ACC: How to Automatically Detect If a Form Is Being Edited

ID: Q122294

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Access versions 2.0, 7.0, 97

SUMMARY

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

This article describes two techniques that you can use to automatically run code when a form's Edit mode changes. You can use these techniques when you want to have different controls available on a form when a record is being edited and when a record is not being edited.

This article assumes that you are familiar with Visual Basic for Applications and with creating Microsoft Access applications using the programming tools provided with Microsoft Access. For more information about Visual Basic for Applications, please refer to your version of the "Building Applications with Microsoft Access" manual.

NOTE: Visual Basic for Applications is called Access Basic in Microsoft Access version 2.0. For more information about Access Basic, please refer to the "Building Applications" manual.

NOTE: This article explains a technique demonstrated in the sample files, FrmSampl.exe (for Microsoft Access for Windows 95 version 7.0) and FrmSmp97.exe (for Microsoft Access 97). For information about how to obtain these sample files, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q150895
   TITLE     : ACC95: Microsoft Access Sample Forms Available on MSL

   ARTICLE-ID: Q175066
   TITLE     : ACC97: Microsoft Access 97 Sample Forms Available on MSL

MORE INFORMATION

When Microsoft Access displays a pencil symbol in the record selector, the record is being edited but has not yet been saved. When Microsoft Access displays a triangle symbol in the record selector, the record has been saved and is not being edited. Note that if the form's RecordSelector property is set to No, these symbols are not displayed.

There are two methods that you can use to automatically run code when a form's Edit mode changes:

Use the form's Timer event to check the form's Dirty property periodically to see if the Edit mode has changed.
Use the Dirty property in an expression on the form to run a function when the Edit mode changes.

The following examples demonstrate how to use these techniques to automatically enable or disable an Undo Record button, depending on a form's Edit mode.

Method 1: Using the Form's Timer Event

1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb (or NWIND.MDB in version 2.0).

2. Open the Employees form in Design view.

3. Use the Command Button Wizard to create an Undo Record button on

   the form.

4. Change the Undo Record button's properties to match the following:

      Name: btnUndo
      Enabled: No

5. Set the form's TimerInterval property to:

6. Set the form's OnTimer property to the following event procedure:

      Private Sub Form_Timer()
          Static bFlag As Boolean
          If Me.Dirty Then
              If Not bFlag Then
                  Me!btnUndo.Enabled = True
                  bFlag = True
              End If
          Else
              If bFlag Then
                 Me!FirstName.SetFocus
                 Me!btnUndo.Enabled = False
                 bFlag = False
              End If
          End If
      End Sub

7. View the form in Form view. Note that the Undo Record button is

   unavailable.

8. Modify any field in the current record, and then press the TAB key.

   Note that the Undo Record button becomes available.

9. Press the ESC key twice (or click Undo on the Edit menu) to undo your

   changes. Note that the Undo Record button becomes unavailable.

Method 2: Using the Dirty Property in an Expression

1. Follow steps 1 through 4 in Method 1.

2. Add a new text box with the following properties to the form:

      Name: txtEditModeChange
      ControlSource: =[Form].[Dirty] & EditModeChange([Form])
      Visible: No

3. On the View menu, click Code.

4. Create the following function in the module, and then close the module:

      Function EditModeChange (F As Form) As Variant
         If F.Dirty Then
            F!btnUndo.Enabled = True
         Else
            F!btnUndo.Enabled = False
         End If
      End Function

5. Set the form's AfterUpdate property to the following event procedure:

      Sub Form_AfterUpdate ()
         Me!txtEditModeChange.Requery
      End Sub

6. Follow steps 7 through 9 in Method 1 to test this method.

REFERENCES

For more information about the Dirty property, search the Help Index for "Dirty property," or ask the Microsoft Access 97 Office Assistant.

For more information about the Timer event, search the Help Index for "Timer Event," or ask the Microsoft Access 97 Office Assistant.

Additional query words:

Keywords          : kbusage FmsEvnt 
Version           : 2.0 7.0 97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: November 21, 1998