appreciated.

Private Sub Form_Activate()
'When the database is opened rotate 3 different images.
 
 
    If Time() < 0.5 Then
        [Image1].Visible = False
        [Image2].Visible = False
        [Image3].Visible = True
 
    ElseIf Time() > 0.5 And Time() < 0.75 Then
        [Image1].Visible = False
        [Image2].Visible = True
        [Image3].Visible = False
 
    ElseIf Time() > 0.75 Then
        [Image1].Visible = True
        [Image2].Visible = False
        [Image3].Visible = False
    End If
 
End Sub
 

I used similar codes to display 3 different welcome message on a different DB and that works just fine.

Thanks for your help.

M

[MMcCarthy]

i think your problem may lie in the fact that the images are unbound. Firstly I should point out that you should ALWAYS use the Me or Forms!Formname reference when referring to a control on a form.

[Image1].Visible = False

should be

Me.Image1.Visible = False

Instead of using three different image controls you could just use the one and use a simple function like this instead.

Public Function DisplayImage(ctlImageControl As Control, strImagePath As Variant)
Dim strDatabasePath As String
Dim intSlashLocation As Integer
 
    With ctlImageControl
        .Visible = True
        .Picture = strImagePath
    End With
 
End Function

Now if you change your code as follows:

Private Sub Form_Activate() 
'When the database is opened rotate 3 different images. 
 
    If Time() < 0.5 Then 
        DisplayImage Image1, "Path to Picture1"
    ElseIf Time() > 0.5 And Time() < 0.75 Then 
        DisplayImage Image1, "Path to Picture2"  
    ElseIf Time() > 0.75 Then 
        DisplayImage Image1, "Path to Picture3"
    End If 
 
End Sub

This should rotate the images as you want them. Please note I only used one image control and just rotated the picture.

[NeoPa]

Safer hands you couldn't find for an imaging question MH. This is the member who answered my first really tricky question on Bytes (TheScripts as it was then) over 3.5 years ago.

[MNNovice]

@msquared
Thanks for your suggestions and for the codes. Here are my questions:

1. When I tried to execute I got this error message: "Ambiguous Name Detected: DisplayImage" on line #5

2. You said I should have one image control instead of 3. So do I name this image control as Image1?
3. What do these Picture1 , 2 and 3 refer to? Are these 3 different pictures that will be rotated with time?

4. Where will I have these pictures saved then? I prefer it to be outside of the DB.

Thanks for your time to help me out with this. MNNovice

[MNNovice]

@NeoPa
NeoPa,

Thanks for keeping an eye on my questions. Thanks.

[MMcCarthy]

@MNNovice
1. Where did you put the code for the DisplayImage function I gave you?

2. Yes for the purposes of this code I named the image control Image1

3. The answer is yes and to cover your question 4 as well. You save the three pictures in a folder anywhere you like that can be accessed by the user. So for example if I create a folder directly on the C drive called MyImages and save the three pictures in there. We'll say the first picture file is called mypicture.jpg so the code to display that image would be

DisplayImage Image1, "C:\MyImages\mypicture.jpg"

[MNNovice]

@msquared
1. I created a new Module (Module2), that's where I added the codes mentioned above. i.e., Public Function DisplayImage. AND
I added the other code, i.e., Private Sub Form... as On Active Event procedure for the form.

Thanks.

[MMcCarthy]

@MNNovice
That should have worked. Have you by any chance got another control or object that also has the name DisplayImage?

[MNNovice]

@msquared
Yes, I do. Now I know why it was ambiguous. Well here is the code I have in Module 1. I used it to include picture of DVD cover for each DVD record.

I just don't know how to combine yours with this one. Can you please help?

Option Compare Database
Option Explicit
 
Dim strResult As String
Dim strDatabasePath As String
Dim intSlashLocation As Integer
Public Function DisplayImage(ctlImageControl As Control, strImagePath As Variant) As String
On Error GoTo Err_DisplayImage
 
 
With ctlImageControl
    If IsNull(strImagePath) Then
        .Visible = False
        strResult = "No image Available"
    Else
        If InStr(1, strImagePath, "\") = 0 Then
            ' Path is relative
            strDatabasePath = CurrentProject.FullName
            intSlashLocation = InStrRev(strDatabasePath, "\", Len(strDatabasePath))
            strDatabasePath = Left(strDatabasePath, intSlashLocation)
            strImagePath = strDatabasePath & strImagePath
        End If
        .Visible = True
        .Picture = strImagePath
        strResult = ""
    End If
End With
 
Exit_DisplayImage:
    DisplayImage = strResult
    Exit Function
 
Err_DisplayImage:
    Select Case Err.Number
        Case 2220       ' Can't find the picture.
            ctlImageControl.Visible = False
            strResult = "Can't find image in the specified name."
            Resume Exit_DisplayImage:
        Case Else       ' Some other error.
            MsgBox Err.Number & " " & Err.Description
            strResult = "An error occurred displaying image."
            Resume Exit_DisplayImage:
    End Select
End Function

[MMcCarthy]

Don't combine them. Add my function to the same module but change the name from DisplayImage to ShowImage.

Public Function ShowImage(ctlImageControl As Control, strImagePath As Variant) 
Dim strDatabasePath As String 
Dim intSlashLocation As Integer 
 
    With ctlImageControl 
        .Visible = True 
        .Picture = strImagePath 
    End With 
 
End Function 

And then change the code in your form event from DisplayImage to ShowImage.

    If Time() < 0.5 Then  
        ShowImage Image1, "Path to Picture1" 
    ElseIf Time() > 0.5 And Time() < 0.75 Then  
        ShowImage Image1, "Path to Picture2"   
    ElseIf Time() > 0.75 Then  
        ShowImage Image1, "Path to Picture3" 
    End If  

[MNNovice]

@msquared
Wallah!!! It's working great. Thank you so much.

Last question. How the codes will change if I were to choose pictures to change every 10 minutes or so instead of one for morning, one for the afternoon and one for the evening?

Many thanks for your time and effort in teaching me this new trick. Regards.

[MMcCarthy]

@MNNovice
No problem. To change the interval the only thing you should need to change is the interval times on your if statements.

[MNNovice]

@msquared
I was having problem with that very issue that you mentioned. How do I change the time from 24-hour setting to minutes? I mean right now the code is set for before 12pm, after 12pm and before 6pm, and after 6 pm. If I were to change it to minutes - how do I write the code to reflect a 10 minutes interval? Do I also have to change Time() to Minute(Time())? Can you give me some tips?

Thanks.

[NeoPa]

You'll probably find it easier to work with time values (literals) if you do it in the Date/Time format (#06:00# for instance, which is numerically equaivalent to 0.25).

If you change Mary's code to say :

Private Sub Form_Activate()
'When the database is opened rotate 3 different images.
 
    If Time() < #12:00# Then
        DisplayImage Image1, "Path to Picture1"
    ElseIf Time() < #18:00# Then
        DisplayImage Image1, "Path to Picture2"
    Else
        DisplayImage Image1, "Path to Picture3"
    End If
 
End Sub

I think you'll find that easier to work with :)

[MMcCarthy]

@MNNovice
To do what you want you will need to look at the forms On Timer event.

If you check out the event list for the form you will see an event near the bottom called On Timer. Underneath it is something called timer interval which defaults to 0. This is set in milliseconds so 10000 would be 10 seconds.

Now if you set the timer interval and add code to the On timer event then the code will execute every time this interval is reached.

Now this is fine if we just want to do a specific action requery a form every 10 seconds. However, what we are looking to do here is to rotate between three files every interval so let me think on the logic and I'll get back to you.

Mary

[MMcCarthy]

OK I've tested this out and it seems to work fine.

Fistly you will have to declare an integer variable outside of the forms events so it can remember its value. I've used i as the variable name and declared it just under Option Explicit. The variable needs to be initialised as soon as the form is opened so I've added a statement to the forms load event to initialise it to 1. Now in the forms On Timer Event I added a select case statement to rotate through 3 pictures. If there is anything you don't understand let me know.

Don't forget to set the time interval in the properties events list to whatever interval you want to use. e.g. 3000 for 3 seconds

Option Compare Database
Option Explicit
 
Dim i As Integer
 
 
Private Sub Form_Load()
 
    i = 1
 
End Sub
 
 
Private Sub Form_Timer()
'When the database is opened rotate 3 different images.
Dim path As String
 
    path = "C:\Documents\"
 
    Select Case i
    Case 1
        ShowImage Me.Image1, path & "MyPicture1.jpg"
    Case 2
        ShowImage Me.Image1, path & "MyPicture2.jpg"
    Case 3
        ShowImage Me.Image1, path & "MyPicture3.jpg"
    End Select
 
    If i = 3 Then
        i = 1
    Else
        i = i + 1
    End If
 
End Sub

[MNNovice]

@msquared
Many thanks for your help. But I added too many pics (26 for now). So my husband helped me modify these codes to make it more efficient. Thought you would like to know how we did it. Here it is:

Private Sub Form_Timer()
'When the database is opened rotate 3 different images.
 
Static i As Integer
Dim path As String
Dim path1 As String
Dim iString As String
 
 
 
    path = "C:\HRS_DATABASE\MenuPics\C-"
    path1 = ".jpg"
 
   If i = 26 Then
        i = 1
    Else
        i = i + 1
    End If
 
  iString = i
 
    Select Case i
 
    Case i
        ShowImage Me.Image1, path & iString & path1
 
    End Select
 
 
End Sub
 

I have two questions.

1. How can I make the first pic to show at 0 second and not wait for the set time interval. Right now the first picture takes 3 seconds to display?

2. How do we add an error comment to this code?

Thanks.

[MMcCarthy]

@MNNovice
I take it all your pictures have been renamed C1.jpg to C26.jpg :D

[MNNovice]

@msquared
My pics are named C-1.jpg, C-2.jpg ... C-26.jpg.

You didn't answer my questions. How can I make the first pic to display without waiting 3 seconds?

Thanks.

[NeoPa]

You need to set that when the form opens M, or just design it into the form if it is always the same picture.

In such situations where the same code is run from multiple places, it's always a good idea to encapsulate the logic into a single procedure then call that procedure from all the places it needs to work from, rather than duplicating the same logic in different places. That's never good.

[MMcCarthy]

@MNNovice
Sorry I didn't see the questions at the bottom :)

As NeoPa says, if you put an image in the box in the forms open or load event that will populate immediately. The On Timer event doesn't trigger until the first interval has passed. When running this on test I started with an image in the control.

To add an error comment you just add ...

Private Sub Form_Timer() 
' on any error go to Err_Form_Timer
On Error GoTo Err_Form_Timer  
Static i As Integer 
Dim path As String 
Dim path1 As String 
Dim iString As String 
 
 
 
    path = "C:\HRS_DATABASE\MenuPics\C-" 
    path1 = ".jpg" 
 
   If i = 26 Then 
        i = 1 
    Else 
        i = i + 1 
    End If 
 
  iString = i 
 
    Select Case i 
 
    Case i 
        ShowImage Me.Image1, path & iString & path1 
 
    End Select 
 
Exit_Form_Timer: 
 
    Exit Sub   
 
Err_Form_Timer: 
 
    MsgBox Err.Number & " " & Err.Description 
    Resume Exit_Form_Timer: 
 
End Sub 

Mary

[NeoPa]

An interesting alternative which saves the requirement to duplicate the code (but does involve the interval being hidden in the code and less obvious for project review) would be to set the timer interval to 1 in the design, then change that in the timer code itself. That way the first occurrence happens (to all intents and purposes) immediately, but all subsequent occurrences wait the requisite interval before triggering.

[MMcCarthy]

Hi MN

The only thing showing in your post is my quoted thread

Mary

[MNNovice]

@msquared
Sorry, I just wanted to let you know that everything worked out fine. Many thanks for your help. Until my next question... MNNovice

[MMcCarthy]

@MNNovice
No problem, glad you got it working. I deleted that post as it didn't make sense :)