VB & VBA in a Nutshell: The Language

LoadResPicture Function

Syntax

LoadResPicture(resID, resType)

resID

Use: Required

Data Type: Variant

A numeric or string value specifying the resource ID of the picture to load.

resType

Use: Required

Data Type: Variant

A numeric constant denoting the format of the picture to load. See the following table for valid constants and values:

Constant	Value	Description
vbResBitmap	0	Bitmap resource
vbResIcon	1	Icon resource
vbResCursor	2	Cursor resource

Return Value

An IPictureDisp interface.

Description

Assigns a graphic from a resource file (.RES ) to the Picture property of a form or control.

Rules at a Glance

• The images to be loaded by LoadResPicture must be included in a resource (.RES ) file. Each must be assigned a unique identifier, which is typically represented by a numeric constant.

• The file loaded by LoadResPicture can be a Windows bitmap file (.BMP or .RLE), an icon file (.ICO), or a cursor file (.CUR ).

• The image returned by the LoadResPicture function can be assigned to any form or control property that expects an StdPicture object. These include the Picture property of a PictureBox or an Image control, the Icon property of a Form object, or the MouseIcon property of a form.

Programming Tips and Gotchas

• LoadResPicture is part of the VB Runtime Library and, as such, isn't available in VBA applications.

• Visual Basic 6 includes an add-in Resource Editor; see the previous sidebar for more information.

• Using graphics from a .RES file speeds up the loading of a form.