ACC: How to Use Automation to Modify Microsoft Graph Object in Microsoft Access 95 and Microsoft Access 97

MORE INFORMATION

CAUTION: Following the steps in this example will modify the sample database Northwind.mdb. You may want to back up the file, or perform these steps on a copy of the Northwind database.

NOTE: To use the Visual Basic for Applications procedures in this article, you must have a reference to Microsoft Graph.

Creating a Sample Graph

To be able to use the procedures to add or to remove a title or to hide or to show a legend, first create the following form:

1. On the Forms tab, click New.
2. Click the Chart Wizard, and then select the Category Sales for 1994 query in Microsoft Access 95 or Category Sales for 1995 query in Microsoft Access 97. Click OK.
3. Move both fields from the Available Fields list to the Fields For Chart list, and then Click Next.
4. Click Finish.
5. On the View menu, click Design View.
6. Right-click on the graph, click Properties, and then click the All tab.
7. Change the Name property to Graph1.
8. Close the property sheet.
9. Save the form with the name GraphTest, and then close it.

Adding or Removing a Graph's Title

The following example demonstrates how to use Automation to add or remove a graph's title.

1. Open the GraphTest form in Design view.
2. On the View menu, click Properties, and then click the All tab.
3. Change the DataEntry property of the form to Yes.
4. Add the following command button to the form:

         Command Button
         --------------
         Name: Title
         Caption: Toggle Caption
   					

5. Set the OnClick property of the Toggle Caption command button to the following event procedure:

         Sub Title_Click()
   
            '-------------------------------------------------------
            ' Show or hide the title by using the Not Operator to
            ' reverse the state of the HasTitle property
            '-------------------------------------------------------
   
            Me!Graph1.Hastitle = Not Me!Graph1.Hastitle
   
            ' If the graph has a title, set the Caption to something
            If Me!Graph1.Hastitle Then
               Me!Graph1.ChartTitle.Text = "Sample Title"
            End If
   
         End Sub
   					

6. Add the following line to the Declarations section of the Sales By Product form's form module if it's not already there:

         Option Explicit
   					

7. On the View menu, click Form view, and then click the Toggle Caption button. Note that the graph's title either appears or disappears.

Hiding or Showing a Graph's Legend

The following example demonstrates how to hide or to show a legend on a graph.

1. Open the GraphTest form in Design view.
2. Add a command button with the following properties to the form:

         Command Button
         ----------------------
         Name: Legend
         Caption: Toggle Legend
   					

3. Set the OnClick property of the Toggle Legend command button to the following event procedure:

         Sub Legend_Click ()
   
            '-----------------------------------------------------------
            ' If the legend is not present, show it; otherwise, hide it.
            ' Use the Not Operator to reverse the state of the HasLegend
            ' property of the graph.
            '-----------------------------------------------------------
   
            Me!Graph1.Haslegend = Not Me!Graph1.Haslegend
   
         End Sub
   					

4. Add the following line to the Declarations section of the Sales By Product form's form module if it's not already there:

         Option Explicit
   					

5. On the View menu, click Form view, and then click the Toggle Legend button. Note that the graph's legend either appears or disappears.

NOTE: Depending on the how the graph was created, you may have to click the Toggle Legend button twice the first time that you use it to see the described functionality.