Pass a form reference to a form...

[thatguyNYC]

This is a complicated one...

I have a modal form that lets the user preview some text, then either click Submit or Close. This form is called from several other forms.

What I would like, since Access can't return a value from a form, is to set (from the modal form) a hidden checkbox on the calling form, which would show which button the user pressed on the modal form.

My problem is this -- how can I pass the name of the calling form (which may be a subform) to the modal form, so I can set the checkbox on the calling form.

I've thought to just pass Me.Name, and then in the modal form, using Forms(Me.OpenArgs).chkRetval... but when calling from a subform, that fails. I've also considered setting a flag on the modal form, hiding it, reading the flag from the calling form and then closing the modal form, but that seems messy, so it's a last resort.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

[JKing]

I'm a little confused as why you would need to capture which button has been clicked? Why not just add the relevant code to the onclick of the button rather than perform the actions from another forms module?

[thatguyNYC]

I'm a little confused as why you would need to capture which button has been clicked? Why not just add the relevant code to the onclick of the button rather than perform the actions from another forms module?

This form allows the user to preview some text before writing it out to another database. I need to know if the user published the text or closed the form without publishing. Based on that, the calling form will either update a "published date" or not. It's a lot cleaner if the calling form takes care of writing that date, instead of the modal form because the published date will not always be in the same table.

[JKing]

What about a message box with a yes or no button. You can capture which button is pressed and act accordingly.

[thatguyNYC]

What about a message box with a yes or no button. You can capture which button is pressed and act accordingly.

The text will typically be too much for a msgbox. Plus, the user wants to be able to edit the text in the preview window.. which means it isn't actually a preview anymore, but the changes made won't be reflected in the local database -- just pushed to the sql server.

It's a complicated thing.

[JKing]

How about creating a global string variable. On submit click the "preview"text is stored in the string on close click the string is set to "".

Then the other form can check the string if it's null do nothing, if its not null send the text to the appropriate location.

[thatguyNYC]

I try to avoid global vars at all costs in Access.. I hate them almost as much as Goto's.. hehe

I think I'll just go with my Plan B until a better idea comes along.. on clicking either button, set a hidden flag on the modal form, hide the form, read the flag from the calling form and then close the modal form.

Thanks for the replies.

[Denburt]

If I understand correctly I have utilized something similar in the past but i use the tag. When you Open the Modal dialog box insert the calling forms name into the tag. Now you know what form originally called the modal form. When you close the modal form call the modal forms tag like so.

Open the modal form:
Docmd.openform "ModalBtch"
Forms!ModalBtch.Tag = me.name

Then on closing the modal form you specify the button clicked and assign it to the calling forms tag like so.

Forms(me.tag).tag = "Print"

[thatguyNYC]

If I understand correctly I have utilized something similar in the past but i use the tag. When you Open the Modal dialog box insert the calling forms name into the tag. Now you know what form originally called the modal form. When you close the modal form call the modal forms tag like so.

Open the modal form:
Docmd.openform "ModalBtch"
Forms!ModalBtch.Tag = me.name

Then on closing the modal form you specify the button clicked and assign it to the calling forms tag like so.

Forms(me.tag).tag = "Print"

Thanks for the thought, but (as far as I can figure), this wouldn't work with subforms.. Unless I set the parent form's Tag property, but then I'd need to pass Me.Parent.Name.. this is getting messy.

[FishVal]

Thanks for the thought, but (as far as I can figure), this wouldn't work with subforms.. Unless I set the parent form's Tag property, but then I'd need to pass Me.Parent.Name.. this is getting messy.

Hi, there.

This simple code will help you to get reference to Form object by name no matter it was openes as main form or as subform with any possible level of nesting.

Public Function GetForm(ByVal strFormName As String) As Access.Form
 
    For Each frm In Forms
        If frm.Name = strFormName Then
            Set GetForm = frm
            Exit Function
        Else
            Set GetForm = ScanFormControls(strFormName, frm.Controls)
            If Not (GetForm Is Nothing) Then Exit Function
        End If
    Next
 
End Function
 
Private Function ScanFormControls(ByVal strFormToFind As String, _
                                  ByRef frmControlsToScan As Controls) As Access.Form
 
    On Error GoTo NextIteration
    For Each ctrl In frmControlsToScan
        If TypeName(ctrl) = "SubForm" Then
            If ctrl.Form.Name = strFormToFind Then
                Set ScanFormControls = ctrl.Form
                Exit Function
            Else
                Set ScanFormControls = _
                    ScanFormControls(strFormToFind, ctrl.Form.Controls)
                If Not (ScanFormControls Is Nothing) Then Exit Function
            End If
        End If
NextIteration:
    Next
 
End Function
 

[FishVal]

BTW another interesting solution.

Let us say you have form "Main" from which you open form "Popup" with two buttons.

Form_Main module:

Option Compare Database
Dim WithEvents frmForm As Form_Popup
 
Private Sub Command0_Click()
    DoCmd.OpenForm "Popup"
    Set frmForm = Forms!PopUp
End Sub
 
Private Sub Form_Close()
    Set frmForm = Nothing
End Sub
 
Private Sub frmForm_Button1Clicked()
    MsgBox "Button1 clicked"
End Sub
 
Private Sub frmForm_Button2Clicked()
    MsgBox "Button2 clicked"
End Sub
 

Form_Popup module:

Option Compare Database
Event Button1Clicked()
Event Button2Clicked()
 
Private Sub btnButton1_Click()
    RaiseEvent Button1Clicked
End Sub
 
Private Sub btnButton2_Click()
    RaiseEvent Button2Clicked
End Sub
 

I hope this nice solution makes a sense.

[thatguyNYC]

Wow -- Go Go FishVal !

First off, the functions to return a form ref are awesome.. thank you.

And I didn't even know about declaring Events.. so thanks and kudos all-round.