How to cater for multiple screen resolutions?

[mscertified]

I support an application that is used by many people who use monitors with
different resolutions. I develop using 800x600 because I find that most
comfortable but most users use 1024x768 or even higher. I just added some
command buttons containing icons and the users complained they can't see what
the icon is because it's too small. Is there any way to make forms resize so
that all elements on the form (e.g. icons and text) resize according to the
screen resolution. I need a solution that does not involve redesigning the
screens or any great amount of work on my part.

 

[Daniel]

you can find code that will resize your forms/font etc on the fly. I got a
sample from Access Developer's Handbook by Ken Getz. This said there are
limits to what can be achieved. It is still best to develop in the
resolution you app will be deployed in.

If you google a bit you should find sample code to do this.

 

[Al Campagna]

mscertified,
http://www.mvps.org/access/general/gen0002.htm
Or, do a Google Groups Access search on "form" "resize"
--
hth
Al Campagna . Candia Computer Consulting . Candia, NH USA
Microsoft Access MVP
http://home.comcast.net/~cccsolutions

"Find a job that you love, and you'll never work a day in your life."

 

[Rick Brandt]

I support an application that is used by many people who use monitors
with different resolutions. I develop using 800x600 because I find
that most comfortable but most users use 1024x768 or even higher. I
just added some command buttons containing icons and the users
complained they can't see what the icon is because it's too small. Is
there any way to make forms resize so that all elements on the form
(e.g. icons and text) resize according to the screen resolution. I
need a solution that does not involve redesigning the screens or any
great amount of work on my part.

Everything that is on a hi-res display is smaller (as a percentage of total
screen size) than it is on a lo-res display. This is normally compensated
by the fact that the hi-res display is physically larger so that the actual
visible size of components is pretty consistent.

That being the case anything that is not hard to see on your 800 by 600
display should not be hard to see on a display with a higher resolution.

Now, if your display's physical size is such that it would (in most cases)
be run at a higher resolution than 800 by 600 and you are running it at 800
by 600 so "you can see what the user sees" then you are fooling yourself.
You are not seeing what a user of a real 800 by 600 display will see because
their display will be smaller than yours. So what you think should be easy
to see will in fact not be to your users because your display is being
artificially run at a lower resolution than the monitor size dictates.

Bottom line is if users say you made an icon too small it's because you DID
make it too small. The proper solution is to make that icon bigger, not
stretch your form sizes.

 

[missinglinq via AccessMonster.com]

I, too, develop using 800x600 and have used this module from Jamie's software
a number of times without a problem. By the author's own admission, it works
best when the target PC has a higher resolution. It's written in access97 but
converts without problem to newer versions.

After all these years Micro$oft finally addressed the issue of the vexatious
mouse scrollwheel, wouldn't it be great if they would get around to solving
this problem, too?

http://jamiessoftware.tk/resizeform/rf_jump.html

 

[mscertified]

I am using the same size icon as the ones currently on the screen. The icons
that come with Picture Builder (I don't know where to get others). There
appear to be two basic sizes, small which fit on a button .25"x.25"and
slightly bigger which fit on a button .4"x.4". I have been playing around
with MS Paint today and have figured out how to create my own icons so I may
do that - though it's time-consuming and time is something I don't have much
of.

 

[mscertified]

This app is used by many people in many different resolutions.

 

[Rick Brandt]

I am using the same size icon as the ones currently on the screen.
The icons that come with Picture Builder (I don't know where to get
others). There appear to be two basic sizes, small which fit on a
button .25"x.25"and slightly bigger which fit on a button .4"x.4". I
have been playing around with MS Paint today and have figured out how
to create my own icons so I may do that - though it's time-consuming
and time is something I don't have much of.

If it is the case that you are using a "standard" icon size then they should
be seeing icons of that same size in lots of other Windows programs. For
them to single out YOUR icon as too small means that perhaps they really
need to get a stronger prescription for their vision correction or change
their display settings.

If your icon appars similar in size to the items in toolbars and menu bars
then I would leave it as it is.