Split Date and Time in controls

[shylock]

I have a form "Enter Downtime" with several text boxes for BeginDate, BeginTime, EndDate and EndTime, shown below.

The form is bound to a table, "DowntimeEvent" that has a date/time field for BeginDate and EndDate that contain both the Date and Time. The form loads fine except that both the date and time controls contain both the date and time. I need to be able to edit the dates and times in order to reflect the actual date and times the downtime occurred.

How can I load only the date in the date controls and time in the time controls, edit the controls and then save them? I realize that with the form bound to the table it automatically saves the data when I tab off or exit each control. The problem is that when I tab off the BeginTime field, for instance, the BeginDate reverts to 12/30/1899 This is so for the EndDate also. The time controls revert to 0:00.

Any suggestions?

[isladogs]

Format each control in the property sheet using e.g. Short date or short time.
It will still contain the entire field but only display what you want

[Micron]

If the table Date fields have the time, why split the time off into different fields? Or don't they?
The form can show the date and time parts separately without splitting the Date/Time into separate fields.

[pbaldy]

I've used unbound date and time textboxes and a hidden textbox bound to the date/time field. You add the date and time together in the after update events of the date and time textboxes to populate the bound control. Loading a record, you populate those controls with DateValue() and TimeValue().

Colin, if I'm remembering correctly, you could display values that way but not edit them (more accurately, not edit them separately).

[isladogs]

If you use the formatting approach with bound controls, you can edit the date and time field separately.
However as soon as you click in the control you will see both the date and time.
Don't delete the date part from the time control or it will revert to 30 Dec 1899.
Potentially rather confusing to use I agree.

Personally I would either display both date and time in the same control or use 2 unbound controls and concatenate the data into the combined field.

[shylock]

Paul:

Thanks for the input. I solved the problem by placing an "Edit" button on the "Enter Downtime" form. When clicked it pops up an Edit form for the dates and times. This pop up form has an "Update" button that, when clicked concatenates the dates and times and returns them to the appropriate controls on the "Enter Downtime" form. Kind of a funky way to do this but I agree with Colin that it could be confusing to the users to edit the dates and times, directly, in the "Enter Downtime" form.

[isladogs]

Glad you have a solution.
For info, that is what I meant by

use 2 unbound controls and concatenate the data into the combined field.

You've just done that on a popup form

[pbaldy]

Paul:

Thanks for the input. I solved the problem by placing an "Edit" button on the "Enter Downtime" form. When clicked it pops up an Edit form for the dates and times. This pop up form has an "Update" button that, when clicked concatenates the dates and times and returns them to the appropriate controls on the "Enter Downtime" form. Kind of a funky way to do this but I agree with Colin that it could be confusing to the users to edit the dates and times, directly, in the "Enter Downtime" form.

I wouldn't have bothered with the popup, but glad you got it sorted.