Tabbed form

[leftylee]

I have a form with three tabs. The first tab has an unbound combo box where the user will choose an employee. On the second tab is a datasheet showing that employee's projects -- this is working properly using code I found on this forum that runs on the AfterUpdate event for the combo box.

On the third tab, I want to show the details of the project. I want the user to select a record on tab 2, then click tab 3 to see the details. I can't seem to get this to work. Here are my questions:

1. I assume this should be an event that runs when the user selects the record on tab 2. There is no AfterUpdate event, so do I use OnClick?


2. I don't know how to code this. I tried to mimic the code that works for tab 2, but I don't understand how to refer to the selected record on tab 2. (The field that links the project table to the details table is DeliverableID.)

Thanks for any help.

[NTC]

this topic can be a little more confusing since A07 introduced tab as a native presentation (rather than just overlapping windows), which is nice feature. But it is different than tab forms - which I am presuming you are discussing.

a tab form is only a visual presentation; whenever your record set has many fields - it can be more clearly delineated for the user via tabs. so the question I think you are having is in regard to subforms...and getting them to refresh. I think. I'm not sure it is an issue involving tabs per se. Generally consider invoking the subform.requery in the AfterUpdate event of whatever combobox is being activated.

Not sure this exactly answers your question but hopefully will get you going in the right direction.

[leftylee]

You're right. This isn't really a tabbed form issue. I'm not completely sure, but I think the issue is that I have a subform within a subform. The combo box provides the criteria ONLY for the first subform. The selection in the second subform is what controls the third. I'm not getting the right records in the third subform.

[NTC]

a subform is generally bound into its parent form via the child/parent - set up with the wizard when you insert the subform during design. the requery of the parent will requery the child.

[ma t]

Hello- maybe someone can help- i am trying to create a form with many pages, some with regular controls, and sum with sub reports... i get so far in my form design, and it gets corrupted, i.e., i can no longer enter any data into the form when I test it. Is it possible to have too many pages or link one form to too many related tables and fields?

[NTC]

indeed your phrase "a form with many pages" is a red flag in terms of your conceptual design.

every form has a record set; i.e. a query. If that query has alot of fields/columns then one may need/want to provide tabs to help the user navigate controls - - although now the bigger monitors & double monitors are so wide spread this approach is declining. I am in the middle of a project right now that is doing away the tabs design from the late 90s and bringing all the data onto the same screen.

subforms are related data cross referencing to a key field in the main form - but in terms of the human experience - - it can get messy to go too far overboard with too many subforms and subforms within subforms. It also can get more difficult as a design in terms of making references to controls. Since Access2007 offers tab layout (different than tabs in forms) as an option, rather than just 'overlapping windows' - there is less compelling reason to have a hyper subform design. Instead make separate main forms, with their record source criteria cross referencing. Users can go back & forth between data now easily.

Q: "Is it possible to have too many pages or link one form to too many related tables and fields? " - sure it is always possible to do bad things...but Access is very solid....in general for a serious desktop database one is not going to overload Access technically - you are more likely to lose track of your design and make errors.

[thhui]

It seems that there is bug in the design of subforms.

You should not insert and delete the same control like textbox or label or comboBox at the same time in design mode in the same session if the form already has subform control inside it.

For example, you should not insert a textbox and then delete it afterwards in the design view at the same time in one session when you already have a subform control inside it. Otherwise, you cannot open the form later if you save it.

Workaround is add the controls. Save the form and close it.
Open the form afterward, now you could delete it and save.

This workaround is workable in my Access 2002.