Displaying Icons in forms

[dnesci]

I'm storing links to Excel, Word and other documents in a table. I then allow the user to open the documents by double clicking the link on a continuous form. I would like to display the exe icon of the program that drives the document such as excel or word. Does anyone know of how to do this in a continuous form or a sub form and what is the easiest way to retrieve these icons.

Thanks

 

[Galaxiom]

The icons can be extracted from the executable using Resource Extractor.
http://www.demosten.com/resextr/

 

[dnesci]

The icons can be extracted from the executable using Resource Extractor.

Thanks, I'll check it out. Any ideas on displaying the icons in place of the link path?

 

[Galaxiom]

Any ideas on displaying the icons in place of the link path?

Convert the icons to bitmaps and put them in a table against a field holding the extension that applies to the executable. (Use a related table for this field if multiple file types are to be included for a single icon).

Icons can be converted using GIMP or a program like IcoFx.

Include the image field in the recordsource query with a join on the extension of the filename. (This can be done in SQL view.) Use the image field as the control source of an image control.

Create a Double Click event on the image control and use the Excel and Word automation features in Access to open the file listed in the filename field. Alternatively these and other types of documents can be opened with a ShellExecute API command.

Otherwise it might be possible to store a shortcut in an attachment field. I have never tried it.