PRB: Clipboard.SetData Gives Invalid Format Message with Icon

ID: Q78073

The information in this article applies to:

Standard and Professional Editions of Microsoft Visual Basic for Windows, versions 2.0 and 3.0
Microsoft Visual Basic programming system for Windows, version 1.0

SYMPTOMS

If you use the Visual Basic LoadPicture function to load an icon file (.ICO) into a picture control, and then attempt to copy that picture control's picture to the Clipboard by using the SetData method, the following error message is displayed regardless of the format specified in SetData method:

Invalid Clipboard Format

This error also occurs if you attempt to load an icon file directly onto the Clipboard by using this code:


   ClipBoard.SetData LoadPicture("c:\vb\icons\arrows\arw01rt.ico")

CAUSE

The Microsoft Windows Clipboard in Windows has no CF_ICON format, so the Clipboard cannot be assigned Icons.

STATUS

This behavior is by design in Microsoft Windows Clipboard.

WORKAROUND

To work around the problem, set the picture control's Autoredraw property to True (-1) and use the Picture control's Image property in the SetData method rather than the Picture control's picture property.

'*** This code will fail with the error "Invalid Clipboard Format" ***


Picture1.Picture = LoadPicture("c:\vb\icons\arrows\arw01rt.ico")
Clipboard.SetData Picture1.Picture, 2

'*** This code will avoid the error ***


Picture1.Autoredraw = -1
Picture1.Picture = LoadPicture("c:\vb\icons\arrows\arw01rt.ico")
Clipboard.SetData Picture1.Image, 2

'*** This code will also work ***


Picture1.Picture = LoadPicture("c:\vb\icons\arrows\arw01rt.ico")
Picture1.Picture = Picture1.Image
Clipboard.SetData Picture1.Picture, 2

Additional query words: 2.00 3.00

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