We have a PDA database that is syncing with an Access database on the
desktop. In the PDA database, users are writing with digital ink on
top of a pre-drawn background image. Imagine a pre-drawn picture of a
car, on which users draw to indicate damaged areas of the car. The way
the (Syware Visual CE) database works, only the user's digital ink is
passed to the Access database -- not the background image. Both
graphics are basically black & white line drawings. We want to create
an Access Report that shows both images -- the background image and
the user's ink -- together, the way they appeared on the PDA.

Our plans in to keep the pre-drawn background image as an embedded
object in a table in the Access database and program the Report to
take the background image from that table and superimpose it on the
digital ink graphic associated with a given record.

What we don't know is how to program the report to have both graphics
-- the background image and the user's digital ink -- appear in the
same place in the report. We understand that we'll probably have to
have the graphic being superimposed be in the form of black and
transparent, rather than black and white.

Does anyone have any experience with this, and/or have any suggestions
with how it can be accomplished?

Thanks,
-Scott

SMcK wrote:

I created a report with 2 fields. I then copied the two fields in the
detail band. I then moved the second copied field on top of the first
copied field...then ran the report. So on the first line I see the 2
separate fields and on the second line I see the first and second fields
occupying the same space and both fields are printed in the same location.

Will that work?

Diving
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYCA_4CIMTs

Salad wrote:
the background (see command to do that on the menu list of commands).

Unless you are using Access 2007 you probably do not want to store the
image in the database. Older versions of Access don't handle that well.
Instead store it in a file and load it at run time. I do this and it
works pretty well. the biggest problem in my case is the resolution
level of the user's screen.

Bob

On Feb 11, 3:11*pm, Bob Alston <bobalst... (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote:
Bob, are you referring to the predrawn images or the user's digital
ink? As for the user's drawings, we're stuck keeping those in the
database, that's where they're recordied on the PDA and they come
across to the Access database on the desktop when the PDA syncs. We
also collect the images at a server when they upload the entire
database.

As for the predrawn images, I suppose we could keep those outside the
database. My main reason for wanting to keep them in the database is
for convenience when we supply the database to users -- they would
just need to DL the database, not the database plus external files and
then put the external files where the DB can find them.

-Scott

On Feb 11, 1:56*pm, Salad <o... (AT) vinegar (DOT) com> wrote:

Taking Salad's advice we've tried putting both the background image
and the file containing user's digital ink in the same spot on the
report, and experimented with setting the properties of the different
images to transparent or not, with different images moved to the back
or front, and we have been unable to get the two images to display
together. This is true even after using Photoshop to turn the "white"
portion of an image to be transparent. The foreground image always
covers at least a portion of the background image.

Does anyone have any idea as to how I can get two black and white line
drawings to appear superimposed in an Access report?

-Scott

On Feb 12, 1:01*pm, SMcK <NPi... (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:

On Feb 11, 1:56*pm, Salad <o... (AT) vinegar (DOT) com> wrote:
Taking Salad's advice we've tried putting both the background image
and the file containing user's digital ink in the same spot on the
report, and experimented with setting the properties of the different
images to transparent or not, with different images moved to the back
or front, and we have been unable to get the two images to display
together. This is true even after using Photoshop to turn the "white"
portion of an image to be transparent. The foreground image always
covers at least a portion of the background image.

Does anyone have any idea as to how I can get two black and white line
drawings to appear superimposed in an Access report?

-Scott

I have never tried stacking 2 Image controls but you can use the
Transparency solution on my site to allow for transparency in the top most
Image control.
http://www.lebans.com/transparent.htm

--

HTH
Stephen Lebans
http://www.lebans.com
Access Code, Tips and Tricks
Please respond only to the newsgroups so everyone can benefit.


"SMcK" <NPine1 (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote

On Feb 11, 1:56 pm, Salad <o... (AT) vinegar (DOT) com> wrote:
Taking Salad's advice we've tried putting both the background image
and the file containing user's digital ink in the same spot on the
report, and experimented with setting the properties of the different
images to transparent or not, with different images moved to the back
or front, and we have been unable to get the two images to display
together. This is true even after using Photoshop to turn the "white"
portion of an image to be transparent. The foreground image always
covers at least a portion of the background image.

Does anyone have any idea as to how I can get two black and white line
drawings to appear superimposed in an Access report?

-Scott