ACC2000: "User-defined Type Not Defined" Error Message

ID: Q202192

The information in this article applies to:
Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

This article applies to a Microsoft Access database (.mdb) and a Microsoft Access project (.adp).


SYMPTOMS

When you compile or run code, you may receive the following error message:

Compile Error: User-defined type not defined.


CAUSE

You are referring to an object in an object library that you do not have referenced.


RESOLUTION

You must add a reference to the object library that contains the object that you are using in code. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Open any module in the database that is generating the error described in the "Symptoms" section of this article.


  2. On the Debug menu, click Compile <database name>. Note the line of code that is highlighted when you receive the error message.


  3. On the Tools menu, click References.


  4. Click to select the object library that contains the object referenced by the line of code that is highlighted.



MORE INFORMATION

NOTE: This section references Microsoft DAO. DAO is not used in Microsoft Access projects (*.adp), but the same concepts regarding missing object libraries apply.

Not having a reference to the Microsoft DAO Object Library is one of the most common reasons for the error described in the "Symptoms" section in Access databases (*.mdb). If the reference is missing, you may receive this error on many common DAO commands such as: 


Dim db as DAO.Database
If you receive this error on a common DAO object, you need to add the following reference:
Microsoft DAO 3.6 Object Library

Explicitly Declaring DAO and ADO Objects

A common reference conflict occurs when you have references to both the Microsoft DAO Object Library (DAO) and the Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects Library (ADO). This is because these two libraries contain objects with the same name, such as Recordset. To avoid any compile errors in the case where you add another object library reference that uses the same object names, it is good practice to include "DAO." in the declaration of any DAO objects. Likewise, when declaring ADO objects, include "ADO." in the declaration. This is illustrated below using the Recordset object as an example:

Example 1: DAO Objects

Reference: Microsoft DAO 3.6 Object Library
Declaration: Dim myRecordset as DAO.Recordset

Example 2: ADO Objects

Reference: Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects 2.1 Library
Declaration: Dim myRecordset as ADO.Recordset

NOTE: By explicitly declaring the object as ADO or DAO, the position of the checked reference on the references list is not an issue.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

  1. Create a module and type the following procedure:


    2. 
Function Test()
   Dim db as DAO.Database
End Function
  2. On the Tools menu, click to clear the Microsoft DAO Object Library check box.


  3. To test this function, type the following line in the Immediate window, and then press ENTER: 
    
?Test()
    Note that you receive the error message mentioned in the "Symptoms" section.



REFERENCES

For more information about ActiveX Data Objects (ADO), in the Visual Basic Editor, click Microsoft Visual Basic Help on the Help menu, type "ActiveX Data Objects" in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

Additional query words: 


Keywords          : kbdta MdlDao PgmOthr 
Version           : WINDOWS:2000
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: May 18, 1999