Create a custom dialog

[Gord]

In VB6, a custom dialog can be easily created by adding a new form, adding
whatever controls you like, sizing it as you like, adding code and then just
loading/unloading it whenever you like.
Using Access 07, a form is a little different beast and it would appear a
custom dialog cannot be created in the same way.

How does one go about creating a custom dialog?

Note that I am not well experienced in programming but I have a couple of
books (including 'Access 2007 Inside Out') that I can refer too as well as
the online help that comes with Access. I don't necessarily need a detailed
answer but at least some general idea of where to look to accomplish the
same effect as is in VB6.

Thanks,

Gord

[Rick Brandt]

Gord wrote:

In VB6, a custom dialog can be easily created by adding a new form,
adding whatever controls you like, sizing it as you like, adding code
and then just loading/unloading it whenever you like.
Using Access 07, a form is a little different beast and it would
appear a custom dialog cannot be created in the same way.

How does one go about creating a custom dialog?

Note that I am not well experienced in programming but I have a
couple of books (including 'Access 2007 Inside Out') that I can refer
too as well as the online help that comes with Access. I don't
necessarily need a detailed answer but at least some general idea of
where to look to accomplish the same effect as is in VB6.

If you open the form with the acDialog option is should work exactly as you
describe. At least I assume that this would ignore that stupid tabbed form
interface in 2007.

--
Rick Brandt, Microsoft Access MVP
Email (as appropriate) to...
RBrandt at Hunter dot com

[Gord]

Rick,

I'm afraid that stupid tabbed form interface still persists. Using acDialog
seems to open the form in 'Datasheet' view.

As a small aside, I must also be missing something basic here because no
matter what property settings I play around with in design view on the form,
the form always opens up full size. In design view, I drag the corner to
make the form quite small, but is still goes full. In the form properties,
I've played around with 'Auto Resize', 'Fit to screen', 'Auto Center',
'Allow DataSheet View', 'Border Style' (set that one to Dialog), 'Control
Box' etc. etc. Nothing seems to have any effect. The form always goes to
full size.

The help in Acces and the book on Access don't seem to have much to offer on
making a custom dialog. Unless there is some completely different way of
doing it and I'm not searching with the right keywords.

If I can get the form to size the way I want, get rid of the tab, and have
the form 'free floating', then I'd have what I want.

Any other possibilities/suggestions would be much appreciated.

Gord
"Rick Brandt" <ri*********@hotmail.comwrote in message
news:DH*****************@nlpi066.nbdc.sbc.com...

Gord wrote:

>In VB6, a custom dialog can be easily created by adding a new form,
adding whatever controls you like, sizing it as you like, adding code
and then just loading/unloading it whenever you like.
Using Access 07, a form is a little different beast and it would
appear a custom dialog cannot be created in the same way.

How does one go about creating a custom dialog?

Note that I am not well experienced in programming but I have a
couple of books (including 'Access 2007 Inside Out') that I can refer
too as well as the online help that comes with Access. I don't
necessarily need a detailed answer but at least some general idea of
where to look to accomplish the same effect as is in VB6.

If you open the form with the acDialog option is should work exactly as
you describe. At least I assume that this would ignore that stupid tabbed
form interface in 2007.

--
Rick Brandt, Microsoft Access MVP
Email (as appropriate) to...
RBrandt at Hunter dot com

[Rick Brandt]

Gord wrote:

Rick,

I'm afraid that stupid tabbed form interface still persists. Using
acDialog seems to open the form in 'Datasheet' view.

As a small aside, I must also be missing something basic here because
no matter what property settings I play around with in design view on
the form, the form always opens up full size. In design view, I drag
the corner to make the form quite small, but is still goes full. In
the form properties, I've played around with 'Auto Resize', 'Fit to
screen', 'Auto Center', 'Allow DataSheet View', 'Border Style' (set
that one to Dialog), 'Control Box' etc. etc. Nothing seems to have
any effect. The form always goes to full size.

The help in Acces and the book on Access don't seem to have much to
offer on making a custom dialog. Unless there is some completely
different way of doing it and I'm not searching with the right
keywords.
If I can get the form to size the way I want, get rid of the tab, and
have the form 'free floating', then I'd have what I want.

Any other possibilities/suggestions would be much appreciated.

I have messed *very little* with 2007, but somewhere in there is an option
to switch between the default "tabbed forms" interface and the traditional
forms.

--
Rick Brandt, Microsoft Access MVP
Email (as appropriate) to...
RBrandt at Hunter dot com

[Albert D. Kallal]

"Gord" <x1******@telus.netwrote in message
news:NBOFk.170$Oj.60@edtnps83...

In VB6, a custom dialog can be easily created by adding a new form, adding
whatever controls you like, sizing it as you like, adding code and then
just loading/unloading it whenever you like.
Using Access 07, a form is a little different beast and it would appear a
custom dialog cannot be created in the same way.

Sure, it much can be.

>
How does one go about creating a custom dialog?

You simply open the form in dialog mode. This ALSO WORKS if you using the
tabbed mode.

So, ignore the suggestions that you need to change or turn off the tabbed
mode. However, if you want separate forms, then simply turn off the tabbed
feature and you get old style windows. However this have NOTHING AT ALL to
do with making dialog forms. dialog forms work regardless of your tabbed
setting.

I explain how to open dialog forms, and I also explain how your code can
"halt/wait" for the dialog form, and I also then pull values out of the form
(and you can do this without having to use global vars to pull/pass values
from the form).

I explain this here:

http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKal...log/Index.html
By the way, if you want to turn off tabbed forms, you can go:

office button->access options->current database->

you will see an option for overlapping windows, or tabbed. However,
if you use dialog forms, they ignore this setting anyway.....
--
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
pl*****************@msn.com

[Albert D. Kallal]

"Rick Brandt" <ri*********@hotmail.comwrote in message
news:DH*****************@nlpi066.nbdc.sbc.com...

If you open the form with the acDialog option is should work exactly as
you describe. At least I assume that this would ignore that stupid tabbed
form interface in 2007.

Hum, very good thought...and you are 100% correct in your assuming......
--
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
pl*****************@msn.com

[Rick Brandt]

Albert D. Kallal wrote:

"Rick Brandt" <ri*********@hotmail.comwrote in message
news:DH*****************@nlpi066.nbdc.sbc.com...

>If you open the form with the acDialog option is should work exactly
as you describe. At least I assume that this would ignore that
stupid tabbed form interface in 2007.

Hum, very good thought...and you are 100% correct in your
assuming......

A dialog form that followed the tabbed interface style certainly didn't
sound right to me. Does one have to use acDialog to get a floating form or
does Popup also produce that effect? Again, it seems obvious that it
should, but nothing surprises me any more.

--
Rick Brandt, Microsoft Access MVP
Email (as appropriate) to...
RBrandt at Hunter dot com

[Chuck]

On Sat, 04 Oct 2008 20:08:48 GMT, "Gord" <x1******@telus.netwrote:

>Rick,

I'm afraid that stupid tabbed form interface still persists. Using acDialog
seems to open the form in 'Datasheet' view.

As a small aside, I must also be missing something basic here because no
matter what property settings I play around with in design view on the form,
the form always opens up full size. In design view, I drag the corner to
make the form quite small, but is still goes full. In the form properties,
I've played around with 'Auto Resize', 'Fit to screen', 'Auto Center',
'Allow DataSheet View', 'Border Style' (set that one to Dialog), 'Control
Box' etc. etc. Nothing seems to have any effect. The form always goes to
full size.

Check to see if you have a macro that has Maximize in it.
Sometimes I put it as the last command in an autoexec macro.

Chuck
--

[Albert D. Kallal]

"Rick Brandt" <ri*********@hotmail.comwrote in message
news:mn****************@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...

>>If you open the form with the acDialog option is should work exactly
as you describe. At least I assume that this would ignore that
stupid tabbed form interface in 2007.

Hum, very good thought...and you are 100% correct in your
assuming......

A dialog form that followed the tabbed interface style certainly didn't
sound right to me. Does one have to use acDialog to get a floating form
or does Popup also produce that effect? Again, it seems obvious that it
should, but nothing surprises me any more.

Once again, your "guess" is a good one, and you are 100% correct. So, both
dialog forms, and also forms with the popup = yes do float.

A model form does NOT float, but DOES auto-hide the navigation bar (since it
can't receive the focus).
--
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
pl*****************@msn.com

[Lou O]

On Oct 4, 3:08*pm, "Gord" <[e-mail]:

Rick,

I'm afraid that stupid tabbed form interface still persists. *Using acDialog
seems to open the form in 'Datasheet' view.

As a small aside, I must also be missing something basic here because no
matter what property settings I play around with in design view on the form,
the form always opens up full size. *In design view, I drag the corner to
make the form quite small, but is still goes full. *In the form properties,
I've played around with 'Auto Resize', 'Fit to screen', 'Auto Center',
'Allow DataSheet View', 'Border Style' (set that one to Dialog), 'Control
Box' etc. etc. *Nothing seems to have any effect. *The form always goes to
full size.

The help in Acces and the book on Access don't seem to have much to offeron
making a custom dialog. *Unless there is some completely different way of
doing it and I'm not searching with the right keywords.

If I can get the form to size the way I want, get rid of the tab, and have
the form 'free floating', then I'd have what I want.

Any other possibilities/suggestions would be much appreciated.

Gord

"Rick Brandt" <[e-mail] in message

news:DH*****************@nlpi066.nbdc.sbc.com...

Gord wrote:

In VB6, a custom dialog can be easily created by adding a new form,
adding whatever controls you like, sizing it as you like, adding code
and then just loading/unloading it whenever you like.
Using Access 07, a form is a little different beast and it would
appear a custom dialog cannot be created in the same way.

How does one go about creating a custom dialog?

Note that I am not well experienced in programming but I have a
couple of books (including 'Access 2007 Inside Out') that I can refer
too as well as the online help that comes with Access. *I don't
necessarily need a detailed answer but at least some general idea of
where to look to accomplish the same effect as is in VB6.

If you open the form with the acDialog option is should work exactly as
you describe. *At least I assume that this would ignore that stupid tabbed
form interface in 2007.

--
Rick Brandt, Microsoft Access MVP
Email (as appropriate) to...
RBrandt * at * Hunter * dot * com

Make sure the Dialogue form is closed first (in tab mode close the
tab).
Then it will open as a Dialogue with the following code
DoCmd.OpenForm "FormName", , , , , acDialog