[RESOLVED] Replacing form's picture at runtime

Hi,
I use a borderless form and a picture as the background. I'm thinking about adding an "options" area at the bottom of my form. With a click of the button I'd extend the form and show some controls (options). Another click of the same button and I shorten the form hiding the controls in the process.
But since I use a picture in the background I'm thinking I'd have to replace the picture at runtime along with extending/retracting the form itself. I don't want to load the picture from file any time I wan't to show the options.

All I can think of is having two image controls outside the form's boundaries and copying a curently needed picture to my form's background.

Is there a better way (more efficient or preffered) of doing that?

Why not just use a picture that is big enough to fill the form when it is extended (to show the options)?

Thanks for the replay,
It's a custom form picture with border all around so if I did that then I would loose the bottom border. That's the only problem.

Unless I could just move the image of the bottom few pixels and always keep it at the bottom but I have no idea how.....

if you still want to replace the form's picture at run time you can do that by setting

VB Code:

Form1.Picture = Form2.Image1.Picture

Or even you can have two image controls in the same form and use Visible = True and Visible = False accordingly for each image control based on the Option menu clicks

You don't need to load the picture again to resize it:

VB Code:

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    Me.Height = Me.Height * 1.2
End Sub
 
Private Sub Form_Load()
    Me.AutoRedraw = True
End Sub
 
Private Sub Form_Resize()
    Me.PaintPicture Me.Picture, 0, 0, Me.ScaleWidth, Me.ScaleHeight
End Sub

you could also use a resource file that has all of the pictures you need and just load them when you need them:

PictureBox1.Picture = LoadResPicture()

Good ideas. I wen't with one of my own.

I just use the longest image for form when it's extended. I also have an image control with just a bottom border that I keep where the edge of the shorter form would be. I show the image for short form and hide for fully extended board.

VB Code:

Private Const FORM_SHORT As Long = 4185
Private Const FORM_LONG  As Long = 6120
 
Private Sub Command1_Click()
  If Me.Height = FORM_SHORT Then
    imgBottom.Visible = False
    Me.Height = FORM_LONG
  Else
    Me.Height = FORM_SHORT
    imgBottom.Visible = True
  End If
End Sub