ACC2000: No Prompt for Parameter Value Exporting Form with OutputTo

ID: Q210607

The information in this article applies to:
This article applies only to a Microsoft Access database (.mdb).

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


SYMPTOMS

You are not prompted to enter a parameter value when you output a form to text if the form is bound to a query that contains an invalid form control reference in its Criteria row. However, the text file that is created does not contain any data.


CAUSE

This behavior occurs if you use implicit form control referencing in the query. For example:

Forms![FormName]![ControlName]


RESOLUTION

To ensure that the text file that is created contains data, use explicit form control referencing in your query, or use the Value property of the control. For example:


STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Access.


MORE INFORMATION

You can use the OutputTo action or method to output the data in a specified Microsoft Access database object (a datasheet, form, report, or module) to a file in Microsoft Excel (*.xls), MS-DOS text (*.txt), or rich-text (*.rtf) format.

Steps to Reproduce Problem

  1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.


  2. Create a query based on the Customers Table. Add all the fields to the query.


  3. Add the following criteria to the CustomerID field and save the query as Query1:
    Forms![Form100]![Customer]
    Note that the query contains criteria that contains an invalid reference to a control called Customer.


  4. Create a form in Design view based on the Query1 query. Save the form as Form100.


  5. Create a module and type the following procedure in the module:


    6. 
Sub Test()

   DoCmd.OutputTo acOutputForm, "Form100", acFormatTXT, "C:\Junk.txt"

End Sub
  6. Run the procedure. Note that you are not prompted to enter a parameter value for the missing control's data and that a blank text file is created.


Additional query words: pra 


Keywords          : kbdta OtpOthr 
Version           : WINDOWS:2000
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbbug

Last Reviewed: May 13, 1999