ACC: How to Determine the Current Screen Resolution (1.x/2.0)

• Microsoft Access versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0

SUMMARY

Advanced: Requires expert coding, interoperability, and multiuser skills.

This article describes a sample user-defined Access Basic function that you can use to determine the current screen resolution. This function is useful in determining if you are running in standard VGA mode (640 x 480) or Super VGA mode (800 x 600 or 1024 x 768).

This article assumes that you are familiar with Access Basic and with creating Microsoft Access applications using the programming tools provided with Microsoft Access. For more information on Access Basic, please refer to the "Introduction to Programming" manual in Microsoft Access version 1.x, or the "Building Applications" manual in version 2.0.

MORE INFORMATION

The example below demonstrates how to create and use the sample GetScreenResolution() function.

Notes:

• You may have some Microsoft Windows API functions defined in an existing Microsoft Access library; therefore, your declarations may be duplicates. If you receive a duplicate procedure name error message, remove or comment out the declarations statement in your code.
• In the following sample code, an underscore (_) is used as a line- continuation character. Remove the underscores when re-creating this code in Access Basic.
• In Microsoft Access version 2.0, you can create code in a form module. Code in a form module is restricted to that form. The Type statement used in this example must be global. You can use this code in a form's module if the Type statement is in the Declarations section of a global Access Basic module. For more information about the Type statement, search for "type" then "Type Statement" using the Microsoft Access Help menu.

1. Create a new module, and type the following Declarations and function:

         '
         *****************************************************************
         ' DECLARATIONS SECTION
   

         Option Explicit
   

         Type RECT
             x1 As Integer
             y1 As Integer
             x2 As Integer
             y2 As Integer
         End Type
   
         Declare Function GetDesktopWindow Lib "User" () As Integer
         Declare Function GetWindowRect Lib "User" _
            (ByVal hWnd As Integer, rectangle As RECT) As Integer
   
         '
         *****************************************************************
         ' FUNCTION: GetScreenResolution()
         '
         ' PURPOSE:
         '   To determine the current screen size or resolution.
         '
         ' RETURN:
         '   The current screen resolution. Typically one of the following:
         '      640 x 480
         '      800 x 600
         '      1024 x 768
         '
         *****************************************************************
         Function GetScreenResolution () as String
             Dim R As RECT
             Dim hWnd As Integer
             Dim RetVal As Integer
             hWnd = GetDesktopWindow()
             RetVal = GetWindowRect(hWnd, R)
             GetScreenResolution = (R.x2 - R.x1) & "x" & (R.y2 - R.y1)
         End Function
   
   

2. From the View menu, choose Immediate Window.

3. Type the following line in the Immediate window, and then press ENTER:

         ? GetScreenResolution()
   

   640x480

REFERENCES

For an example of how to determine the current screen resolution in Microsoft Access 95 and 97, please see the following article here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: