Knowledge Base

ACC2000: Can't Use OutputTo Method with Form or Report Modules

Article ID: 200638

Article Last Modified on 12/12/2002

Microsoft Access 2000 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q200638

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

SYMPTOMS

When you use the OutputTo method in Visual Basic for Applications to output a form or report module to a text file, you may receive the following error message:

Run-time error '2289'
Microsoft Access can't output the module in the requested format.

CAUSE

You cannot use the OutputTo method in Visual Basic for Applications to output form or report modules. Form or report modules are class modules that contain code that is local to the form or report. They do not appear in the Database window as standard modules do. You can only output modules that appear in the Database window with the OutputTo method.

RESOLUTION

When you use the OutputTo method, only output standard modules and class modules that are not associated with any form or report.

NOTE: A workaround for this is to copy all the code from the form or report module and paste it into a word processing document; then you can save the word processing document as a text file.

MORE INFORMATION

The "OutputTo" topic in Microsoft Access Help states that you can output a module to a file in MS-DOS Text format. However online Help does not say which type of class modules can be output to a file. The only class modules that you can output are those that appear in the Database window.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.
Press CTRL+G to display the Immediate window.
Type the following in the Immediate window, and then press ENTER:
```
docmd.OutputTo acModule, "Employees", acFormatTXT, "C:\MyText.txt"
						
```
Note that you receive the error message mentioned in the "Symptoms" section.

REFERENCES

For more information about the OutputTo method, click Microsoft Access Help on the Help menu, type OutputTo Method in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.

Additional query words: can t cannot run time error 2289

Keywords: kberrmsg kbprogramming kbprb KB200638