How do I access the selected rows in Access? - ms-access

Question

I have a form which includes a data sheet. I would like to make it possible for a user to select multiple rows, click on a button and have some sql query run and perform some work on those rows.
Looking through my VBA code, I see how I can access the last selected record using the CurrentRecord property. Yet I don't see how I can know which rows were selected in a multiple selection. (I hope I'm clear...)
What's the standard way of doing this? Access VBA documentation is somewhat obscure on the net...
Thanks!

Answer 1

I used the technique similar to JohnFx
To trap the Selection height before it disappears I used the Exit event of the subform control in the Main form.
So in the Main form:
Private Sub MySubForm_Exit(Cancel As Integer)
With MySubForm.Form
m_SelNumRecs = .SelHeight
m_SelTopRec = .SelTop
m_CurrentRec = .CurrentRecord
End With
End Sub

Answer 2

Here is the code to do it, but there is a catch.
Private Sub Command1_Click()
Dim i As Long
Dim RS As Recordset
Dim F As Form
Set F = Me.sf.Form
Set RS = F.RecordsetClone
If F.SelHeight = 0 Then Exit Sub
' Move to the first selected record.
RS.Move F.SelTop - 1
For i = 1 To F.SelHeight
MsgBox RS![myfield]
RS.MoveNext
Next i
End Sub
Here's the catch:
If the code is added to a button, as soon as the user clicks that button, the selection is lost in the grid (selheight will be zero). So you need to capture that info and save it to a module level variable either with a timer or other events on the form.
Here is an article describing how to work around the catch in some detail.
http://www.mvps.org/access/forms/frm0033.htm
Catch 2: This only works with contiguous selections. They can't select mutliple non-sequential rows in the grid.
Update:
There might be a better event to trap this, but here is a working implementation using the form.timerinterval property that i have tested (at least in Access 2k3, but 2k7 should work just fine)
This code goes in the SUBFORM, use the property to get the selheight value in the master form.
Public m_save_selheight As Integer
Public Property Get save_selheight() As Integer
save_selheight = m_save_selheight
End Property
Private Sub Form_Open(Cancel As Integer)
Me.TimerInterval = 500
End Sub
Private Sub Form_Timer()
m_save_selheight = Me.selheight
End Sub

Answer 3

I've tried doing something like that before, but I never had any success with using a method that required the user to select multiple rows in the same style as a Windows File Dialog box (pressing Ctrl, Shift, etc.).
One method I've used is to use two list boxes. The user can double click on an item in the left list box or click a button when an item is selected, and it will move to the right list box.
Another option is to use a local table that is populated with your source data plus boolean values represented as checkboxes in a subform. After the user selects which data they want by clicking on checkboxes, the user presses a button (or some other event), at which time you go directly to the underlying table of data and query only those rows that were checked. I think this option is the best, though it requires a little bit of code to work properly.
Even in Access, I find sometimes it's easier to work with the tables and queries directly rather than trying to use the built-in tools in Access forms. Sometimes the built-in tools don't do exactly what you want.

Answer 4

A workaround to the selection loss when the sub form loses the focus is to save the selection in the Exit event (as already mentioned by others).
A nice addition is to restore it immediately, using timer, so that the user is still able to see the selection he made.
Note: If you want to use the selection in a button handler, the selection may not be restored already when it executes. Make sure to use the saved values from the variables or add a DoEvents at the beginning of the button handler to let the timer handler execute first.
Dim m_iOperSelLeft As Integer
Dim m_iSelTop As Integer
Dim m_iSelWidth As Integer
Dim m_iSelHeight As Integer
Private Sub MySubForm_Exit(Cancel As Integer)
m_iSelLeft = MySubForm.Form.SelLeft
m_iSelTop = MySubForm.Form.SelTop
m_iSelWidth = MySubForm.Form.SelWidth
m_iSelHeight = MySubForm.Form.SelHeight
TimerInterval = 1
End Sub
Private Sub Form_Timer()
TimerInterval = 0
MySubForm.Form.SelLeft = m_iSelLeft - 1
MySubForm.Form.SelTop = m_iSelTop
MySubForm.Form.SelWidth = m_iSelWidth
MySubForm.Form.SelHeight = m_iSelHeight
End Sub

Answer 5

There is another solution.
The code below will show the number of selected rows as soon as you release the mouse button.
Saving this value will do the trick.
Private Sub Form_MouseUp(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
MsgBox Me.SelHeight
End Sub

Answer 6

Use a Global variable in the form, then refer to that in the button code.
Dim g_numSelectedRecords as long
Private Sub Form_MouseUp(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
g_numSelectedRecords = Me.SelHeight
End Sub
Dim formRecords As DAO.Recordset
Dim i As Long
Set formRecords = Me.RecordsetClone
' Move to the first record in the recordset.
formRecords.MoveFirst
' Move to the first selected record.
formRecords.Move Me.SelTop - 1
For i = 1 To numSelectedRecords
formRecords.Edit
formRecords.Fields("Archived") = True
formRecords.Update
formRecords.MoveNext
Next i

Answer 7

Why not use an array or recordset and then every time the user clicks on a row (either contiguous or not, save that row or some identifier into the recordset. Then when they click the button on the parent form, simply iterate the recordset that was saved to do what you want. Just don't forget to clear the array or recordset after the button is clicked.?

Answer 8

Another workaround to keeping the selection while attempting to execute a procedure - Instead of leaving the datasheet to activate a button, just use the OnKeyDown event and define a specific keycode and shift combination to execute your code.

Answer 9

The code provided by JohnFx works well. I implemented it without a timer this way (MS-Access 2003):
1- Set the Form's Key Preview to Yes
2- put the code in a function
3- set the event OnKeyUp and OnMouseUp to call the function.
Option Compare Database
Option Explicit
Dim rowSelected() As String
Private Sub Form_Load()
'initialize array
ReDim rowSelected(0, 2)
End Sub
Private Sub Form_Current()
' if cursor place on a different record after a selection was made
' the selection is no longer valid
If "" <> rowSelected(0, 2) Then
If Me.Recordset.AbsolutePosition <> rowSelected(0, 2) Then
rowSelected(0, 0) = ""
rowSelected(0, 1) = ""
rowSelected(0, 2) = ""
End If
End If
End Sub
Private Sub Form_KeyUp(KeyCode As Integer, Shift As Integer)
rowsSelected
If KeyCode = vbKeyDelete And Me.SelHeight > 0 Then
removeRows
End If
End Sub
Private Sub Form_MouseUp(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As Single, Y As Single)
rowsSelected
End Sub
Sub rowsSelected()
Dim i As Long, rs As DAO.Recordset, selH As Long, selT As Long
selH = Me.SelHeight
selT = Me.SelTop - 1
If selH = 0 Then
ReDim rowSelected(0, 2)
Exit Sub
Else
ReDim rowSelected(selH, 2)
rowSelected(0, 0) = selT
rowSelected(0, 1) = selH
rowSelected(0, 2) = Me.Recordset.AbsolutePosition ' for repositioning
Set rs = Me.RecordsetClone
rs.MoveFirst ' other key touched caused the pointer to shift
rs.Move selT
For i = 1 To selH
rowSelected(i, 0) = rs!PositionNumber
rowSelected(i, 1) = Nz(rs!CurrentMbr)
rowSelected(i, 2) = Nz(rs!FutureMbr)
rs.MoveNext
Next
Set rs = Nothing
Debug.Print selH & " rows selected starting at " & selT
End If
End Sub
Sub removeRows()
' remove rows in underlying table using collected criteria in rowSelected()
Me.Requery
' reposition cursor
End Sub
Private Sub cmdRemRows_Click()
If Val(rowSelected(0, 1)) > 0 Then
removeRows
Else
MsgBox "To remove row(s) select one or more sequential records using the record selector on the left side."
End If
End Sub