The Back End is very likely to be the heart of the problem that you've described! Controls don't appear in Form View when three conditions exist at the same time:
- The Form is Bound to a Table or Query
- There are No Records in the underlying Recordset or the Recordset cannot be accessed
- The Form cannot have New Records added
The reasons that a Bound Form cannot have New Records added include:
- AllowAdditions for the Form is set to No
- The underlying Query the Form is based on is Read Only
- User doesn't have Read and/or Write Permission for the Folder where the Data resides or there is a connection problem with the network.
- Folder the File resides in (in versions 2007/2010) not having been declared as 'Trusted'
- Form's Recordset Type is set to Snapshot
- All Controls on the Form being Locked or Locked and Disabled.
Given the on-again-off-again nature of your problem, and the fact that this is a split app, it is likely that #1, above, or the second half of #3 is where your problem originates. Assuming that the Records for the Main Form are present, and hence accessible, and Records for the Main Form and Subform are in the same location, the former is likely to be the culprit.
Linq ;0)>
The problem with making anything foolproof...is that fools are so darn ingenious!
All posts/responses based on Access 2003/2007