Releasing memory while adding new images

[Nikolis]

Maybe a silly topic, but I'm still novice and quite unsure about some details.

I have a Userform. Left side column has the menu, consisting of 7 options/"buttons". Those buttons are actually images which change when their area is hovered. E.g. they are originally blue, the hovered state is green. So, the blue button is visible and loaded, then something is hovered, and the "green image appears". Then again blue (while usually something else is turning green) etc.

Now, in every switch from green to blue (or vice versa) I suppose that an extra image's memory is being added to the system's memory.
(1) is this correct or are they just added (once and for all) only the first time they are loaded ?
(2) if this is correct, how may I release memory while "Mouse Move" ? E.g. blue image switches to green, now green occupies memory but blue image's occupied memory is now unneeded and somehow released etc.

Can someone explain how this works ?
Thank you in advance.

 

[Jaafar Tribak]

If you are placing the buttons above each other at design time and then toggling the buttons visibilty when hovered then the images are loded once .

If you add the images at runtime via code then each image is loaded\unloaded when the buttons are hovered.

If you are using plain color images, why not just change the buttons backcolor property instead of using images ? That would be easier and require less memory.

 

[Nikolis]

If you are placing the buttons above each other at design time and then toggling the buttons visibilty when hovered then the images are loded once .

If you add the images at runtime via code then each image is loaded\unloaded when the buttons are hovered.

If you are using plain color images, why not just change the buttons backcolor property instead of using images ? That would be easier and require less memory.

Thank you Jaafar.

Changing the backcolor property is the simplest way but it's limited design-wise. Hence the need to load images, e.g. designed in Photoshop or even Powerpoint.

Can you please define this ; you mention that if I "add the images at runtime via code they are loaded/unloaded", depending on the hover. Now, I know hot to load them. But what about the unloading part ; is it some code I should write (e.g. like Unload Userform1 / Unload Me etc.) or is it handled automatically by VB ?

 

[Jaafar Tribak]

LoadPicture should unload the previous image and load the new one.

example:
Ctrl.Picture = LoadPicture("C:\images\Img1.bmp")

BTW, how are you setting the buttons images ? are you using the the button's MouseMove event ? I am asking because there is no MouseLeave event for resetting the initial image.