Image column
A column that stores a picture, with upload and preview on the form; the primary image also appears in the form header.
What it is
An image column holds a picture for a row. On the form you choose a file from your computer, see a preview, and save the row. The column can also be removed again by clearing the image.
Each table can have one primary image. It is shown in the upper corner of the form header and stands in for the row in places like cards and lookups.
When to use it
Use it for logos, product photos and avatars that people need to see at a glance.
For documents, PDFs and anything that is not a picture, use a File column. Images are resized and converted when stored, so they are not suitable for originals that must stay untouched.
Licensing and configuration
No extra licence. Add a column with data type Image in the table designer and set its Maximum image size. Per Microsoft Learn the default is 10,240 KB and the maximum is 30,720 KB (30 MB). To show the primary image on the form, set the table's Primary Image property and turn on Show image (shown as Show image in the form) in the form properties. Uploads accept jpg, jpeg, gif, bmp and png.
Pitfalls
- Uploaded images are stored as a thumbnail of at most 144 by 144 pixels, cropped square, and converted to jpg. An animated gif keeps only its first frame.
- You cannot change the maximum image size in the designer after the column is created. Use the API to change it.
- Image columns do not work with business process flows, business rules, charts, rollup columns or calculated columns.
- The primary image only appears if both the table and the form have the setting on.
Try it in the demo
- Open the first accelerator and find the Image field in the Controls tab.
- Upload a small picture and see the preview.
- Try a very large file to see the size message. The demo uses its own limit.
- Look at the form header for the primary image.