How to View Images that are Stored as Attachments in Access 2010

The following excerpt didn't make it into the print version of Office 2010: The Missing Manual. This appendix gives instruction on how to show pictures from a table in a clear and concise manner.

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As you learned in Chapter 26, you can store a picture file as part of a record by using the Attachment data type. Forms handle attachments gracefully using the Attachment control. The Attachment control has one truly useful perk—it shows picture content directly on your form.

Here’s how it works. If your attachment field stores a picture, then that picture appears in the Attachment control box so you can admire it right on your form. This behavior is a great improvement over the datasheet, which forces you to open the picture file in another program to check it out. Even better, if the attachment field stores more than one picture, then you can use the arrows on the handy pop-up minibar to move from one image to the next, as shown in Figure E-6.



As you know, attachment fields can store any type of file. If you’re not storing a picture, then the Attachment control isn’t nearly as useful. All you see is an icon for the program that owns that file type. If your attachment field contains a Word document, then you see a Word icon. If it contains a text document, then you see a Notepad icon, and so on. If your attachment fields don’t include pictures, you may as well resize the box for the Attachment control so that it’s just large enough to display the file type icon. There’s no reason to make it any bigger, because the rest of the space will be wasted.