KB201088 - ACC2000: BeforeUpdate and AfterUpdate Properties Not Working

Article ID: 201088

Article Last Modified on 7/14/2004

Microsoft Access 2000 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q201088

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

This article applies to a Microsoft Access database (.mdb) and to a Microsoft Access project (.adp).

For a Microsoft Access 2002 version of this article, see 289895.

SYMPTOMS

The macro or function attached to the BeforeUpdate or AfterUpdate property of a bound control does not run when expected.

CAUSE

The BeforeUpdate and AfterUpdate events of a bound control are not triggered if the bound control is first modified by a macro or by code.

RESOLUTION

You can work around this behavior by causing the macro or code that modifies the bound control to manually trigger the event pointed to by the BeforeUpdate or AfterUpdate property of the bound control.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.

Create the following macro called TestCityForNull:

   Macro Name       Condition        Action
   ---------------------------------------------
   TestCityForNull  IsNull([City])   MsgBox
                    ...              CancelEvent


   TestCityForNull Action Arguments
   ----------------------------------
   MsgBox:
   Message: City Is A Required Field!

Create the following macro called SetCityToNull:

   Macro Name        Action
   ------------------------------
   SetCityToNull   OpenForm
                   SetValue


   SetCityToNull Action Arguments
   -------------------------------
   OpenForm Action:
   FormName: Customers
   View: Form

   SetValue Action:
   Item:[Forms]![Customers]![City]
   Expression: Null

Open the Customers form in Design view and select the TestCityForNull macro in the City control's BeforeUpdate property.
Run the SetCityToNull macro. Note that it successfully blanks out the City field (you can press ESC twice to get it back). If the control's BeforeUpdate event had been triggered, the TestCityForNull macro would not have allowed the field to be blank.
Try to blank out the City field manually. The TestCityForNull macro will be triggered, displaying the following message:
City Is A Required Field!
Do not save changes when you close the Customers form.

REFERENCES

For more information about on event procedures, in the Visual Basic Editor, click Microsoft Visual Basic Help on the Help menu, type "event procedures" in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

Additional query words: before after update ui prb

Keywords: kbprb kbusage KB201088