How to prevent users opening a form that is already in use

[Alocin]

Hello everyone!
I am having trouble with too many users opening the same form and making updates.


I cannot figure out how to prevent other users opening a form that is in use already, and have a message box letting them know to try back later.

Any help on this simple to many of you but difficult for me to make it work.

thank you
Ciao!
Alocin

[Welshgasman]

You check if is is loaded or not with the IsLoaded() function.

[orange]

Is your database split?

[Micron]

If each user has their own front end that won't work. AFAIK, even if one front end or worse, one unsplit db is being shared each user has opened an instance of Access and that still won't work.

Not sure why this should be a problem unless the locks setting is incorrect for the situation. I think more info is needed about the db setup and sharing and its usage.
If a lot of users are looking at records but not doing anything with them, then in those cases, opening the forms based on record snapshots may help.

[Alocin]

Thank you. Yes it is a BE and FE.

[Alocin]

I tried using this IsLoaded() (see snippets below) and I just get the msgbox saying the form is open but does not stop it from opening it. What am I doing wrong?

Private Sub Form_Load()

    If CurrentProject.AllForms("frmtblplayers").IsLoaded = True Then
        MsgBox "The form is already open. Try back later", vbExclamation, "Form Open Later"
        'Cancel = True
        DoCmd.Close
        
    ElseIf CurrentProject.AllForms("frmtblplayers").IsLoaded = False Then
    DoCmd.OpenForm "frmtblplayers"
    
    End If
End Sub

thanks

[davegri]

Try
Docmd.close acform, me.name

instead of Docmd.close


However, If each user has a copy of the DB FE, I don't see how this would help. The code only checks its own FE for the loaded form, not any of the others.

[Welshgasman]

Sorry, my view of the initial post was that users were opening multiple copies of a form in their own FE?

[June7]

Multiple users and multiple frontends should be able to open same form and edit records because, really, it's not the same form.

I never encountered issue of 'too many users'. Why would this cause issue in your system?

I have even tested two users opening same unsplit db and working with "same" form without issue. Yes, I know, bad, but it's what they wanted. It was a very simple db with no code.

[CJ_London]

OP only said 'Thank you. Yes it is a BE and FE.' They have not clarified that each user has their own copy of the FE on their local device. If they are all using the same FE on a shared folder, that is likely to produce the error, not to mention irrecoverable corruption at some point.

I doubt the snippet in post #6 would work if the load event is in the form in question - if it's running the load event then it is already loaded so the isloaded will always return true. I would have thought the code would need to be in a button click event or whatever is used for the user to open the form.

[orange]

Alocin,
Please confirm:
Each user has their own copy of the FE on their individual PC as CJ has mentioned in #10.

[Alocin]

Everyone, my apologies that I was not clear. There is only a single FE using multiple five BE. I have tried also placing the IsLoaded snippet on a button On Click and it too came back with the msgbox that form is loaded but didn't stop others from opening it.

[CJ_London]

This

There is only a single FE using multiple five BE

does not answer this

Please confirm:
Each user has their own copy of the FE on their individual PC as CJ has mentioned in #10.

But sounds like there is only one FE and multiple users are using it. If this is the case, then that is a recipe for disaster as suggested in post #10

[ArviLaanemets]

Every user MUST have his/her own Front-End - situated either in HD in his/her computer, or on network resource is same LAN as his/her LAN. BE's the FE's are linked to must be on network resource(s) in same LAN. In case user works with app from remote location, the user must remotely log in to Terminal Server in same LAN where FE and BE(s) are stored on network resource(s) available for this user, and run his/her FE from there.

Different users can have Front-Ends of same design (essentially copies of same FE), or FE's of entirely different design (eg. storage managers, relationship managers and accountants work with same database, but have different FE's).

Any FE can be linked to any number of BE databases.

BE DB tables and saved queries/views, the FE is using, are linked to FE (all changes made to linked tables are saved in BE). It also is possible to have additional tables directly in FE, but those will be available only to user working with this FE. Such tables can be used for providing user-based settings, or as temporary tables to store some data during active session - but mostly there is no need for them.

[Micron]

I've never heard of anyone using multiple BE's. How on earth would you sync them?

BE DB tables and saved queries/views are linked to FE's.

I would not put queries in the back end as a general rule.