Side by Side view forms

[Se7Sins]

Good afternoon everyone,



I've created a Microsoft Access database using Access 2007-2010. I have a form where I can add, edit or delete table entries (we will call it Edit form) by selecting them in a subform, which I use frequently. I also have another form which allows me to search my entries (Search Form). If I need to find a certain entry I open the search form and find its location on the sub form which i can then go to my edit form and locate it to modify. So I was hoping to obtain two open forms at once so I can search on one monitor and edit on my other monitor. I currently use the following code below. On my edit form I have a Search button which opens my Search form allowing me to search for what entry I need to edit or if it even exist. Though I cannot modify my edit form until I close out my search form. Is there a way to have both open at the same time and allow me to type in both while each one is open?

Private Sub Search_Click()
DoCmd.OpenForm "Search_Form", , , , , acDialog
End Sub

Thank you.

[Micron]

Sure. If you're using tab view for forms either switch to overlapping windows option or make the search form a popup and size it so the other form can be seen. You should be able to park the search form on another monitor regardless of which method you use. An alternative would be to have the search form as a second subform without setting any Parent/Child relationships between it and the other form(s). Not sure why you say you can't interact with a form when the search form is open. Could be because you're opening it modal, or you're using tabbed form view.

EDIT - just noticed you're using acDialog, which is a window setting, which is the same as setting the form's modal property to true. That's why you have to close it to get at anything else. Try setting the popup property to True and don't use acDialog or modal property.

[Bulzie]

Seems you could do your search and entry all in 1 form. usually at the top of your Edit form you would have a search combo box. Can also have an Add New record button also. So either you hit Add New to add a new record, or you use the combo box to search for a specific record. Another thing you can do is right click in a field, then use the search options there to find a record so thus eliminating having a separate search form.

[Se7Sins]

Micron, that worked. I removed acDialog and set form property to popup. Now the follow up. I want it to only popup when i'm on my Edit Form. I have a Home Page, which has Edit, Search, Query, Audit. When I click on Search on Home page I do not want it to be a pop up. But I do want Search to be a pop up while in Edit form. Can I add it via VBA so it works with the button click to change to a pop up?

Bulzie, that is possible. But there are a lot more fields on my Edit form I would have to deal with then on my custom Search form. I'm not the greatest at Access yet nor do I have the work time to throw at it. I was just looking through it again since its been awhile and i'm not sure how I even got my Search form to work lol. The good thing about having two windows open is it allows me to search and edit. So i may search a part number which has other info I need while i'm editing a separate entry that uses majority of the same info. I do find myself going to search multiple times for info that can carry over to my new entries. (Not enough for me to auto populate though which I did do with some fields).

[Micron]

Can I add it via VBA so it works with the button click to change to a pop up?

If I'm following, you can open a particular form in various ways by using the OpenArgs property. You could research that for more info, but basically you are passing a parameter to the opening form, and by way of that value you can do just about anything. So if the value is "A" do this. If B do this. If C do this. The important aspect is that the calling form (or procedure) can pass any value, thus you can execute any decision based on the passed value. The "do this" thing can control anything you can think of that applies to the form (or one of it's controls) - record source, filter, any form property, etc.