Dots and Exclamation Marks Usage with Objects in VBA3

The Final Post and Continued from Last Week's Post.

In Microsoft Access, application objects such as Tables, Queries, Forms, Text Boxes, Labels, and others should be given meaningful names when created. If we don’t, Access assigns default names like Form1, Form2, Text1, Label1, and so on. These defaults provide no real indication of what the object represents. Assigning descriptive names related to their purpose makes it much easier to recognize and remember them later—especially when they are used in calculations, VBA code, or other references.

For example, in VBA, we can directly reference a control like this:

Forms!Employees!Salary

instead of the longer form:

Forms("Employees").Controls("Salary").Value

Last week, we began with a simple example that showed how the exclamation mark (!) symbol can shorten object references compared to using multiple dot separators. Once the form name and control name are known, the expression becomes more concise with the '!' symbol.

This shorthand also applies to Recordset fields. For instance:

rset!LastName

is equivalent to:

rset.Fields("LastName").Value

and both return the contents of the field’s default Value property.

If you are a new visitor to this page and topic, then please visit the earlier two pages and continue from here. The links are given below:

• Dots and Exclamation Marks Usage with Objects in VBA
• Dots and Exclamation Marks Usage with Objects in VBA2

Referencing Form's Controls.

I will repeat the first example here, introduced on the first page of this three-page series, to go further in this discussion.

? Forms!frmMain!frmSubForm.Form!frmInsideSubForm.Form!Text7
'
'The above command without the use of the ! Symbol, you must write it in the following manner to get the same result.
'
? Forms("frmMain").Controls("frmSubForm").Form.Controls("frmInsideSubForm").Form.Text7.value

Note: When it frmSubForm is placed as a subform within frmMain It becomes a control on the main form. Like any other control, it has its own set of properties and contains its own controls. If you generate a list of the controls on the main form, the subform will appear in that list just like a textbox, button, or label.

To see this in action:

1. Open a form that contains a subform.

2. In the Debug Window, type the following command on a single line (adjusting the form name as needed), then press Enter to display the list of control names of the main form:

For Each ctl In Forms!frmMain.Controls: Debug.Print ctl.Name: Next

This will print the names of all controls on the main form, including the subform control itself.

for j=0 to forms!frmMain.controls.Count-1:? j, forms!frmMain.controls(j).name:next

'Result of the above command, on my Form.
'
 0            Label0
 1            Text1
 2            Label2
 3            Text3
 4            Label4
 5            frmSubForm
 6            Label5

The frmSubForm is listed as a Control of the frmMain with index number 5

Now, about the example given at the beginning, we have three open Forms: frmMain, frmSubForm & frmInsideSubForm, layered one inside the other. We are trying to print the Text7 Text Box value from the innermost form in the debug window.  Look at the command given below:

? Forms!frmMain!frmSubForm.Form!frmInsideSubForm.Form!Text7

The actual address of Text7 Textbox, all elements are joined with the symbol!, except the '.Form' after the name frmSubForm and frmInsideSubForm. This command will work without the '.Form' part. Try the command given below.

? Forms!frmMain!frmSubForm!frmInsideSubForm!Text7

If the address works without the .form part, why do we need it in the address, and what does it mean? It works without an explicit reference because the system knows that it is a Sub-Form control by default.

When you drag and drop a Sub-Form onto the Main Form, Microsoft Access creates a container control on the main form and inserts the Sub-Form into it. To be more specific, if you select the outer edge of the sub-form control, you can select this container control. Display its Property Sheet(F4) and check the Source Object Property setting. You can see that the subform's name is inserted there. This is the control where we set the Link Master Fields and Link Child Fields properties to set the relationship between data on the master form and sub-form.

You can rewrite this property value with any other form's name to load another form into it, in real-time. When you do that, consider the relationship change if the new form's source data is not related.

Coming back to the point, i.e., what does the '.Form' part in the above address mean? It means that the Sub-Form Control created by Access is a container control for loading a Form into it, and it will always be a form control, whether you explicitly add the '.Form' part in the address or not.

Loading Table or Query in a Sub-Form Control.

But the interesting part is that you can insert a Table or a Query (not an Action Query) into this control as well.

Try that, if you have a Form with a sub-form, open it in design view.

1. Click on the outer edge of the Sub-Form to select the Sub-Form control.

2. Display the Property Sheet (F4) and select the Source Object Property.

3. Click on the drop-down control to the right of the property to display the available forms, Tables, and Queries.

   At the top of the list, you will see all Forms. These are followed by the list of Tables, and then the list of Queries. Tables are displayed in the format:

   Table.TableName

   and queries appear in the format:

   Query.QueryName

   This notation indicates the category of object that can be assigned to the Source Object property of the subform control.

4. Select a Table or Query to insert into the Source Object Property of the Sub-Form control.

5. Save the Form and open it in Form View.

You will find the Table or Query result displayed in the Sub-Form control.

6. Try to print the value of one of the fields displayed in the debug window.

   Tip: It will print the value of the active record in the sub-form, if selected, otherwise the first record field value.

Is this the command you have typed in the Debug Window?

? Forms!frmMain!frmSubForm.Table!LastName

Then you are wrong, it is not a Table Control, still, it is a Form control only. When you set the Source Object Property Value with a Table's name, the system already adds the category name to the object's name (Table.TableName or Query.QueryName) to identify what type of object is loaded into the sub-form control.

So the correct command is:

? Forms!frmMain!frmSubForm.Form!LastName
'
'OR
'
? Forms!frmMain!frmSubForm!LastName

• Working with Chart-Object in VBA
• VBA Module Object and Methods
• Hyperlink Opens Objects from another Database
• Overlaying Sub-Forms in Real-time

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Dots and Exclamation Marks Usage with Objects in VBA2

Continued from Last Week's Topic

Last week, we learned a few examples of using the dot (.) separator and the bang (!) symbol with loaded Form and Report objects in memory. In this article, we’ll continue exploring the topic further.

If you haven’t read the earlier article yet, I recommend visiting that page first before proceeding here: [Dots and Exclamation Marks Usage with Objects in VBA].

After working through the previous examples, you might be a little uncertain about which syntax is easiest to use, since we experimented with different ways of referencing forms and controls in VBA. For now, let’s set that aside and approach things from a different angle.

In this section, we’ll focus specifically on the dot (.) separator as it applies to built-in library objects. Unlike with forms and controls, the bang (!) symbol is not valid for referencing these objects. You’ll also see a visual hierarchy of some of the library objects, along with examples of how to access their properties or call their methods directly from the Debug Window.

Object Library View.

Right-click to open Large Image in New Tab/Window.

Tools -->Options-->Editor-->AutoList Members.

1. Open your Access Database.

2. Open VBA Editing Window (Alt+F11).

3. Open Debug Window (Ctrl+G).

4. Display Object Browser Window(F2).

   • Select Options from the Tools Menu.

   • On the Editor Tab, select the Auto List Members item if it is not already selected.

5. Select Access from the <All Libraries> Control's drop-down list.

6. Move the scrollbar of the Classes window down, find the item with the name CurrentProject, and select it.

   Check the right side window listing of  CurrentProject’s Properties and Methods.

7. If the Object Browser Window is small, then drag the right and bottom edges to make it large enough to display all the Properties and Methods of the CurrentProject Object in the right-side window.

8. Click and hold the Title area of the object browser window, and drag it to the right if it overlaps the Debug Window area.

When you select a Class Object or Public Constant definition from the Classes Window (left panel), the object members are displayed in the right-side window.

Let us display information stored in some of these objects and how we address those object properties/methods, and in which order we specify them?

We will display the full Pathname (.FullName property value) of the active database with the following command, by typing it in the Debug Window and pressing the Enter Key:

? Access.CurrentProject.FullName
'Result: G:\New folder\pwtracker.accdb

The '.FullName' Property Value of the CurrentProject Object, from the Access Library of Objects, is displayed.  When you open a database from a particular location, the FullName Property value is assigned from the full pathname of the Database.  We have joined the object elements in the correct sequence, separated by dots to specify the FullName property at the end. The Name property value will display the database name only.

Let us see how many Forms we have in our database by reading the Count Property Value of the AllForms Object.

? Access.CurrentProject.AllForms.Count
'Result: 75 – There are 75 user created Forms in my active database.
'
? Access.CurrentProject.AllForms.item(50).Name
'Result: frmEmployees 
'
'The 50th index numbered item (i.e. 51st item)in my database is frmEmployees. 
'This Form is not opened in memory, but it is taken from the Database’s .AllForms Collection. 
'
? Access.CurrentProject.BaseConnectionString
'
'Result: PROVIDER=Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0;DATA SOURCE=G:\New folder\pwtracker.accdb;PERSIST SECURITY INFO=FALSE;Jet OLEDB:System database=G:\mdbs\BACAUDIT_1.MDW
'

In the above examples, we have displayed the CurrentProject Object's few Property Values assigned by the System. We have used the Forms Collection Object to address the open forms in memory in last week's examples.

Note: You may explore some of the other objects yourself.

From the above few examples, you can see that we have used the dot separator Character only to join each object/property. You cannot use the (!) symbol to address predefined objects, methods, or properties.

When we reference a User-Defined object (it should have a name), we can use the (!) symbol followed by the object/control Name to access that Control's default Property values or other controls/properties, eliminating the lengthy syntax. To make this point very clear, we will try one simple example below.

The TempVars Object.

1. Scroll down to the bottom of the Classes Window.

2. Select the TempVars Class Object. You can see its Methods (.Add(), .Remove() & .RemoveAll()) and Properties in the right side window.

3. Above the TempVars Class, you can see another object named TempVar Class. Click on that and check the right-side window. You will find only two properties: Name & Value.

4. Type the next line of code in the Debug Window and press Enter.

TempVars.Add "website", "MsAccessTips.com"

We have called the Add() method of the TempVars Collection Object to instantiate the TempVar Class, and assigned the Name property with the text: website, and the Value property with the text: MsAccessTips.com. The new Tempvar Variable website is added to the TempVars Collection with index number 0, because this is the first TempVar variable we have defined in memory so far.

The TempVar data type is a Variant Type, i.e., whatever data type (Integer, Single, Double, Date, String, etc.) you assign to it, it will automatically adjust to that data type.

We can display the website variable contents in two different ways.  First method using dot separators, second with the (!) symbol.

'1st method
? TempVars.item(0).value
'Result: MsAccessTips.com
'OR
? TempVars.item("website").value
'Result: MsAccessTips.com
'
'OR
X="website"
? TempVars.item(X).value
'Result: MsAccessTips.com
'

'2nd method
'the above lengthy syntax can be shortened
'with ! symbol and the user-defined name:website
'point to note:after ! symbol Name property value should follow.
? TempVars!website
'Result: MsAccessTips.com
'
'next command removes the website variable from memory.
TempVars.Remove "website"
'
'the .RemoveAll method clears all the user-defined Temporary Variables from memory.
'TempVars.RemoveAll

The TempVars Variables are Global in nature, which means you can call this variable (Tempvars!website) in Queries, Textbox (=TempVars!website) on Forms or on Reports, and in expressions like: ="Website Name is: " & TempVars!website. If the Value property is assigned numerical values (like the Exchange Rates), it can be used in Calculations.

Tip: Try defining a few more TempVar variables, assigning different data types: Integer, Double, Date, etc., with appropriate Name Property Values.

The Tempvar variable named website is our own creation, and in memory.  Objects (Form/Report) should be loaded into memory with their controls (Textbox, Combobox, Labels, Sub-Form/Sub-Report, and so on) to address them with the use of the bang (!) symbol followed by the name of the control.

We have used the item collection object in the first three examples.  This is used immediately after the TempVars Collection Object.  When we address text boxes, labels, and other controls on an open Form or Report, we must use the keyword Controls.

You may explore other objects by selecting them in the left-side panel and inspecting their properties, Methods, and Events when you are in doubt about something.

The Data Access Object (DAO).

Tables & Queries are part of the DAO library. You may select DAO in the top control, replacing Access, and explore DAO-related Classes, their Properties, and Methods.

Assume that you are now comfortable with the period (.) and bang (!) symbols in object references. We will explore a few more aspects in the next session before we conclude the discussion on this topic.

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• Hyperlink Opens Objects from another Database
• Overlaying Sub-Forms in Real-time

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Dots and Exclamation Marks Usage with Objects in VBA

Introduction.

Beginner VBA learners are often confused about how to correctly reference controls on a Form or on Subforms. The challenge becomes even greater when a Subform contains another Subform. In such cases, specifying the full address of the control on the innermost Subform correctly is essential if you want to read the control’s contents or set its value directly through VBA.

How do we build the complete object address? Should each element be joined with a dot (.), with an exclamation mark (!), or with a combination of both?

To answer these questions, let’s start with some simple examples of using dots and exclamation marks (or bang ! symbol) in object address specifications.

For demonstration purposes, I’ve created a sample Main Form with two Subforms. The second subform is nested inside the first subform. Below, you can see both the Design View and the Form View images for reference.

Right-click to open Large Image in New Tab/Window.

Sample Form in Normal View

Right-click to open Large Image in New Tab/Window.

Dots and Exclamation Symbols.

General Usages of the dot (.) and bang symbol (!) in object references.

• A dot (.) -  after an object name to access its methods or properties.
• The exclamation mark (!) - after an object name, refers to the sub-object or control of the Top-level Object.

Sample Forms:

Main Form: frmMain

Sub-Form of Main Form: frmSubForm

Inner Sub-Form on frmSubForm:  frmInnerSubForm

Text Control on frmInnerSubForm:  Text7

Another Unbound Text Control on frmInnerSubForm:  Text3

All three forms are designed without linking to any Table (i.e., The Form's Record Source property is empty). All the Text controls on the Form are unbound.

You may design three sample forms with a few unbound text boxes and set them up one inside the other, and open them in the normal view. Open the VBA Editing Window and open the Debug Window (Ctrl+G). Now you are ready to try out the following examples after typing the code directly in the Debug Window and pressing the Enter Key.

Practical Exercises.

First, we will try to read the contents of the Text7 textbox (i.e., 'Innermost Form') from frmInnerSubForm and display the result in the Debug Window.

? Forms!frmMain!frmSubForm.Form!frmInsideSubForm.Form!Text7

Printed Result is: Innermost Form

There was an expression ="Innermost Form" inside the Text7  Text box, which is displayed in the Debug Window.

Forms!frmMain!frmSubForm.Form!frmInsideSubForm.Form!Text3 = "MS Access"

Result: MS Access

The Text3 textbox is in the Innermost Form and its Conttrol Source Property is loaded with the text: MS Access.

Check the opened Form after executing the above statement in the Debug Window.

Let us examine each part of the above command joined by an exclamation mark or a dot.  I call this a command because we directly execute this program statement in the Debug Window, with the? (Print VBA command).

The Forms collection contains all forms currently loaded in memory. Each form opened is indexed in the order it was loaded into memory—the first form opened has index 0, the second has index 1, and so on.

If your main form contains subforms, those subforms are treated as controls of the main form, just like combo boxes, labels, or text boxes. They do not appear as separate entries in the Forms collection.

To display the name of the first form loaded in memory, use the following command in the Immediate (Debug) Window:

? Forms(0).Name

This prints the value of the form’s Name property for the form at index 0 in the collection.

? Forms(0).Name

Result: frmMain - Form's Name property value is printed.

? Forms(0).Width

Result: 21225 (You may get a similar number.)
This value represents the width of the form measured in Twips.

📏 Conversion note:

• 1 Inch = 1440 Twips.

When you set the Width property of a form (whether in Inches, Centimeters, or any other regional measurement unit), VBA automatically converts that value internally into Twips.

If you know the Form's name, then the above command can be given as below:

? Forms("frmMain").Width 

In this form of the command, the Form's name can be given as a string in parentheses.

OR

? Forms!frmMain.Width

In this command, immediately after the Forms Collection name, we have used the symbol (!)  to give the name of the next level of the object of the Forms collection object, not a property or method. The next item, Width, is a property of the frmMain object, so a dot is required, not the other symbol. The bang (!) symbol is given in parentheses for legibility only.

Note: You cannot use the symbol (!) in place of the dot (.) to address the Width or Name, or any other property of the Form. There are over 200 properties for a form. You can display the names of all the properties by typing the following Code, on one line, in the Debug Window and pressing the Enter Key:

For j=0 to Forms(0).Properties.count-1:? j,Forms(0).Properties(j).Name:Next

In the above statement, the Count() Method of the Forms Property is called, takes a Count of the first Form Properties, and prints the Name of each one.

Take a Listing of the Property Names.

OR

For j=0 to Forms("frmMain").Properties.count-1:? j,Forms("frmMain").Properties(j).Name:Next

OR

For j=0 to Forms!frmMain.Properties.count-1:? j,Forms!frmMain.Properties(j).Name:Next

Note the usage of Forms("frmMain") and !frmMain, two different ways to refer to the frmMain object in the open Forms Collection.  In both cases, the form's name is given immediately after the open Forms collection name. If the frmMain form is not open at the time of executing this statement, then it ends up in an Error.  Forms(0) refer to any form that is open first in memory. It will fail only when no form is open at the time of executing this statement.

? Forms.Count

The Count() method of the open Forms Collection Object will print the count of open Forms

We will explore this topic further in the next Post.

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• VBA Module Object and Methods
• Hyperlink Opens Objects from another Database
• Overlaying Sub-Forms in Real-time

Read More

Combining Active and Backup Database Records in Union Query

Introduction.

Microsoft Access database has a maximum size limit of 2GB. To maintain performance and avoid reaching this limit, older records (such as previous year’s transactions) can be safely archived into a backup database for future reference. Once these records are backed up, they can be deleted from the active database. Run the Compact & Repair Utility to optimize performance for day-to-day operations.

However, there are situations where older data is required for analysis—for example, preparing budgets, setting sales targets, or comparing trends.  In such cases, we may need to reintegrate archived records with the current master table in the active database to perform meaningful analysis.

The Union Query Solution.

We can merge records of both the active table and backup table (with the same name) in a Union Query.

A simple example is given below:

SELECT Export.* 
FROM Export
UNION ALL SELECT Export.*
FROM Export IN 'G:\NEW FOLDER\DB1.MDB';

From the above example, you can see that the names of the tables exported to an active database, and backup database(DB1.MDB) are the same. No need to link the table to the active database to get access to the data from the backup database.

Right-click to open Large Image in New Tab/Window.

• Union Query
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ROUNDUP Function of Excel in Ms-Access

Introduction.

Microsoft Access doesn't have this function built in. An attempt to write the code for this function, and you may use it at your own risk. Before going into the code, take a look at the usage examples of this function in Excel.

ROUNDUP() function in Microsoft Excel.

The Rules.

Rounds a number up, away from 0 (zero).

Syntax: ROUNDUP(number, num_digits). A number is any real number that you want to be rounded up.

Num_digits is the number of digits to which you want to round off the number.

Remarks: ROUNDUP behaves like ROUND, except that it always rounds a number up.

If num_digits is greater than 0 (zero), then the number is rounded up to the specified number of decimal places.

If num_digits is 0, then the number is rounded up to the nearest integer.

If num_digits is less than 0, then the number is rounded up to the left of the decimal point.

Examples: 

=ROUNDUP(3.2,0) Rounds 3.2 up to zero decimal places (4)

=ROUNDUP(76.9,0) Rounds 76.9 up to zero decimal places (77)

=ROUNDUP(3.14159, 3) Rounds 3.14159 up to three decimal places (3.142)

=ROUNDUP(-3.14159, 1) Rounds -3.14159 up to one decimal place (-3.2)

=ROUNDUP(31415.92654, -2) Rounds 31415.92654 up to 2 decimal places to the left of the decimal (31500)

Courtesy: Microsoft Excel Help Documents.

Copy and paste the following VBA Code into a Standard Module of your Database and try it out. The examples given above have successfully passed testing of the code.

The ROUNDUP() Function.

Public Function ROUNDUP(ByVal dblNum As Double, ByVal intprecision As Integer) As Double
'-------------------------------------------------
'ROUNDUP() Function of Excel Redefined in MS-Access
'Author: apr pillai
'Date  : June 2016
'Rights: All Rights Reserved by www.msaccesstips.com
'-------------------------------------------------
On Error GoTo ROUNDUP_Err
Dim sign As Integer
    sign = Sgn(dblNum)
    dblNum = Abs(dblNum)
    dblNum = dblNum * 10 ^ intprecision
ROUNDUP = (Int(dblNum + (1 - IIf((dblNum - Int(dblNum)) <> 0, (dblNum - Int(dblNum)), 1))) / 10 ^ intprecision) * sign

ROUNDUP_Exit:
Exit Function

ROUNDUP_Err:
MsgBox Err & ": " & Err.Description, , "ROUNDUP()"
Resume ROUNDUP_Exit
End Function

Suggestions for improvement of the above VBA Code are welcome.

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Uploading Comma delimited Text Data into Access Table-2

Introduction.

Last week, we learned how to upload a simple list of names (separated with commas) from a text file into a Microsoft Access Table.

Next, we will enhance the program to include additional fields—Name, Birthdate, Height, and Weight—for each record.

For reference, a sample of the text file layout is shown in the image below.

Right-click to open Large Image in New Tab/Window.

The text file contains a fixed number of items per line, with all four items for a single record. In last week’s example, we used only one column in the Access table output, and the number of items on each line varied.

Since all items are written to a single output column in the Access table, we need to determine how many elements exist in the x_Names array, which is created using the Split() function from a single line of text. We use the UBound() function to get the count of items in the array before processing them.

In this example, we have an output table with a fixed number of fields: Name, Birth Date, Height, and Weight. A sample image of the output table is given below:

Right-click to open Large Image in New Tab/Window.

The VBA Code.

VBA Code that uploads the text file into the Access table is given below:

Public Function NamesList2()
'-----------------------------------------------------
'Utility: Creating Access Table from
'       : comma separated text data.
'Author : a.p.r.pillai
'Date   : May 2016
'Rights : All Rights Reserved by www.msaccesstips.com
'-----------------------------------------------------
Dim db As Database, rst As Recordset, tdef As TableDef
Dim strH As String, fld As Field, j As Integer
Dim x_Names As Variant, tblName As String, fldName As String
Dim txtfile As String

On Error GoTo NamesList2_err
tblName = "NamesList2"
txtfile = "d:\mdbs\Names2.txt" 'Make required changes 

'create the NamesList2 table
Set db = CurrentDb
Set tdef = db.CreateTableDef(tblName)
With tdef
  .Fields.Append .CreateField("Name", dbtext, 50)
  .Fields.Append .CreateField("BirthDate", dbDate)
  .Fields.Append .CreateField("Height", dbInteger)
  .Fields.Append .CreateField("Weight", dbInteger)
End With
db.TableDefs.Append tdef
db.TableDefs.Refresh

'Open the NamesList table to write names with the text file
Set rst = db.OpenRecordset(tblName)

'Open the Names2.txt file to upload data into the table
Open txtfile For Input As #1
'setup a loop to read the data till the end-of-file reached
Do While Not EOF(1)
'read the first line of items separated with commas and
'terminated with carriage return (Enter key)into variable strH
Line Input #1, strH
'extract each item separated with comma and load into the Array variable x_Names
x_Names = Split(strH, ",")

'Read each item from array elements
'and write into the NamesList2 table fields
With rst
    .AddNew
    ![Name] = x_Names(0)
    ![BirthDate] = x_Names(1)
    ![Height] = x_Names(2)
    ![Weight] = x_Names(3)
    .Update

End With
'Repeat till the End-Of-Text File is reached
Loop

NamesList2_Exit:
rst.Close
db.Close
Set rst = Nothing
Set db = Nothing
Exit Function

NamesList2_err:
If Err = 3010 Then 'Table already exists
  'continue executing from the next line onwards
  Resume Next
Else
  MsgBox Err & ": " & Err.Description, "NamesList2()"
  Resume NamesList2_Exit
End If
End Function

How IT Works.

As in the previous example, we first attempt to create a new Access table with four fields. If the table creation process returns error code 3010, it means the table already exists, and the program skips the table creation step and continues execution. Any other error code will cause the program to terminate.

Next, the text file is opened for reading, processing one line at a time. The Split() function breaks each line into individual items and stores them in the x_Names array.

The following step is to add a new record to the Access table. Each item from the array is assigned to its corresponding field before the record in the table is updated. Since each line contains four items in a fixed order, we only need to know the array index numbers to correctly assign them:

• x_Names(0) → Name

• x_Names(1) → Birth Date

• x_Names(2) → Height

• x_Names(3) → Weight

Remember, the Split() function uses a zero-based index, so the array elements are numbered 0, 1, 2, 3 in memory, corresponding to each item in the line. The program snippet below demonstrates this process.

With rst
    .AddNew
    ![Name] = x_Names(0)
    ![BirthDate] = x_Names(1)
    ![Height] = x_Names(2)
    ![Weight] = x_Names(3)
    .Update

End With

We can use the following code in place of the above code snippet:

With rst
    .AddNew
For j = 0 To UBound(x_Names)
    
    .Fields(j).Value = x_Names(j)
    
Next
    .Update
End With

The first code snippet is beginner-friendly and easy to understand. However, it becomes less efficient when there are more items on a line to upload.

The second code snippet is more compact and does not reference field names directly. This has two advantages:

1. If any field names change later, the first snippet may generate an error, whereas the second snippet will continue to work without modification.

2. The second snippet automatically handles any number of items on a line, making it more flexible and scalable for larger datasets.

The first code cannot be used for a different table, but the second code snippet works for any table without change.

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Uploading Comma Separated Text Data into Access Table

Introduction.

Converting the contents of an Access table into a comma-delimited text file (CSV format) makes it easier to transport data over the Internet. Such files can be uploaded back into an Access table or imported into virtually any other database system at the receiving end.

We have already explored the data exporting procedure in an earlier example. You can refer to that discussion, which also demonstrates the use of Access’s GetRows() function. This function efficiently copies the entire table contents into a two-dimensional array in memory with a single operation, making it an excellent tool for preparing data for export. 

Microsoft Access already has built-in data Import and Export options.

Here, we will learn how to read a Text File containing the names of Employees, each separated by a comma, and write them into a new Access table. An Image of a sample text file is given below:

Right-click to open Large Image in New Tab/Window.

An Image of the output Access Table, with a single column, is given below for reference.

Right-click to open Large Image in New Tab/Window.

1. First, create a text file using Notepad or any other text editor, and enter some sample data. Each line should contain a few names (people or products) separated by commas. Place each set of items on a new line, as shown in the earlier example.

   ⚠️ Important: Do not put a comma at the end of any line.

2. Save the Text file with the name: Names.txt, in your database folder, or in any folder you like.

3. Open your Access Database to try out the Program given below.

4. Open the VBA Editing Window and insert a new Standard Module.

5. Copy and paste the following VBA Code into the Module and save it:

   Creating a Table From Comma-Separated Text File.

   Public Function NamesList()
   '-----------------------------------------------------
   'Utility: Creating Access Table from
   '       : comma separated text data.
   'Author : a.p.r.pillai
   'Date   : April 2016
   'Rights : All Rights Reserved by www.msaccesstips.com
   '-----------------------------------------------------
   Dim db As Database, rst As Recordset, tdef As TableDef
   Dim strH As String, fld As Field, j As Integer
   Dim x_Names As Variant, tblName As String, fldName As String
   Dim txtfile As String
   
   On Error GoTo NamesList_err
   
   tblName = "NamesList"
   fldName = "Names"
   txtfile = "d:\mdbs\Names.txt" 'Change this line to correctly point where your text file is saved.
   
   'create the NamesList table with a single field: Names
   Set db = CurrentDb
   Set tdef = db.CreateTableDef(tblName)
   With tdef
     .Fields.Append .CreateField(fldName, dbtext, 50)
   End With
   db.TableDefs.Append tdef
   db.TableDefs.Refresh
   
   'Open the NamesList table to write names with the text file
   Set rst = db.OpenRecordset(tblName)
   
   'Open the Names.txt file to read text data
   Open txtfile For Input As #1
   'setup a loop to read the data till the end-of-file reached
   Do While Not EOF(1)
   'read the first line of names, separated with commas and
   'terminated with carriage return (Enter key),into String variable strH
   Line Input #1, strH
   'extract each name separated with comma and load into the Array variable x_Names
   x_Names = Split(strH, ",")
   
   'Read each name from array elements
   'and write into the NamesList table
   With rst
   For j = 0 To UBound(x_Names)
       .AddNew
       !Names = x_Names(j)
       .Update
   Next
   End With
   'Repeat till the End-Of-Text File is reached
   Loop
   close #1
   
   NamesList_Exit:
   rst.Close
   db.Close
   Set rst = Nothing
   Set db = Nothing
   Exit Function
   
   NamesList_err:
   If Err = 3010 Then 'Table already exists
     'continue executing from the next line onwards
     Resume Next
   Else
     MsgBox Err & ": " & Err.Description, "NamesList()"
     Resume NamesList_Exit
   End If
   End Function

6. Find this line in the vba code: txtfile = "d:\mdbs\Names.txt" and make the change in the correct location of your text file. Click somewhere in the middle of the Code and press the F5 Key to run the Code.

   Note: If everything went well, then you will find the Table Names list in the Navigation Pane. If you could not find it, then right-click on the top bar of the Navigation Pane and select Search Bar. Type NamesList in the Search Bar to bring up the table in view. Click on it to open and view the data.

How This Works.

• When the program runs for the first time, it creates the NamesList Table, with a single field: Names. Subsequent runs of the program ignore the table creation action and simply append the data to the existing table from the text file.

• The program reads the first text line (for example, three names separated by commas) into the string variable strH.

  We use the Line Input statement here instead of the Input statement.

  • Line Input reads the entire line of text, stopping only when it encounters a carriage return (the Enter key at the end of the line).

  • Input, on the other hand, treats the comma as a delimiter. So, it would only read the first name and stop at the comma, ignoring the rest of the line.

• The Split() Function will break up the names separately and load them into the Variant Array Variable: x_Names.

• The Array variable x_Names will be automatically dimensioned/re-dimensioned by the Split() Function, for the number of items on the input line, and each item is loaded into the elements of the array.

• In the next step, a new record is added to the Access Table for each item loaded into the array and written to the table from the array elements.

• This process is repeated for all the lines in the text file. When the end of the text file is reached, all files are closed, and the function stops.

Next week, we will learn how to work with text files that have several fields of data in a record.

• Create a Text File from Access
• Textbox and Label Inner Margins
• Memo Field Text Formatting
• Exporting and Importing Data in Text Format

Read More

DIR TREE DOS COMMANDS

Introduction.

The Dir Command, originally part of the Disk Operating System, is also available in Microsoft Access VBA. While it is commonly used to check the presence of files or folders on a disk, you can also use it to generate a complete listing of all folders and files, along with their full pathnames. For example, you can retrieve paths in the format 'C:\Folder\Subfolder\Subfolder\... or C:\Folder\Subfolder\FileName'. Such a listing is useful for reviewing disk usage, organizing files, or maintaining records for future reference.

In 1996–97, during our organization’s migration from Novell NetWare to the Windows NT system, all user departments were instructed to review their server folder structures and remove any unused or unnecessary files and folders before the transition. This requirement led me to take a closer look at the DIR command. By using a combination of optional parameters, I was able to generate a complete listing of all folders and subfolders on our department’s server, accessed through the mapped server drive on a Windows 95 client machine. This listing proved invaluable in reviewing the contents and identifying obsolete folders and files for removal before migration.

You can generate a folder listing using either the DIR command or the TREE command, each producing a different style of output. Personally, I prefer the DIR command. The TREE Command creates a graphical view, displaying the hierarchical structure of folders and subfolders. In contrast, the DIR command presents each folder and subfolder on a single line, separated by backslashes. A sample of both listings.

 styles is shown below for comparison:

Dir Command has several optional parameters to prepare listings in different ways depending on your requirements. Most of the time, we ignore these options because their usage is not common.

DOS Command Help.

You can get a list of all optional parameters with a simple help command parameter (/?). The Usage is as given below. First, let us open the DOS Command Window.

1. Right-click on the Windows Start Button and click on the Run command.
2. Type cmd in the Open control and click OK to open the DOS Command Prompt.
3. If the prompt appears as something like C:\Users\User>, then Type:

   Cd \ then press Enter key to set the prompt to C:\>

   Cd stands for Change Directory command. The \ is the name of the Root Folder. This will set the Disk Drive C root folder as the current.

   Tip: Type the Command Exit and press the Enter key to close the DOS Window, any time you want.

4. Type the following command to display a list of optional parameters of the DIR command:

   DIR /?
   

You can display the details of any DOS command and its usage in this way, by typing the command followed by /?, in the DOS Command prompt.

Display Folders in C: Drive.

Now, let us display the listing of all the folders in the C: drive on the screen.

Warning: Don't say I didn't warn you that this will be a lengthy list, and may take a few minutes to display all of them on the screen.

Tip: You may terminate the listing at any point by pressing Ctrl+C Keys.

Type the following command in the DOS Prompt and press Enter.

C:/>DIR /A:D/S/B/P

Let us take a look at each parameter given with the DIR command.

DIR Command and its few Options.

• /A - Display files with specific Attributes. Specific attributes are given, separated by a colon, like /A:D D - for directories.
• /S - include Sub-folders also in the listing.
• /B - take a Bare-format listing and exclude summary information.
• /P - display the listing Page-wise (Pause the listing when a screen full of information is displayed. Press any key to display the next page).

If you need a listing of a particular folder and its sub-folders only, then include the folder name in the command as given below:

C:/>DIR "\RADIO" /A:D/S/B/P

Saving the Directory Listing to a File.

By default, the output of a DOS command is displayed directly on the screen. If you need a printed copy, the output must first be saved to a text file. This can be done using the output redirection symbol (>) followed by the desired file name. For example, the following command saves the output to a file named FolderList.txt:

C:/>DIR "\RADIO" /A:D/S/B > FolderList.txt

Note: If you are generating a listing of all folders and subfolders/files on a disk, the process may take some time to complete and save all the details to a text file. During this period, it may appear as though the computer has hung. Be patient and wait for the DOS prompt (C:\>) to reappear.

If you wish to terminate the command before it finishes, you can press Ctrl + C.

You may open the text file FolderList.txt in any plain text editor program to take printouts.

The TYPE of Command.

You may use the following DOS command to display the contents of the text file:

Type FolderList.txt | More

Type - Displays the contents of the text file on the screen.

| (Vertical Bar) – This symbol is called the piping symbol. It directs the output of one command to another command for further processing.

For instance, when used with the Type command, the piping symbol passes its output to the More command. The More command displays the output one screen at a time, similar to using the /P parameter with the DIR command. Press any key to view the next page of output.

The TREE Command.

The TREE command displays the folder list in a hierarchical structure.

C:/>TREE | More

Display the folder structure listing page-wise.

C:/>TREE/F | More

/F parameter displays folder names followed by Filenames.

Hope you have enjoyed doing something different and useful.

• Microsoft DOS Commands in VBA
• Microsoft DOS Commands in VBA-2
• ChDir and IN Clause of Access Query
• Deleting Folders with DOS Command

Read More

Calculating Work Days from Date Range

Introduction.

How to find the number of workdays (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) from a date range in Microsoft Access?

The logic is straightforward: first, determine the number of whole weeks within the specified date range. Multiplying whole weeks by 5 gives the number of workdays from entire weeks.  From the remaining days, exclude Saturdays and Sundays, if any. Add the remaining days to the total workdays.

DateDiff() and DateAdd() functions are used for calculations, and the Format() function gets day-of-the-week in the three-character form to find Saturday and Sunday to exclude from the remaining days.

Find the VBA Code segments for the above steps below, and the full VBA Work_Days() Function Code at the end of this Article.

1. Find the number of Whole Weeks between Begin-Date and End-Date:

   WholeWeeks = DateDiff("w", BeginDate, EndDate)

   The WholeWeeks * 5 (7 - Saturdays & Sundays) will give the number of working days in whole weeks. Now, all that remains is to find how many working days are left in the remaining days, if any.

2. Find the date after all the weekdays:
   

   DateCnt = DateAdd("ww", WholeWeeks, BeginDate)

3. Find the number of workdays in the remaining days by checking and excluding Saturdays and Sundays:

   Do While DateCnt <= EndDate
         If Format(DateCnt, "ddd") <> "Sun" And _
           Format(DateCnt, "ddd") <> "Sat" Then
            EndDays = EndDays + 1
         End If
         DateCnt = DateAdd("d", 1, DateCnt)'increment the date by 1
       Loop
   

4. Calculate the Total Workdays:

   Work_Days = Wholeweeks * 5 + EndDays

The Whole Calculation in the Work_Days Function.

The full VBA Code of the Work_Days() Function is given below:

Function Work_Days(BegDate As Variant, EndDate As Variant) As Integer

   Dim WholeWeeks As Variant
   Dim DateCnt As Variant
   Dim EndDays As Integer
         
   On Error GoTo Err_Work_Days

   BegDate = DateValue(BegDate)
   EndDate = DateValue(EndDate)
'Number of whole weeks
   WholeWeeks = DateDiff("w", BegDate, EndDate)
'Next date after whole weeks of 7 days each
   DateCnt = DateAdd("ww", WholeWeeks, BegDate)
   EndDays = 0 'to count number of days except Saturday & Sunday

   Do While DateCnt <= EndDate
      If Format(DateCnt, "ddd") <> "Sun" And _
        Format(DateCnt, "ddd") <> "Sat" Then
         EndDays = EndDays + 1
      End If
      DateCnt = DateAdd("d", 1, DateCnt)'increment the date by 1
    Loop
'Calculate total work days and return the result
   Work_Days = WholeWeeks * 5 + EndDays

Exit Function

Err_Work_Days:

    ' If either BegDate or EndDate is Null, return a zero
    ' to indicate that no workdays passed between the two dates.

    If Err.Number = 94 Then
                Work_Days = 0
    Exit Function
    Else
' If some other error occurs, provide a message.
    MsgBox "Error " & Err.Number & ": " & Err.Description
    End If

End Function

The above VBA Code was taken from the Microsoft Access Help Document.

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• GetRows Function and Exporting Data
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Microsoft Access Form Move Size Action

Introduction.

We design Access Forms that fits into the existing Application Window Width (to display/edit records), or design popup Forms with specific size without borders or scroll bars (can be moved out of the Application Window area too) or Modal type form (popup type forms with its Modal property value set to True) that must be closed, after taking suggested action on it, before you can work with other forms.

This type of form opens one over the other (when more than one form is open) on the Application Window. You must enable Overlapping Windows by selecting Office Button - - > Access Options - - > Current Database - - > Document Window Options - - > Overlapping Windows to open the forms in this way; otherwise, they will be opened in the Tabbed style in the Application Window.

The Pop-Up Forms.

Popup Forms will open on the exact location of the Application Window, from where you have saved it during design time. If you need more details on this topic, visit this Article Link: Positioning pop-up Forms.

We can open a Microsoft Access Form and move it to a particular location of the Application Window is in the resized state, if necessary, with the MoveSize Action on the Docmd Object.

The MoveSize Action.

Here, we will learn the usage of the MoveSize Action of the DoCmd Object in VBA.

View the YouTube Demo Video given below for reference. Select the 720p HD Option from the Settings for better quality viewing.

Demo Video

When the Supplier Code is selected on the Supplier List Form, the related Product List is displayed,  above the Supplier Form, to the right of the main form. The width of the Product List Form is not changed, but the height of it changes, depending on the number of items on it.

Right-click to open Large Image in New Tab/Window.

We need two tables, two Queries, and the Supplier List Form from the Northwind sample database to build this trick. You need to design a Form for the Product List. A Demo Database is given at the end of this Article to download and try out, right away.

The list of Tables, Queries, and Forms required to build this database is given below.

Tables:

• Suppliers
• Products

Queries:

• Suppliers Extended
• ProductListQ

SQL Code:

SELECT Products.[Supplier IDs], Right([Product Name],Len([product name])-17) AS Product, Products.[List Price], Products.[Quantity Per Unit]
FROM Products
WHERE (((Products.[Supplier IDs].Value)=[forms]![Supplier List]![id]));

Forms:

• Supplier List
• Product List

Copy and Paste the following VBA Code into the Supplier List Form's VBA Module and save the Form:

Private Sub Company_Click()
Dim frm As Form, ProductForm As String, items As Integer
Dim mainFormHeight As Integer
Dim intHeader As Integer, intFooter As Integer
Dim intH As Integer, frmchild As Form, oneInchTwips As Integer

On Error GoTo Company_Click_Err

ProductForm = "Product List"
oneInchTwips = 1440 'Form's internal value conversion factor

mainFormHeight = Me.WindowHeight

For Each frm In Forms
  If frm.Name = ProductForm Then
    DoCmd.Close acForm, ProductForm
    Exit For
  End If
Next
DoCmd.OpenForm ProductForm
Forms(ProductForm).Refresh
items = DCount("*", "ProductListQ")

Set frmchild = Forms(ProductForm)
'Calc the required height of the chid-form
'based on number of items for selected supplier
intHeader = frmchild.Section(acHeader).Height
intFooter = frmchild.Section(acFooter).Height
'0.272 inch - product item row height
intH = intHeader + items * 0.272 * oneInchTwips + intFooter
intH = intH + oneInchTwips '- one inch margin from bottom
'Move and resize the height of the child form
'4.275 inches to the right from left of the Application Window
'1.25 inches - arbitrary value taken for bottom margin
DoCmd.MoveSize 4.275 * oneInchTwips, mainFormHeight - intH, , (items * 0.272 + 1.25) * oneInchTwips

Company_Click_Exit:
Exit Sub

Company_Click_Err:
MsgBox Err & ": " & Err.Description, , "Company_Click()"
Resume Company_Click_Exit

End Sub

Private Sub Form_Current()
Me.Refresh
End Sub

Note: Don't forget to change the Overlapping Windows option in the Access Option settings mentioned in paragraph two from the top.

1. Open Supplier List Form.
2. Click on the Supplier ID Field (with the Company column heading) of any record to open the  Supplier products List to display, in the Resized Product List Form, and move it to its specified location.

Download the Demo Database.

Download Demo MoveSize Demo.zip

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