sendkey action

[sdel_nevo]

Hi All

I have been asked if its possible by using the sendkeys function to do the following


form1 contains a tick box called "ONHOLD" when ticked and set to true, is it possible to use sendkeys to automatically add the time and date to a textbox on form2?

I have only ever used sendkeys on one form, is it even possible to use sendkeys and reference another forms text box?

im not sure this can be done, has anyone else done this in the past?

what I am after is this


form1
on the after update event of the onhold tickbox



add text automatically to

forms!form2.textbox

any help would be great

steve

[June7]

I have no idea how SendKeys would be involved in populating date and time. Simply:

Forms!form2.textboxname = Now()

[Missinglinq]

As June7 said, there's really no reason/need to use SendKeys, for this job, and definite reasons not to! SendKeys has always been problematic, causing the NumbersLock key to toggle off and on, randomly, and as of version 2007, SendKeys may fail, unless a pre-version 2007 copy of Access is still installed on a given machine! And note the word may...even this isn't consistent!

The rule of thumb, vis-à-vis using SendKeys, is that you only do it if there is absolutely, positively, without a shadow of a doubt no other route available to accomplish the task at hand!

Linq ;0)>

[sdel_nevo]

Hi Guys

thanks for the reply's and sorry for the late reply.

I am in the unfortunate position of having to take over the development of a system from a previous developer who designed this system

the problem I have is that the managers love the way the comments work at the moment as it cuts down on the amount of mouse clicks required,

the text box on form1 is a memo field, this is locked until a user clicks the add comment button.

when the button is clicked it runs this code

Private Sub EditCommentButton_Click()
On Error GoTo EditCommentButton_Click_Error
Me.Comments.Enabled = True
Me.Comments.Locked = False
DoCmd.GoToControl "Comments"

'set the cuser to the top of the text box
Me.Comments.SelStart = 0
SendKeys ("{up}")
SendKeys ("{ENTER}")
SendKeys ("{up}")
Me.Comments.SetFocus
SendKeys ("{up}") & Now & " - " & UserFullName & " "
SendKeys ("{NUMLOCK}")
On Error GoTo 0
Exit Sub

this for works and allows the end user to just start typing information, the date and time plus the users full name is automatically entered.

what I am now being asked to do is

I have been asked if users can add comments into this memo field when a button is clicked on another form2 that places a job on hold

for example this
code behind on hold button on form2

Forms.form1.Comments.Enabled = True
Forms.form1.Comments.Locked = False
Forms.form1.Comments.SetFocus
Forms.form1.Comments.SelStart = 0
Forms.form1.Comments SendKeys("{up}")
Forms.form1.Comments SendKeys("{ENTER}")
Forms.form1.Comments SendKeys("{up}")
Forms.form1.Comments SetFocus
Forms.form1.Comments SendKeys("{up}")
Forms.form1.Comments SendKeys & Now & " - " & UserFullName & " " & Me.Machine & " Placed On Hold "
Forms.form1.CommentsSendKeys ("{NUMLOCK}")
Forms.form1.Comments.Enabled = False

the code above produces the following error

Compile Error
Expected Function or Variable

now if it was down to me I would totally redesign the comments system but office politics prohibits this!!!!

is this even possible to do

[June7]

I really don't understand the use of SendKeys in this context.

If you want to populate a control on another form, just reference that form and control or the field the textbox is bound to. Don't even have to enable or unlock.

Forms!form1.Comments = Now & " - " & UserFullName & " " & Me.Machine & " Placed On Hold "

[sdel_nevo]

Hi June

thanks for getting back

I was trying to use the send keys action to create a new line in the comments box before creating the text, otherwise all the original comments get over written.

I think I will press my case and get the management to allow me to change the comments system entirely

I must say that I am not a fan of taking over someone else development

Many Thanks

Steve

[June7]

New line can be programmatically concatenated

Forms!form1.Comments = Forms!form1.Comments & IIf(IsNull(Forms!form1.Comments), "", vbCrLf) & Now & " - " & UserFullName & " " & Me.Machine & " Placed On Hold "

Ideally, each comment would be a separate record in a related table.

[sdel_nevo]

Hi june7

That's fantastic, and so very obvious when it's shown like that, many many thanks, I will implement this first thing when I'm back on site in the morning

Steve

[sdel_nevo]

Hi June7

I have applied the code you sent and its working, its not overwriting the comments which is fantastic many many thanks.

the reason I think that the send key action was being used is because all new comments are being shown first, that is they are being put into the top of the memo field, the code I have implemented puts all new comments at the bottom on the memo field

is there a way using code that all new text entries go to the top of the memo field?


Many thanks again for your help

Steve

[June7]

Reverse the concatenation.

Forms!form1.Comments = Now & " - " & UserFullName & " " & Me.Machine & " Placed On Hold " & IIf(IsNull(Forms!form1.Comments), "", vbCrLf) & Forms!form1.Comments

Really would be better design for each comment to be a record in a related table.