Access 2007 Setting Field to Selection in Dialog

Question

I would like to set a field to a value selected from a grid in a dialog. I am using Access 2007.

In WinForms I would:

• Create a child form
  • create a grid for the data
  • add a property for the selected item
• In the parent form
  • add a button to open the form
  • on successful dialog result get the selected item from the property
  • update the object
  • persist on event
• On parent edit
  • set selected value in child grid

Is something like this possible in Access 2007 forms? I have a Multiple Item form with the child records. Can I select one and return that to the parent? And on the other side, can I default the selected item on edit?

How do people approach this in Access?

Answer 1

Here is a pattern that works assuming the child form is modal.

In your parent form

Private Sub cmdOpenChild_Click()
    DoCmd.OpenForm "ChildDialog", acNormal, , , , acDialog, "Info for child"

    'This line will block further code execution until child form is hidden or closed.  
    MsgBox Forms.Item("ChildDialog").Controls.Item("SomePropertyOrControl").Value

    DoCmd.Close acForm, "ChildDialog"
end sub

In the Child form have a close button that actually only hides the form.

Private Sub cmdClose_Click()
    'hide the form instead of closing it to return control to caller.
    Me.Visible = False
End sub