ACC: Set the RowSource Property of a Report Graph Dynamically

MORE INFORMATION

If you try to set the RowSource property of a Graph object on a report in Print Preview, you may receive the following error message.

Microsoft Access 7.0 and 97

Microsoft Access 2.0

You must open the report in Design view first, set the RowSource property of the Graph object, and then print or view the report. In the following example, you create a macro to open a report in Design view, set the RowSource property of a graph, and then display the report in Print Preview. Then the macro is attached to a command button on a form to dynamically change the contents of the graph based on the current record on the form.

CAUTION: Following the steps in this example will modify the sample database Northwind.mdb (or NWIND.MDB in Microsoft Access 2.0). You may want to back up the Northwind.mdb (or NWIND.MDB) file and perform these steps on a copy of the database.

Creating the Graph Report

1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb (or NWIND.MDB in 2.0).
2. Create a new report not based on any table or query in Design view.
3. Add a graph to the detail section of the report showing the total number of customer orders taken by each employee.
   
   In Microsoft Access 7.0 and 97:
   
   
   1. On the Insert menu, click Chart, and then click in the detail section of the report to invoke the Chart Wizard.
   2. In the "Which table or query would you like to use to create your chart?" dialog box, select the Orders table, and then click Next.
   3. In the "Which fields contain the data you want for the chart?" dialog box, add OrderID and EmployeeID to the Fields For Chart box, and then click Next.
   4. In the "What type of chart would you like" dialog box, click Column Chart, and then click Next.
   5. In the "How do you want to lay out the data in your chart?" dialog box, drag OrderID to Data (at the upper-left of the graph). Drag EmployeeID to Axis (at the bottom of the graph). Leave Series blank, and then click Next.
   6. In the "What title would you like for your chart" dialog box, click Finish.
   In Microsoft Access 2.0:
   
   
   1. Click the Graph button on the Toolbox toolbar, and then click in the detail section of the report to invoke the Graph Wizard.
   2. In the "Where do you want your graph to get its data?" dialog box, select the Orders table and then click Next.
   3. In the "Which fields contain the data you want for your graph?" dialog box, add Order ID and Employee ID to the Fields For graph box, and then click Next.
   4. In the "What categories do you want along the graph's axis?" dialog box, add Employee ID to the Categories For Axis box, and then click Next.
   5. In the "How to you want to calculate the totals for each category on your graph?" dialog box, click "Count the number of records in each category," and then click Next.
   6. In the "What type of graph do you want?" dialog box, click Next.
   7. In the "What title do you want on your chart?" dialog box, click Finish.
4. Set the Name property of the graph object to GraphTest.
5. Save the report as OrdersPerEmployee and close it.

Creating the Macro

1. Create a new macro called RptGraph with the following actions.
   
   NOTE: In the SetValue expression of the following macro, an underscore (_) at the end of a line is used as a line-continuation character. Remove the underscore from the end of the line when re-creating this expression.
   
   NOTE: In the SetValue expression of the following macro, type a space in [Employee ID], [Order ID], and [Customer ID] in Microsoft Access 2.0.

       Macro Name   Action
       -----------------------
       RptGraph     Echo
                    OpenReport
                    SetValue
                    RunCommand (or DoMenuItem in versions 2.0 and 7.0)
                    OpenReport
                    Echo
   
       RptGraph Actions
       ------------------------------------------------------------
       Echo
          Echo On: No
       OpenReport
          Report Name: OrdersPerEmployee
          View: Design
       SetValue
          Item: Reports!OrdersPerEmployee!GraphTest.RowSource
          Expression: "SELECT [EmployeeID], Count([OrderID]) as _
             [Number of Orders] FROM [Orders] where [CustomerID] = _
             Forms!Customers![CustomerID] GROUP BY [EmployeeID];"
   						

   In Microsoft Access 97 only, use the following Runcommand:

       RunCommand
          Command: Save
   						

   In Microsoft Access 2.0 and 7.0 only, use the following DoMenuItem:

       DoMenuItem
          Menu Bar: Report
          Menu Name: File
          Command: Save
   
       OpenReport
          Report Name: OrdersPerEmployee
          View: Print Preview
       Echo
         Echo On: Yes

2. Save the macro and close it.

Adding the Macro to a Button on a Form

1. Open the Customers form in Design view.
2. Add a command button to the Form Header section of the form and set the following properties:

         Command Button
         --------------
         Name: OpenReport
         Caption: Preview Graph
         OnClick: RptGraph

3. Open the form in Form view and click the Preview Graph button. Note that the graph report opens and shows a count of orders taken, by employee, for the current customer record.
4. Close the report and return to the Customers form.
5. Move to a different customer record and click the Preview Graph button. Note that the graph report opens and shows orders, by employee, for the current customer record.