QR code in report.

[Steve_in_Kent]

I'm trying to create QR codes in a report.

The report is printed as a label. I found how to create a QR code using the google API link in a FORM. (Webvrowser control set to google location)

so the image does diplay in FORM1.. however, to print it i need to somehow get the image to load in the report.

i can see that someone has done something similar here:-
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/262 ... -ms-access

however, they do not show how to do it.

[HansV]

That is for Google Maps, not for the Chart API...

I have no idea how to do what you want...

[Steve_in_Kent]

no worries hans..

i found this...

https://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1758167

which seems to declare it does what i need.. however, in practice it's just shows a blank., for the image.

still trying to debug..

steve

[HansV]

I found that too, but I couldn't get it to work.

[SpeakEasy]

So, what your question boils down to is "how do I display the output of the web browser control in an Access report?"

And sadly, the answer to this is that Access can't do this

There may be a workaround. I'll experiment ...

[SpeakEasy]

>seems to declare it does what i need.. however, in practice it's just shows a blank

That's because OleLoadPicturePath requires a path or URL to a file. The Google Charts REST API for a QR code does not result in such a path, thus the call quite unsurprisingly fails.

The core approach, however, is still valid and is what I am investigating

[SpeakEasy]

Right, this is a bare bones example, all code goes in a Module

Code: Select all

Option Compare Database
Option Explicit

' Requires an ActiveX control with a Picture property on the report
' This exampole was using an ActiveX Image control called  Image1
Private Sub Report_Load()
    Dim Query As String
    Dim myXMLHTTP As Object

    ' REST API query for Google Charts QR code
    Query = "https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?cht=qr&chs=200x200&chl=test"
    
    Set myXMLHTTP = CreateObject("MSXML2.XMLHTTP")
    With myXMLHTTP
        .Open "GET", Query, False
        .send
        With CreateObject("ADODB.Stream") ' or use more classical file handling code to write a binary file with contents of myXMLHTTP.responseBody
            .Type = 1 'adTypeBinary
            .Open
            .write myXMLHTTP.responseBody
            .SaveToFile "d:\downloads\pictures\google.png", 2  ' use a filename of your own choice here 
            .Close
        End With
        Set Image1.Picture = NewLoadPicture("d:\downloads\pictures\google.png")
    End With
    
End Sub

' Standard loadpicture doesn't understang png, but Windows Image Acquisition library does
Public Function NewLoadPicture(strPath As String) As StdPicture
    With CreateObject("WIA.ImageFile")
        .LoadFile (strPath)
        Set NewLoadPicture = .FileData.Picture
    End With
End Function

[SpeakEasy]

Actually, put that together in a hurry; here's a version that does not require writing a temporary file to disk (and also means we can drop the NewLoadPicture function):

Code: Select all

' Reqwuires an ActiveX control with a Picture property on the form
' This exampole was using an ActiveX Image control called  Image1
Private Sub Report_Load()
    Dim Query As String
    Dim myXMLHTTP As Object

    Query = "https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?cht=qr&chs=200x200&chl=test"
    
    Set myXMLHTTP = CreateObject("MSXML2.XMLHTTP")
    With myXMLHTTP
        .Open "GET", Query, False
        .send
        With CreateObject("wia.vector")
            .BinaryData = myXMLHTTP.responseBody
            Set Image1.Picture = .Picture
        End With
    End With
    
End Sub

[CData]

just to sanity check that the obvious has not been overlooked:

if a web browser control works in a form but not in an Access report
can we not insert a form object into a report object?
...rather that inserting the control itself directly into the report object...

[HansV]

@CData: I tried that, but it doesn't work.

[Steve_in_Kent]

Thanks all.. i will give a try soon :)