Can Anybody help me to create "Find" Window in access

[zareh]

I need to create a process exactly like Access Find window which can search anything anywhere.

e.g. A form contains one or two sub forms which show some data. The user can select one of the fields on the sub forms and clicks a button. A new form opens and asks the search item. When the search item in entered , it should find the item in the sub form selected.
I did this with the search item on the same form and it works fine. BUT when it is done from other form then I have an error. I used FindRecord method.
Any help is appreciated.

[NeoPa]

Let's start by asking you to post the code you have already tried with an explanation of what went wrong and where.

If you already have it working on the main form then getting it to work on the subforms should be a simple matter of adjusting your references. See Referring to Items on a Sub-Form for more on that aspect.

[zareh]

Actually I made some progress since I posted this question here.

BUT not 100%.

The codes are little bit long, NOT actually long but in many places.

My main problem is to refer to the
* main form
* sub form
* and field name which had the focus

BY variable name. Because this search must work for every form the user opens. When these items are known then I have to use the followings:

Dim a As Control
Dim b As Form
Set a = Screen.PreviousControl
Set b = Screen.ActiveForm
e = a.Name     'last control name
d = b.Name     ' last form name
 
Forms(d).Controls(e).SetFocus ''''''''here is the problem
 
Searchitem = Text0
 
DoCmd.FindRecord Searchitem, acStart, False, acSearchAll, False, acCurrent, True

Now my problem is where I marked above.
Sometimes "e" becomes the sub form's name and sometimes it becomes the field's name (in the sub form).

Any help?
Can we attache a file here?
Thanks

[NeoPa]

That's the code and where the problem occurred - but not what went wrong.

[zareh]

Thanks for the reply.
On the main form I have a command button which opens the search form. In the search form I have a text box which is for the search item input and two command buttons. One is for "Find First" and the other is for "Find Next". When search item is entered and "Find First" is clicked, fist occurrences of the search item is found without problem, but when Find Next is clicked, an error msg appears :
Run-time error '2162':
A macro set to one of the current fields properties failed because of an error in a FindRecord action argument.

The interesting thing is : when I press Debug on this error msg box, program stops and when I press F5 it finds the search item (next one) without any error.??????!!!!!

It's making me crazy !!!!!!!!!!!!

Any help would be appreciated.

[NeoPa]

The code you posted doesn't match your explanation. If the code that fails is for the FindNext button then we need to see that code - with the procedure wrappers (Private Sub ... End Sub).

If it's a macro instead, then we're not communicating very well. Frankly, macros (non-VBA code) is not something I'm interested in helping with as I have little experience of them and never recommend using them. Also, trying to communicate what's going on with macros is too difficult to be reliable and we just waste loads of time and effort.

All in all, if it's macros rather than VBA then I'm not able/willing to help. If it's VBA code then please post what you're actually having problems with.

[zareh]

Thanks for the reply.

This is not a macro.

In the Find Next button I have :

Forms(d).Controls(e).SetFocus
 
searchitem = Text0
 
DoCmd.FindRecord searchitem, acStart, False, acSearchAll, False, acCurrent, False
 

This part makes me really mad : (I said before)
when I press Debug on this error msg box, program stops and when I press F5 it finds the search item (next one) without any error.??????!!!!!Every time ???!!!!

Thanks again.

[NeoPa]

Please reread my last post carefully. Particularly in relation to what we need you to post in order to continue.

[zareh]

Thanks a lot, Here is the complete codes:

 
'This is on the click event of a command button on the main form which opens the search form.
 
Private Sub Command3_Click()
Dim a As Control
Dim b As Form
Set a = Screen.PreviousControl
Set b = Screen.ActiveForm
e = a.Name           'last control name
d = b.Name           ' last form name
On Error GoTo Err_Command3_Click
    Dim stDocName As String
    Dim stLinkCriteria As String
    stDocName = "Search"
    DoCmd.OpenForm stDocName, , , stLinkCriteria
 
Exit_Command3_Click:
    Exit Sub
 
Err_Command3_Click:
    MsgBox Err.Description
    Resume Exit_Command3_Click
 
End Sub
 
 
'This is on the click event of the "Find First" button on the Search form.
Private Sub FindFirst_Click()
Forms(d).Controls(e).SetFocus
searchitem = Text0
DoCmd.FindRecord searchitem, acStart, False, acSearchAll, False, acCurrent, True
End Sub
 
'This is on the click event of the "Find Next" button on the Search form.
Private Sub FindNext_Click()
Forms(d).Controls(e).SetFocus
searchitem = Text0
DoCmd.FindRecord searchitem, acStart, False, acSearchAll, False, acCurrent, False
End Sub
'''''''''''''''''''
 
'Also I have a module which declares the Global variables "a,b,d,e"
 

[NeoPa]

Am I confused?

You were asking about what happens when the find next button is clicked. This code is for opening the search form. How can this code allow us to continue?

[zareh]

Command3_click opens the Search form.

At the bottom of the codes you can see another sub which is for FindNext button. Private Sub FindNext_Click()

[NeoPa]

Clearly I was confused! Apologies for that.

Your code for FindNext uses FindRecord(). This should also work, but I suspect setting the Search parameter to acSearchAll is possibly overriding the FindFirst parameter (False).

So try these remedies :

1. Use DoCmd.FindNext() instead.
2. Use acDown for the Search parameter.

[zareh]

Thanks a lot.

I tried but the result is the same.

[NeoPa]

Really? You tried FindNext() and it did what? Kept finding the first occurrence?

[zareh]

FindNext() does not work at all. It does NOTHING, no finding no error.

May be the parameters are not correct. I used exactly :

DoCmd.FindNext()

[NeoPa]

You need to pass relevant parameters if you want it to do anything.

[zareh]

In the FindNext there is no parameter to pass. I looked at the VB help.
'''''''''''''''''''''''

FindNext Method
See AlsoApplies ToExampleSpecificsThe FindNext method carries out the FindNext action in Visual Basic.

expression.FindNext
expression Required. An expression that returns a DoCmd object.

Remarks
This method has no arguments and can be called using the syntax DoCmd.FindNext.

You can use the FindNext method to find the next record that meets the criteria specified by the previous FindRecord method or the Find In Field dialog box, available by clicking Find on the Edit menu. You can use the FindNext method to search repeatedly for records. For example, you can move successively through all the records for a specific customer.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

[NeoPa]

I beg your pardon. My mistake. Very strange, as I thought I'd checked it out myself earlier. Now I can't remember what it was I saw but as you say, it clearly wasn't that.

Frankly, I believe using unspecified DoCmd commands is a poor approach. It requires that the correct object is active in order for it to work as expected. They are available to support macro programming, which is kludgy at best. A more reliable approach would be to use DAO recordsets and do the searching either on the form's .Recordset or .RecordsetClone objects. If you use .RecordsetClone for the searching you need to follow that with setting the current record on the form itself by setting the .Recordset.Bookmark to the .RecordsetClone.Bookmark.

[zareh]

OK thanks a lot.
Appreciate your time.