Is this so you don't have to distribute an .accdb and an image file?

You might be able to encode it as a string and set it via VBA instead.

You need external tools (and skills to use those tools) to "embed" icons inside .exe files that you didn't create yourself (Microsoft created msaccess.exe, not you).

Another way is to create the .exe yourself, such as with Visual Studio, which lets you set the application icon on the property sheet.

While I usually am against storing images inside the database, you might be able to store a BMP file in an OLE Object and then extract it once the database runs for the first time, and then use that as the icon. This is a "might be" though as I've never tried it.

Here's what GPT has to say:

Yes, it's possible to use an image in a Microsoft Access database as the database icon, but it requires a workaround since Access itself doesn't have a direct setting to dynamically set the database icon at runtime.

Here's how you can do it:

Option 1: Set a Custom Icon for the Database Manually
1. Use the Access Options: You can set a custom icon for your database through the Access Options:
   - Click on File > Options > Current Database.
   - Under Application Icon, click Browse to select the `.ico` file you want to use.
   - Check Use as Form and Report Icon if you want the icon to appear on all forms and reports.
   - This will require the image to be converted to an `.ico` file format beforehand.

Option 2: Extract and Use an Image Programmatically at Startup
If you want to dynamically use an image as the icon when the database starts, you can extract an image stored in the database and save it as an icon file (`.ico`) when the database opens. Here's a general approach to achieve this:

1. Store the Image in an OLE or Attachment Field:
   - Create a table that contains the image, either as an OLE Object or as an Attachment.

2. Extract the Image on Startup:
   - Use VBA to extract the image from the table and save it as an `.ico` file in a temporary directory.
   - The VBA code would look something like this:

Code

   Private Sub Form_Load()
       Dim rs As DAO.Recordset
       Dim imgPath As String
       Dim imgData As Variant

       ' Adjust table and field names accordingly
       Set rs = CurrentDb.OpenRecordset("SELECT [ImageField] FROM [IconTable] WHERE [ID] = 1")
      
       If Not rs.EOF Then
           imgData = rs!ImageField
           imgPath = Environ("Temp") & "\database_icon.ico"
           SaveBinaryToFile imgData, imgPath
          
           ' Set the application icon to the extracted image
           Application.SetOption "AppIcon", imgPath
       End If
      
       rs.Close
       Set rs = Nothing
   End Sub

   Private Sub SaveBinaryToFile(binData As Variant, filePath As String)
       Dim fileNum As Integer
       fileNum = FreeFile
       Open filePath For Binary Access Write As #fileNum
       Put #fileNum, , binData
       Close #fileNum
   End Sub
Copy

3. Set the Icon Property:
   - The code above sets the application icon dynamically using the `Application.SetOption` method.

Note: The `.ico` file format must be used for Access to accept it as an icon, so you may need to handle converting the image if it is in a different format (like `.bmp` or `.jpg`).

This approach provides flexibility, allowing you to change the icon based on conditions in your database or other preferences, but it does require some VBA scripting to implement.

Again, I have NOT tested this. Let me know if it works. Might make a cool video.

Hi again

I got runtime error '13'
Type mismatch

I made a table with icon.ico in it. I used the code but get this error when I run it. I don't know what's causing it, and it's something that can be fixed

//John

I also asked ChatGPT based on your image (I haven't tested this):

The "Type mismatch" error (Runtime error 13) in VBA usually occurs when there is an attempt to assign or manipulate a variable with a type that is incompatible with the operation being performed. In your case, the error might be caused by the binData variable's type, which is declared as Variant, but the Put statement might expect a different data type when writing to a binary file.

To fix this, ensure that binData contains valid binary data that can be written to a file. One potential issue could be that binData is being treated as a recordset field value (potentially Null or Empty), which causes the mismatch.

Here are a few things you can check or modify:

1. Verify that binData is not Null or empty:
Add a check to make sure binData contains actual binary data before calling SaveBinaryToFile.

Details

If Not IsNull(imgData) Then
    SaveBinaryToFile imgData, imgPath
Else
    MsgBox "No binary data found in the field."
End If
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2. Explicitly cast binData:
If binData is coming from a recordset field, it might need to be explicitly cast to a type that the Put statement can work with, such as Byte array. You can try casting it like this:

Details

Dim byteData() As Byte
byteData = imgData
SaveBinaryToFile byteData, imgPath
Copy

Then modify the SaveBinaryToFile procedure to accept a Byte array:

Details

Private Sub SaveBinaryToFile(binData() As Byte, filePath As String)
    Dim fileNum As Integer
    fileNum = FreeFile
    Open filePath For Binary Access Write As #fileNum
    Put #fileNum, , binData
    Close #fileNum
End Sub
Copy

now I get this error in imgData -

SaveBinaryToFile imgData, imgPath

Hi again again
This runs with no errors, but nothing happen. No icon.ico in the tempfolder or in Access.

How do I write in the foldable Detals like you guys do


      

What is imgData and where is it?

It's a ico file stored in the table IconTable

Your imgData will always be null because you haven't set it to anything yet

If Not IsNull(imgData) Then