ACC2000: How to Determine the Current Screen Resolution

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Summary

This article shows you how to create a sample user-defined Visual Basic for Applications function to determine the current screen resolution. You can use this function to determine if you are running in standard VGA mode (640 x 480) or Super VGA mode (800 x 600, 1024 x 768 or 1600 x 1200).

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More information

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

NOTE: 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.

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

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

Option Explicit

Type RECT
   x1 As Long
   y1 As Long
   x2 As Long
   y2 As Long
End Type

' NOTE: The following declare statements are case sensitive.


Declare Function GetDesktopWindow Lib "User32" () As Long
Declare Function GetWindowRect Lib "User32" _
      (ByVal hWnd As Long, rectangle As RECT) As Long

'*****************************************************************
' 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 Long
   Dim RetVal As Long

   hWnd = GetDesktopWindow()
   RetVal = GetWindowRect(hWnd, R)
   GetScreenResolution = (R.x2 - R.x1) & "x" & (R.y2 - R.y1)

End Function

On the View menu, click Immediate Window.
Type the following line in the Immediate Window, and then press ENTER:
? GetScreenResolution()
Note that the current screen resolution is displayed in the Immediate window. If the current resolution is standard VGA, the following is displayed in the Immediate window:
640x480

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