Somebody Please Help Me

What kind of a database cannot retrieve a record and show it on a form?

Here's the flow: The user opens a form for Firms maintenance. On this form
is a textbox which displays the name of the firm. Next to this textbox is a
command button with a picture of binoculars on it. When you click on the
button, a dialog form is opened containing a list box showing all the firms
in alphabetical order. The user finds the firm he is interested in, and
selects it. At this point the dialog box closes and the selected firm's
record appears on the underlying form, but this last bit doesn't work for
duplicate firm names. Access retrieves only the first instance of the
selected firm, regardless of which instance the user selects. Here is the
code behind the event:

Option Compare Database 'Use database order for string comparisons.
Option Explicit 'Requires variables be declared before use.

Private Sub cmdOkFindFirm_Click()
' Find record for main form based on selection in dialog form.
On Error GoTo Err_OkFindFirm

' Check to see if no selection was made.
If IsNull(Me!lstFirm) Then
MsgBox "Make a selection or click Cancel", , "No Selection"
GoTo Exit_OkFindFirm
End If

' Store the selection in a variable.
Dim lngSelect As Long
lngSelect = Me!lstFirm
'Dim strSelect As String
'strSelect = Me!lstFirm

' Close the dialog form to switch back to the main form.
DoCmd.Close

' Move the cursor back to the search field.
' SendKeys "+{TAB}" doesn't work, although I see no reason why it shouldn't.
DoCmd.GoToControl "txbFirmName"

' Find the selected record.
'DoCmd.FindRecord lngSelect, , , , , acAll
'DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect
DoCmd.GoToRecord acDataForm, "tblFirm", acGoTo, lngSelect

' Move the cursor back to the search button.
DoCmd.GoToControl "cmdSearchFirm"

Exit_OkFindFirm:
On Error Resume Next
Exit Sub

Err_OkFindFirm:
MsgBox "Error #: " & Err & Chr(13) & Err.Description
Resume Exit_OkFindFirm

End Sub

Originally, I put the firm's name into a string variable (strSelect) and did
DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect. This works, but not for duplicate firm names.

Next I tried passing the firm's unique ID number to a long integer variable.
This did not work at all, doubtless because FindRecord was searching the
firm name field for the firm ID number, which of course isn't there.

Next, I tried to force FindRecord to look in all fields for a match to the
firm ID. I didn't much care for this approach, but it didn't work anyway, so
that was okay.

The most recent thing I tried was passing the firm Id number to
DoCmd.GoToRecord. This gave me an error message stating that the Firms table
wasn't open.

My brain hurts.

oldblindpew,

You would need to use the Firm's unique ID and use the same thing in the
list box, which ight be why it didn't work before because of the way the
list box was set up. Try setting up the list box as 2 columns and make the
first one 0" width but set the bound column as 1.

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" - Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
What kind of a database cannot retrieve a record and show it on a form?

Here's the flow: The user opens a form for Firms maintenance. On this form
is a textbox which displays the name of the firm. Next to this textbox is
a
command button with a picture of binoculars on it. When you click on the
button, a dialog form is opened containing a list box showing all the
firms
in alphabetical order. The user finds the firm he is interested in, and
selects it. At this point the dialog box closes and the selected firm's
record appears on the underlying form, but this last bit doesn't work for
duplicate firm names. Access retrieves only the first instance of the
selected firm, regardless of which instance the user selects. Here is the
code behind the event:

Option Compare Database 'Use database order for string comparisons.
Option Explicit 'Requires variables be declared before use.

Private Sub cmdOkFindFirm_Click()
' Find record for main form based on selection in dialog form.
On Error GoTo Err_OkFindFirm

' Check to see if no selection was made.
If IsNull(Me!lstFirm) Then
MsgBox "Make a selection or click Cancel", , "No Selection"
GoTo Exit_OkFindFirm
End If

' Store the selection in a variable.
Dim lngSelect As Long
lngSelect = Me!lstFirm
'Dim strSelect As String
'strSelect = Me!lstFirm

' Close the dialog form to switch back to the main form.
DoCmd.Close

' Move the cursor back to the search field.
' SendKeys "+{TAB}" doesn't work, although I see no reason why it
shouldn't.
DoCmd.GoToControl "txbFirmName"

' Find the selected record.
'DoCmd.FindRecord lngSelect, , , , , acAll
'DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect
DoCmd.GoToRecord acDataForm, "tblFirm", acGoTo, lngSelect

' Move the cursor back to the search button.
DoCmd.GoToControl "cmdSearchFirm"

Exit_OkFindFirm:
On Error Resume Next
Exit Sub

Err_OkFindFirm:
MsgBox "Error #: " & Err & Chr(13) & Err.Description
Resume Exit_OkFindFirm

End Sub

Originally, I put the firm's name into a string variable (strSelect) and
did
DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect. This works, but not for duplicate firm names.

Next I tried passing the firm's unique ID number to a long integer
variable.
This did not work at all, doubtless because FindRecord was searching the
firm name field for the firm ID number, which of course isn't there.

Next, I tried to force FindRecord to look in all fields for a match to the
firm ID. I didn't much care for this approach, but it didn't work anyway,
so
that was okay.

The most recent thing I tried was passing the firm Id number to
DoCmd.GoToRecord. This gave me an error message stating that the Firms
table
wasn't open.

My brain hurts.

Gina,
Thanks for replying. My list box is already set up as you describe. When I
wrote of passing either the Firm Name to a sting variable or conversely, the
Firm ID to a long integer variable, this involved changing the bound column
to either 2 or 1, respectively.

I think the problem has to do with the fact that my Firms maintenance form
is focussed on the Firm Name. DoCmd.FindRecord seems unable to search the
Firm ID field, but only the Firm Name field, due to this implied focus.

If I were to add a Firm ID text box to my maintenance form, and then go to
that control prior to running DoCmd.FindRecord, I have no doubt it would
work. But the whole idea of having a surrogate autonumbering key is that it
should lurk in the background without the user having to see it or know about
it.

Another solution would be to alter the names of firms to eliminate any
duplicates, but monkeying with the names just to accomodate the lameness of
the database system is unacceptable. In essence, this would change the Firm
Name into the real key field. If so, why have a surrogate key?

I'm sure there is an answer here somewhere; I can't be the first person to
want to do this. I'm just amazed that finding a way to perform so basic a
database operation could ever be this difficult and time-consuming.

"Gina Whipp" wrote:

oldblindpew,

You would need to use the Firm's unique ID and use the same thing in the
list box, which ight be why it didn't work before because of the way the
list box was set up. Try setting up the list box as 2 columns and make the
first one 0" width but set the bound column as 1.

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" - Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
What kind of a database cannot retrieve a record and show it on a form?

Here's the flow: The user opens a form for Firms maintenance. On this form
is a textbox which displays the name of the firm. Next to this textbox is
a
command button with a picture of binoculars on it. When you click on the
button, a dialog form is opened containing a list box showing all the
firms
in alphabetical order. The user finds the firm he is interested in, and
selects it. At this point the dialog box closes and the selected firm's
record appears on the underlying form, but this last bit doesn't work for
duplicate firm names. Access retrieves only the first instance of the
selected firm, regardless of which instance the user selects. Here is the
code behind the event:

Option Compare Database 'Use database order for string comparisons.
Option Explicit 'Requires variables be declared before use.

Private Sub cmdOkFindFirm_Click()
' Find record for main form based on selection in dialog form.
On Error GoTo Err_OkFindFirm

' Check to see if no selection was made.
If IsNull(Me!lstFirm) Then
MsgBox "Make a selection or click Cancel", , "No Selection"
GoTo Exit_OkFindFirm
End If

' Store the selection in a variable.
Dim lngSelect As Long
lngSelect = Me!lstFirm
'Dim strSelect As String
'strSelect = Me!lstFirm

' Close the dialog form to switch back to the main form.
DoCmd.Close

' Move the cursor back to the search field.
' SendKeys "+{TAB}" doesn't work, although I see no reason why it
shouldn't.
DoCmd.GoToControl "txbFirmName"

' Find the selected record.
'DoCmd.FindRecord lngSelect, , , , , acAll
'DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect
DoCmd.GoToRecord acDataForm, "tblFirm", acGoTo, lngSelect

' Move the cursor back to the search button.
DoCmd.GoToControl "cmdSearchFirm"

Exit_OkFindFirm:
On Error Resume Next
Exit Sub

Err_OkFindFirm:
MsgBox "Error #: " & Err & Chr(13) & Err.Description
Resume Exit_OkFindFirm

End Sub

Originally, I put the firm's name into a string variable (strSelect) and
did
DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect. This works, but not for duplicate firm names.

Next I tried passing the firm's unique ID number to a long integer
variable.
This did not work at all, doubtless because FindRecord was searching the
firm name field for the firm ID number, which of course isn't there.

Next, I tried to force FindRecord to look in all fields for a match to the
firm ID. I didn't much care for this approach, but it didn't work anyway,
so
that was okay.

The most recent thing I tried was passing the firm Id number to
DoCmd.GoToRecord. This gave me an error message stating that the Firms
table
wasn't open.

My brain hurts.

oldblindpew,

Then why not add the key and make it invisible? It doesn't have to show to
work...

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" - Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
Gina,
Thanks for replying. My list box is already set up as you describe. When
I
wrote of passing either the Firm Name to a sting variable or conversely,
the
Firm ID to a long integer variable, this involved changing the bound
column
to either 2 or 1, respectively.

I think the problem has to do with the fact that my Firms maintenance form
is focussed on the Firm Name. DoCmd.FindRecord seems unable to search the
Firm ID field, but only the Firm Name field, due to this implied focus.

If I were to add a Firm ID text box to my maintenance form, and then go to
that control prior to running DoCmd.FindRecord, I have no doubt it would
work. But the whole idea of having a surrogate autonumbering key is that
it
should lurk in the background without the user having to see it or know
about
it.

Another solution would be to alter the names of firms to eliminate any
duplicates, but monkeying with the names just to accomodate the lameness
of
the database system is unacceptable. In essence, this would change the
Firm
Name into the real key field. If so, why have a surrogate key?

I'm sure there is an answer here somewhere; I can't be the first person to
want to do this. I'm just amazed that finding a way to perform so basic a
database operation could ever be this difficult and time-consuming.

"Gina Whipp" wrote:

oldblindpew,

You would need to use the Firm's unique ID and use the same thing in the
list box, which ight be why it didn't work before because of the way the
list box was set up. Try setting up the list box as 2 columns and make
the
first one 0" width but set the bound column as 1.

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" -
Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
What kind of a database cannot retrieve a record and show it on a form?

Here's the flow: The user opens a form for Firms maintenance. On this
form
is a textbox which displays the name of the firm. Next to this textbox
is
a
command button with a picture of binoculars on it. When you click on
the
button, a dialog form is opened containing a list box showing all the
firms
in alphabetical order. The user finds the firm he is interested in, and
selects it. At this point the dialog box closes and the selected firm's
record appears on the underlying form, but this last bit doesn't work
for
duplicate firm names. Access retrieves only the first instance of the
selected firm, regardless of which instance the user selects. Here is
the
code behind the event:

Option Compare Database 'Use database order for string comparisons.
Option Explicit 'Requires variables be declared before use.

Private Sub cmdOkFindFirm_Click()
' Find record for main form based on selection in dialog form.
On Error GoTo Err_OkFindFirm

' Check to see if no selection was made.
If IsNull(Me!lstFirm) Then
MsgBox "Make a selection or click Cancel", , "No Selection"
GoTo Exit_OkFindFirm
End If

' Store the selection in a variable.
Dim lngSelect As Long
lngSelect = Me!lstFirm
'Dim strSelect As String
'strSelect = Me!lstFirm

' Close the dialog form to switch back to the main form.
DoCmd.Close

' Move the cursor back to the search field.
' SendKeys "+{TAB}" doesn't work, although I see no reason why it
shouldn't.
DoCmd.GoToControl "txbFirmName"

' Find the selected record.
'DoCmd.FindRecord lngSelect, , , , , acAll
'DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect
DoCmd.GoToRecord acDataForm, "tblFirm", acGoTo, lngSelect

' Move the cursor back to the search button.
DoCmd.GoToControl "cmdSearchFirm"

Exit_OkFindFirm:
On Error Resume Next
Exit Sub

Err_OkFindFirm:
MsgBox "Error #: " & Err & Chr(13) & Err.Description
Resume Exit_OkFindFirm

End Sub

Originally, I put the firm's name into a string variable (strSelect)
and
did
DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect. This works, but not for duplicate firm
names.

Next I tried passing the firm's unique ID number to a long integer
variable.
This did not work at all, doubtless because FindRecord was searching
the
firm name field for the firm ID number, which of course isn't there.

Next, I tried to force FindRecord to look in all fields for a match to
the
firm ID. I didn't much care for this approach, but it didn't work
anyway,
so
that was okay.

The most recent thing I tried was passing the firm Id number to
DoCmd.GoToRecord. This gave me an error message stating that the Firms
table
wasn't open.

My brain hurts.

I'm not sure I'm following allo of this, but you can reference any column in
a combo box or list box row source:
Me.lstFirm.Column(1) references the second column in the list box (numbering
is zero-based in this case). If you simply reference the list box you
reference the bound column. There is no need to change the bound column.

I am not familiar with GoToRecord. When I use an unbound combo box (or list
box) to search, its After Update code I use is something like this:

Dim rs As Object

Set rs = Me.RecordsetClone
rs.FindFirst "[FirmID] = " & Me.lstFirm
Me.Bookmark = rs.Bookmark

This assumes FirmID is a number field (including autonumber). If you search
by firm name and there are duplicates you may not end up at the record you
want no matter the method. All of this assumes the list box row source Gina
described (two columns, with the unique number field in the first column and
the firm name in the second). BTW, the first column is 1 on the Property
Sheet, but it is 0 in code. As described, a reference to the list box
references the bound column. Me.lstFirm references the bound column.

You can refer to any field in a form's record source, but until you go to
the record you don't have that option. That is why the reference

To move the cursor to a control (not a field, which is in a table or query):
Me.ControlName.SetFocus

You refer to moving the cursor first to a "field", then to the command
button in the same code. You can move the focus, but of course the command
button won't accept a cursor, unless I misunderstand something in what you
are saying.

Just as an observation, your frustration is apparent and in some ways
understandable, but many developers have achieved very good results with
Access databases. There is a rather steep learning curve, to be sure, but
there is also a lot of free information and many sample databases to help
guide the learning process. Your approach to this problem has been somewhat
unconventional, so it is hard to see how you have come to the conclusion
that Access is "lame". Some people may perceive that as a chip on your
shoulder, and be reluctant to attempt a reply for that reason.

There are some good articles and tips on this page:
http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
On the right side of the page are links to many more sites.



"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
Gina,
Thanks for replying. My list box is already set up as you describe. When
I
wrote of passing either the Firm Name to a sting variable or conversely,
the
Firm ID to a long integer variable, this involved changing the bound
column
to either 2 or 1, respectively.

I think the problem has to do with the fact that my Firms maintenance form
is focussed on the Firm Name. DoCmd.FindRecord seems unable to search the
Firm ID field, but only the Firm Name field, due to this implied focus.

If I were to add a Firm ID text box to my maintenance form, and then go to
that control prior to running DoCmd.FindRecord, I have no doubt it would
work. But the whole idea of having a surrogate autonumbering key is that
it
should lurk in the background without the user having to see it or know
about
it.

Another solution would be to alter the names of firms to eliminate any
duplicates, but monkeying with the names just to accomodate the lameness
of
the database system is unacceptable. In essence, this would change the
Firm
Name into the real key field. If so, why have a surrogate key?

I'm sure there is an answer here somewhere; I can't be the first person to
want to do this. I'm just amazed that finding a way to perform so basic a
database operation could ever be this difficult and time-consuming.

"Gina Whipp" wrote:

oldblindpew,

You would need to use the Firm's unique ID and use the same thing in the
list box, which ight be why it didn't work before because of the way the
list box was set up. Try setting up the list box as 2 columns and make
the
first one 0" width but set the bound column as 1.

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" -
Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
What kind of a database cannot retrieve a record and show it on a form?

Here's the flow: The user opens a form for Firms maintenance. On this
form
is a textbox which displays the name of the firm. Next to this textbox
is
a
command button with a picture of binoculars on it. When you click on
the
button, a dialog form is opened containing a list box showing all the
firms
in alphabetical order. The user finds the firm he is interested in, and
selects it. At this point the dialog box closes and the selected firm's
record appears on the underlying form, but this last bit doesn't work
for
duplicate firm names. Access retrieves only the first instance of the
selected firm, regardless of which instance the user selects. Here is
the
code behind the event:

Option Compare Database 'Use database order for string comparisons.
Option Explicit 'Requires variables be declared before use.

Private Sub cmdOkFindFirm_Click()
' Find record for main form based on selection in dialog form.
On Error GoTo Err_OkFindFirm

' Check to see if no selection was made.
If IsNull(Me!lstFirm) Then
MsgBox "Make a selection or click Cancel", , "No Selection"
GoTo Exit_OkFindFirm
End If

' Store the selection in a variable.
Dim lngSelect As Long
lngSelect = Me!lstFirm
'Dim strSelect As String
'strSelect = Me!lstFirm

' Close the dialog form to switch back to the main form.
DoCmd.Close

' Move the cursor back to the search field.
' SendKeys "+{TAB}" doesn't work, although I see no reason why it
shouldn't.
DoCmd.GoToControl "txbFirmName"

' Find the selected record.
'DoCmd.FindRecord lngSelect, , , , , acAll
'DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect
DoCmd.GoToRecord acDataForm, "tblFirm", acGoTo, lngSelect

' Move the cursor back to the search button.
DoCmd.GoToControl "cmdSearchFirm"

Exit_OkFindFirm:
On Error Resume Next
Exit Sub

Err_OkFindFirm:
MsgBox "Error #: " & Err & Chr(13) & Err.Description
Resume Exit_OkFindFirm

End Sub

Originally, I put the firm's name into a string variable (strSelect)
and
did
DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect. This works, but not for duplicate firm
names.

Next I tried passing the firm's unique ID number to a long integer
variable.
This did not work at all, doubtless because FindRecord was searching
the
firm name field for the firm ID number, which of course isn't there.

Next, I tried to force FindRecord to look in all fields for a match to
the
firm ID. I didn't much care for this approach, but it didn't work
anyway,
so
that was okay.

The most recent thing I tried was passing the firm Id number to
DoCmd.GoToRecord. This gave me an error message stating that the Firms
table
wasn't open.

My brain hurts.

Gina Whipp,
I had considered trying what you suggest, but just didn't believe such a
goofy contrivance should be necessary. However, in desperation I finally did
try it, and guess what? Microsoft Access cannot move to a hidden control!
In a way I'm glad about this because I don't think is would make sense to be
able to move the cursor to a hidden control.

I made the control visible, and now everything works perfectly. Except I do
not want to have to see the Firm ID!!! This is so crazy...when I originally
built the Firms table, I devised a key field based on an alphabetical naming
convention to uniquely identify each firm. In time, however, I came to
accept what I read about how much better it is to let Access take care of the
key field via autonumbering, so I got rid of my text-based key and replaced
it with an autonumber key. Thus I went to the trouble of switching to
autonumber, but am not really gaining the benefit from it!!

From my point of view, I keep throwing easy pitches, and Access keeps
striking out. I know there are answers out there, but an answer you can't
find and use and master with reasonable time and effort isn't an answer at
all.

"Gina Whipp" wrote:

oldblindpew,

Then why not add the key and make it invisible? It doesn't have to show to
work...

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" - Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
Gina,
Thanks for replying. My list box is already set up as you describe. When
I
wrote of passing either the Firm Name to a sting variable or conversely,
the
Firm ID to a long integer variable, this involved changing the bound
column
to either 2 or 1, respectively.

I think the problem has to do with the fact that my Firms maintenance form
is focussed on the Firm Name. DoCmd.FindRecord seems unable to search the
Firm ID field, but only the Firm Name field, due to this implied focus.

If I were to add a Firm ID text box to my maintenance form, and then go to
that control prior to running DoCmd.FindRecord, I have no doubt it would
work. But the whole idea of having a surrogate autonumbering key is that
it
should lurk in the background without the user having to see it or know
about
it.

Another solution would be to alter the names of firms to eliminate any
duplicates, but monkeying with the names just to accomodate the lameness
of
the database system is unacceptable. In essence, this would change the
Firm
Name into the real key field. If so, why have a surrogate key?

I'm sure there is an answer here somewhere; I can't be the first person to
want to do this. I'm just amazed that finding a way to perform so basic a
database operation could ever be this difficult and time-consuming.

"Gina Whipp" wrote:

oldblindpew,

You would need to use the Firm's unique ID and use the same thing in the
list box, which ight be why it didn't work before because of the way the
list box was set up. Try setting up the list box as 2 columns and make
the
first one 0" width but set the bound column as 1.

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" -
Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
What kind of a database cannot retrieve a record and show it on a form?

Here's the flow: The user opens a form for Firms maintenance. On this
form
is a textbox which displays the name of the firm. Next to this textbox
is
a
command button with a picture of binoculars on it. When you click on
the
button, a dialog form is opened containing a list box showing all the
firms
in alphabetical order. The user finds the firm he is interested in, and
selects it. At this point the dialog box closes and the selected firm's
record appears on the underlying form, but this last bit doesn't work
for
duplicate firm names. Access retrieves only the first instance of the
selected firm, regardless of which instance the user selects. Here is
the
code behind the event:

Option Compare Database 'Use database order for string comparisons.
Option Explicit 'Requires variables be declared before use.

Private Sub cmdOkFindFirm_Click()
' Find record for main form based on selection in dialog form.
On Error GoTo Err_OkFindFirm

' Check to see if no selection was made.
If IsNull(Me!lstFirm) Then
MsgBox "Make a selection or click Cancel", , "No Selection"
GoTo Exit_OkFindFirm
End If

' Store the selection in a variable.
Dim lngSelect As Long
lngSelect = Me!lstFirm
'Dim strSelect As String
'strSelect = Me!lstFirm

' Close the dialog form to switch back to the main form.
DoCmd.Close

' Move the cursor back to the search field.
' SendKeys "+{TAB}" doesn't work, although I see no reason why it
shouldn't.
DoCmd.GoToControl "txbFirmName"

' Find the selected record.
'DoCmd.FindRecord lngSelect, , , , , acAll
'DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect
DoCmd.GoToRecord acDataForm, "tblFirm", acGoTo, lngSelect

' Move the cursor back to the search button.
DoCmd.GoToControl "cmdSearchFirm"

Exit_OkFindFirm:
On Error Resume Next
Exit Sub

Err_OkFindFirm:
MsgBox "Error #: " & Err & Chr(13) & Err.Description
Resume Exit_OkFindFirm

End Sub

Originally, I put the firm's name into a string variable (strSelect)
and
did
DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect. This works, but not for duplicate firm
names.

Next I tried passing the firm's unique ID number to a long integer
variable.
This did not work at all, doubtless because FindRecord was searching
the
firm name field for the firm ID number, which of course isn't there.

Next, I tried to force FindRecord to look in all fields for a match to
the
firm ID. I didn't much care for this approach, but it didn't work
anyway,
so
that was okay.

The most recent thing I tried was passing the firm Id number to
DoCmd.GoToRecord. This gave me an error message stating that the Firms
table
wasn't open.

My brain hurts.

Why are you trying to move the cursor to a hidden control... Just make it
Tab Stop = No and make no refrence to move ot it, it is not neccessary.

Does this database have any data? I'd be happy to take a look for FREE, as
this should work, before you go crazy and not after!

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" - Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
Gina Whipp,
I had considered trying what you suggest, but just didn't believe such a
goofy contrivance should be necessary. However, in desperation I finally
did
try it, and guess what? Microsoft Access cannot move to a hidden control!
In a way I'm glad about this because I don't think is would make sense to
be
able to move the cursor to a hidden control.

I made the control visible, and now everything works perfectly. Except I
do
not want to have to see the Firm ID!!! This is so crazy...when I
originally
built the Firms table, I devised a key field based on an alphabetical
naming
convention to uniquely identify each firm. In time, however, I came to
accept what I read about how much better it is to let Access take care of
the
key field via autonumbering, so I got rid of my text-based key and
replaced
it with an autonumber key. Thus I went to the trouble of switching to
autonumber, but am not really gaining the benefit from it!!

From my point of view, I keep throwing easy pitches, and Access keeps
striking out. I know there are answers out there, but an answer you can't
find and use and master with reasonable time and effort isn't an answer at
all.

"Gina Whipp" wrote:

oldblindpew,

Then why not add the key and make it invisible? It doesn't have to show
to
work...

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" -
Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
Gina,
Thanks for replying. My list box is already set up as you describe.
When
I
wrote of passing either the Firm Name to a sting variable or
conversely,
the
Firm ID to a long integer variable, this involved changing the bound
column
to either 2 or 1, respectively.

I think the problem has to do with the fact that my Firms maintenance
form
is focussed on the Firm Name. DoCmd.FindRecord seems unable to search
the
Firm ID field, but only the Firm Name field, due to this implied focus.

If I were to add a Firm ID text box to my maintenance form, and then go
to
that control prior to running DoCmd.FindRecord, I have no doubt it
would
work. But the whole idea of having a surrogate autonumbering key is
that
it
should lurk in the background without the user having to see it or know
about
it.

Another solution would be to alter the names of firms to eliminate any
duplicates, but monkeying with the names just to accomodate the
lameness
of
the database system is unacceptable. In essence, this would change the
Firm
Name into the real key field. If so, why have a surrogate key?

I'm sure there is an answer here somewhere; I can't be the first person
to
want to do this. I'm just amazed that finding a way to perform so
basic a
database operation could ever be this difficult and time-consuming.

"Gina Whipp" wrote:

oldblindpew,

You would need to use the Firm's unique ID and use the same thing in
the
list box, which ight be why it didn't work before because of the way
the
list box was set up. Try setting up the list box as 2 columns and
make
the
first one 0" width but set the bound column as 1.

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" -
Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
What kind of a database cannot retrieve a record and show it on a
form?

Here's the flow: The user opens a form for Firms maintenance. On
this
form
is a textbox which displays the name of the firm. Next to this
textbox
is
a
command button with a picture of binoculars on it. When you click on
the
button, a dialog form is opened containing a list box showing all
the
firms
in alphabetical order. The user finds the firm he is interested in,
and
selects it. At this point the dialog box closes and the selected
firm's
record appears on the underlying form, but this last bit doesn't
work
for
duplicate firm names. Access retrieves only the first instance of
the
selected firm, regardless of which instance the user selects. Here
is
the
code behind the event:

Option Compare Database 'Use database order for string comparisons.
Option Explicit 'Requires variables be declared before use.

Private Sub cmdOkFindFirm_Click()
' Find record for main form based on selection in dialog form.
On Error GoTo Err_OkFindFirm

' Check to see if no selection was made.
If IsNull(Me!lstFirm) Then
MsgBox "Make a selection or click Cancel", , "No Selection"
GoTo Exit_OkFindFirm
End If

' Store the selection in a variable.
Dim lngSelect As Long
lngSelect = Me!lstFirm
'Dim strSelect As String
'strSelect = Me!lstFirm

' Close the dialog form to switch back to the main form.
DoCmd.Close

' Move the cursor back to the search field.
' SendKeys "+{TAB}" doesn't work, although I see no reason why it
shouldn't.
DoCmd.GoToControl "txbFirmName"

' Find the selected record.
'DoCmd.FindRecord lngSelect, , , , , acAll
'DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect
DoCmd.GoToRecord acDataForm, "tblFirm", acGoTo, lngSelect

' Move the cursor back to the search button.
DoCmd.GoToControl "cmdSearchFirm"

Exit_OkFindFirm:
On Error Resume Next
Exit Sub

Err_OkFindFirm:
MsgBox "Error #: " & Err & Chr(13) & Err.Description
Resume Exit_OkFindFirm

End Sub

Originally, I put the firm's name into a string variable (strSelect)
and
did
DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect. This works, but not for duplicate firm
names.

Next I tried passing the firm's unique ID number to a long integer
variable.
This did not work at all, doubtless because FindRecord was searching
the
firm name field for the firm ID number, which of course isn't there.

Next, I tried to force FindRecord to look in all fields for a match
to
the
firm ID. I didn't much care for this approach, but it didn't work
anyway,
so
that was okay.

The most recent thing I tried was passing the firm Id number to
DoCmd.GoToRecord. This gave me an error message stating that the
Firms
table
wasn't open.

My brain hurts.

Gina,
Thanks for your patience and generosity.
Let me say, again, the vital bit of code here is DoCmd.FindRecord. Now, I'm
not saying this is the best command to accomplish my task, but it just seemed
to me the most likely candidate. This command, or method, seems to depend
for its operation on the control in the form that has focus. I thought I had
made this quite clear in my prior posts. FindRecord has to know which column
(field) to search, and the way it knows is by the control in the form that
has focus, which is bound to the appropriate field in the table. If the
correct contol does not have focus, FindRecord is looking in the wrong column
and therefore does not find a match on the value it was sent in search of.
This is why the cursor has to be moved to the right control (text box) before
using FindRecord. Therefore if I want to use FindRecord to search for a Firm
by Firm ID, I must have that field visibly represented on my form, and it
must have focus.

"Gina Whipp" wrote:

Why are you trying to move the cursor to a hidden control... Just make it
Tab Stop = No and make no refrence to move ot it, it is not neccessary.

Does this database have any data? I'd be happy to take a look for FREE, as
this should work, before you go crazy and not after!

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" - Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
Gina Whipp,
I had considered trying what you suggest, but just didn't believe such a
goofy contrivance should be necessary. However, in desperation I finally
did
try it, and guess what? Microsoft Access cannot move to a hidden control!
In a way I'm glad about this because I don't think is would make sense to
be
able to move the cursor to a hidden control.

I made the control visible, and now everything works perfectly. Except I
do
not want to have to see the Firm ID!!! This is so crazy...when I
originally
built the Firms table, I devised a key field based on an alphabetical
naming
convention to uniquely identify each firm. In time, however, I came to
accept what I read about how much better it is to let Access take care of
the
key field via autonumbering, so I got rid of my text-based key and
replaced
it with an autonumber key. Thus I went to the trouble of switching to
autonumber, but am not really gaining the benefit from it!!

From my point of view, I keep throwing easy pitches, and Access keeps
striking out. I know there are answers out there, but an answer you can't
find and use and master with reasonable time and effort isn't an answer at
all.

"Gina Whipp" wrote:

oldblindpew,

Then why not add the key and make it invisible? It doesn't have to show
to
work...

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" -
Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
Gina,
Thanks for replying. My list box is already set up as you describe.
When
I
wrote of passing either the Firm Name to a sting variable or
conversely,
the
Firm ID to a long integer variable, this involved changing the bound
column
to either 2 or 1, respectively.

I think the problem has to do with the fact that my Firms maintenance
form
is focussed on the Firm Name. DoCmd.FindRecord seems unable to search
the
Firm ID field, but only the Firm Name field, due to this implied focus.

If I were to add a Firm ID text box to my maintenance form, and then go
to
that control prior to running DoCmd.FindRecord, I have no doubt it
would
work. But the whole idea of having a surrogate autonumbering key is
that
it
should lurk in the background without the user having to see it or know
about
it.

Another solution would be to alter the names of firms to eliminate any
duplicates, but monkeying with the names just to accomodate the
lameness
of
the database system is unacceptable. In essence, this would change the
Firm
Name into the real key field. If so, why have a surrogate key?

I'm sure there is an answer here somewhere; I can't be the first person
to
want to do this. I'm just amazed that finding a way to perform so
basic a
database operation could ever be this difficult and time-consuming.

"Gina Whipp" wrote:

oldblindpew,

You would need to use the Firm's unique ID and use the same thing in
the
list box, which ight be why it didn't work before because of the way
the
list box was set up. Try setting up the list box as 2 columns and
make
the
first one 0" width but set the bound column as 1.

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" -
Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
What kind of a database cannot retrieve a record and show it on a
form?

Here's the flow: The user opens a form for Firms maintenance. On
this
form
is a textbox which displays the name of the firm. Next to this
textbox
is
a
command button with a picture of binoculars on it. When you click on
the
button, a dialog form is opened containing a list box showing all
the
firms
in alphabetical order. The user finds the firm he is interested in,
and
selects it. At this point the dialog box closes and the selected
firm's
record appears on the underlying form, but this last bit doesn't
work
for
duplicate firm names. Access retrieves only the first instance of
the
selected firm, regardless of which instance the user selects. Here
is
the
code behind the event:

Option Compare Database 'Use database order for string comparisons.
Option Explicit 'Requires variables be declared before use.

Private Sub cmdOkFindFirm_Click()
' Find record for main form based on selection in dialog form.
On Error GoTo Err_OkFindFirm

' Check to see if no selection was made.
If IsNull(Me!lstFirm) Then
MsgBox "Make a selection or click Cancel", , "No Selection"
GoTo Exit_OkFindFirm
End If

' Store the selection in a variable.
Dim lngSelect As Long
lngSelect = Me!lstFirm
'Dim strSelect As String
'strSelect = Me!lstFirm

' Close the dialog form to switch back to the main form.
DoCmd.Close

' Move the cursor back to the search field.
' SendKeys "+{TAB}" doesn't work, although I see no reason why it
shouldn't.
DoCmd.GoToControl "txbFirmName"

' Find the selected record.
'DoCmd.FindRecord lngSelect, , , , , acAll
'DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect
DoCmd.GoToRecord acDataForm, "tblFirm", acGoTo, lngSelect

' Move the cursor back to the search button.
DoCmd.GoToControl "cmdSearchFirm"

Exit_OkFindFirm:
On Error Resume Next
Exit Sub

Err_OkFindFirm:
MsgBox "Error #: " & Err & Chr(13) & Err.Description
Resume Exit_OkFindFirm

End Sub

Originally, I put the firm's name into a string variable (strSelect)
and
did
DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect. This works, but not for duplicate firm
names.

Next I tried passing the firm's unique ID number to a long integer
variable.
This did not work at all, doubtless because FindRecord was searching
the
firm name field for the firm ID number, which of course isn't there.

Next, I tried to force FindRecord to look in all fields for a match
to
the
firm ID. I didn't much care for this approach, but it didn't work
anyway,
so
that was okay.

The most recent thing I tried was passing the firm Id number to
DoCmd.GoToRecord. This gave me an error message stating that the
Firms
table
wasn't open.

My brain hurts.

Access does not rely on "goofy contrivances", but rather on procedures and
methods with which you may not be familiar. You seem to think Access
"should" do things the way you want rather than the way it is designed to
work. There certainly are some things about Access that need improvement,
but it is well able to do what I think you have described. For one thing,
as Gina said there is no reason to move out of the control. I outlined in
another post in this thread some ways of doing what I think you are trying
to do.

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
Gina Whipp,
I had considered trying what you suggest, but just didn't believe such a
goofy contrivance should be necessary. However, in desperation I finally
did
try it, and guess what? Microsoft Access cannot move to a hidden control!
In a way I'm glad about this because I don't think is would make sense to
be
able to move the cursor to a hidden control.

I made the control visible, and now everything works perfectly. Except I
do
not want to have to see the Firm ID!!! This is so crazy...when I
originally
built the Firms table, I devised a key field based on an alphabetical
naming
convention to uniquely identify each firm. In time, however, I came to
accept what I read about how much better it is to let Access take care of
the
key field via autonumbering, so I got rid of my text-based key and
replaced
it with an autonumber key. Thus I went to the trouble of switching to
autonumber, but am not really gaining the benefit from it!!

From my point of view, I keep throwing easy pitches, and Access keeps
striking out. I know there are answers out there, but an answer you can't
find and use and master with reasonable time and effort isn't an answer at
all.

"Gina Whipp" wrote:

oldblindpew,

Then why not add the key and make it invisible? It doesn't have to show
to
work...

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" -
Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
Gina,
Thanks for replying. My list box is already set up as you describe.
When
I
wrote of passing either the Firm Name to a sting variable or
conversely,
the
Firm ID to a long integer variable, this involved changing the bound
column
to either 2 or 1, respectively.

I think the problem has to do with the fact that my Firms maintenance
form
is focussed on the Firm Name. DoCmd.FindRecord seems unable to search
the
Firm ID field, but only the Firm Name field, due to this implied focus.

If I were to add a Firm ID text box to my maintenance form, and then go
to
that control prior to running DoCmd.FindRecord, I have no doubt it
would
work. But the whole idea of having a surrogate autonumbering key is
that
it
should lurk in the background without the user having to see it or know
about
it.

Another solution would be to alter the names of firms to eliminate any
duplicates, but monkeying with the names just to accomodate the
lameness
of
the database system is unacceptable. In essence, this would change the
Firm
Name into the real key field. If so, why have a surrogate key?

I'm sure there is an answer here somewhere; I can't be the first person
to
want to do this. I'm just amazed that finding a way to perform so
basic a
database operation could ever be this difficult and time-consuming.

"Gina Whipp" wrote:

oldblindpew,

You would need to use the Firm's unique ID and use the same thing in
the
list box, which ight be why it didn't work before because of the way
the
list box was set up. Try setting up the list box as 2 columns and
make
the
first one 0" width but set the bound column as 1.

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" -
Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
What kind of a database cannot retrieve a record and show it on a
form?

Here's the flow: The user opens a form for Firms maintenance. On
this
form
is a textbox which displays the name of the firm. Next to this
textbox
is
a
command button with a picture of binoculars on it. When you click on
the
button, a dialog form is opened containing a list box showing all
the
firms
in alphabetical order. The user finds the firm he is interested in,
and
selects it. At this point the dialog box closes and the selected
firm's
record appears on the underlying form, but this last bit doesn't
work
for
duplicate firm names. Access retrieves only the first instance of
the
selected firm, regardless of which instance the user selects. Here
is
the
code behind the event:

Option Compare Database 'Use database order for string comparisons.
Option Explicit 'Requires variables be declared before use.

Private Sub cmdOkFindFirm_Click()
' Find record for main form based on selection in dialog form.
On Error GoTo Err_OkFindFirm

' Check to see if no selection was made.
If IsNull(Me!lstFirm) Then
MsgBox "Make a selection or click Cancel", , "No Selection"
GoTo Exit_OkFindFirm
End If

' Store the selection in a variable.
Dim lngSelect As Long
lngSelect = Me!lstFirm
'Dim strSelect As String
'strSelect = Me!lstFirm

' Close the dialog form to switch back to the main form.
DoCmd.Close

' Move the cursor back to the search field.
' SendKeys "+{TAB}" doesn't work, although I see no reason why it
shouldn't.
DoCmd.GoToControl "txbFirmName"

' Find the selected record.
'DoCmd.FindRecord lngSelect, , , , , acAll
'DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect
DoCmd.GoToRecord acDataForm, "tblFirm", acGoTo, lngSelect

' Move the cursor back to the search button.
DoCmd.GoToControl "cmdSearchFirm"

Exit_OkFindFirm:
On Error Resume Next
Exit Sub

Err_OkFindFirm:
MsgBox "Error #: " & Err & Chr(13) & Err.Description
Resume Exit_OkFindFirm

End Sub

Originally, I put the firm's name into a string variable (strSelect)
and
did
DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect. This works, but not for duplicate firm
names.

Next I tried passing the firm's unique ID number to a long integer
variable.
This did not work at all, doubtless because FindRecord was searching
the
firm name field for the firm ID number, which of course isn't there.

Next, I tried to force FindRecord to look in all fields for a match
to
the
firm ID. I didn't much care for this approach, but it didn't work
anyway,
so
that was okay.

The most recent thing I tried was passing the firm Id number to
DoCmd.GoToRecord. This gave me an error message stating that the
Firms
table
wasn't open.

My brain hurts.

BruceM,
Thanks for your very kind response.
I am not familiar with GoToRecord either. As stated, I only tried it
because I couldn't get FindRecord to work.
I don't doubt that my approach has been unconventional, but that is only
because I do not know what the conventional approach is. I developed my
application largely by copying and modifying stuff from sample databases. I
have two books, one is Access 200 Programming from the Ground Up, by Whil
Hentzen, which I assure you is very well-thumbed, and more recently, Access
2007 VBA Programmer's Reference, which is a bit over my head, and not helped
by the numerous typos I keep finding. In addition, there is of course the
sometimes-helpful Microsoft F1 Help. Despite all this I have not really come
upon a "conventional" method for finding a record and displaying it to a
form, which is pretty stunning since that is what databases are supposed to
do.
I am only just now beginning to get the impression that the conventional
answer may involve Cloned RecordSets and Bookmarks, but these are completely
new concepts to me and sound over-complicated for the simple task I'm trying
to accomplish.
This morning I have gained some ground by abandoning FindRecord in favor of
Seek. Could you tell me, once I've found the desired record via Seek, how to
make that record the current record so it appears on the form?
Thanks

"BruceM" wrote:

I'm not sure I'm following allo of this, but you can reference any column in
a combo box or list box row source:
Me.lstFirm.Column(1) references the second column in the list box (numbering
is zero-based in this case). If you simply reference the list box you
reference the bound column. There is no need to change the bound column.

I am not familiar with GoToRecord. When I use an unbound combo box (or list
box) to search, its After Update code I use is something like this:

Dim rs As Object

Set rs = Me.RecordsetClone
rs.FindFirst "[FirmID] = " & Me.lstFirm
Me.Bookmark = rs.Bookmark

This assumes FirmID is a number field (including autonumber). If you search
by firm name and there are duplicates you may not end up at the record you
want no matter the method. All of this assumes the list box row source Gina
described (two columns, with the unique number field in the first column and
the firm name in the second). BTW, the first column is 1 on the Property
Sheet, but it is 0 in code. As described, a reference to the list box
references the bound column. Me.lstFirm references the bound column.

You can refer to any field in a form's record source, but until you go to
the record you don't have that option. That is why the reference

To move the cursor to a control (not a field, which is in a table or query):
Me.ControlName.SetFocus

You refer to moving the cursor first to a "field", then to the command
button in the same code. You can move the focus, but of course the command
button won't accept a cursor, unless I misunderstand something in what you
are saying.

Just as an observation, your frustration is apparent and in some ways
understandable, but many developers have achieved very good results with
Access databases. There is a rather steep learning curve, to be sure, but
there is also a lot of free information and many sample databases to help
guide the learning process. Your approach to this problem has been somewhat
unconventional, so it is hard to see how you have come to the conclusion
that Access is "lame". Some people may perceive that as a chip on your
shoulder, and be reluctant to attempt a reply for that reason.

There are some good articles and tips on this page:
http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
On the right side of the page are links to many more sites.



"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
Gina,
Thanks for replying. My list box is already set up as you describe. When
I
wrote of passing either the Firm Name to a sting variable or conversely,
the
Firm ID to a long integer variable, this involved changing the bound
column
to either 2 or 1, respectively.

I think the problem has to do with the fact that my Firms maintenance form
is focussed on the Firm Name. DoCmd.FindRecord seems unable to search the
Firm ID field, but only the Firm Name field, due to this implied focus.

If I were to add a Firm ID text box to my maintenance form, and then go to
that control prior to running DoCmd.FindRecord, I have no doubt it would
work. But the whole idea of having a surrogate autonumbering key is that
it
should lurk in the background without the user having to see it or know
about
it.

Another solution would be to alter the names of firms to eliminate any
duplicates, but monkeying with the names just to accomodate the lameness
of
the database system is unacceptable. In essence, this would change the
Firm
Name into the real key field. If so, why have a surrogate key?

I'm sure there is an answer here somewhere; I can't be the first person to
want to do this. I'm just amazed that finding a way to perform so basic a
database operation could ever be this difficult and time-consuming.

"Gina Whipp" wrote:

oldblindpew,

You would need to use the Firm's unique ID and use the same thing in the
list box, which ight be why it didn't work before because of the way the
list box was set up. Try setting up the list box as 2 columns and make
the
first one 0" width but set the bound column as 1.

--
Gina Whipp

"I feel I have been denied critical, need to know, information!" -
Tremors
II

http://www.regina-whipp.com/index_files/TipList.htm

"oldblindpew" wrote in message
...
What kind of a database cannot retrieve a record and show it on a form?

Here's the flow: The user opens a form for Firms maintenance. On this
form
is a textbox which displays the name of the firm. Next to this textbox
is
a
command button with a picture of binoculars on it. When you click on
the
button, a dialog form is opened containing a list box showing all the
firms
in alphabetical order. The user finds the firm he is interested in, and
selects it. At this point the dialog box closes and the selected firm's
record appears on the underlying form, but this last bit doesn't work
for
duplicate firm names. Access retrieves only the first instance of the
selected firm, regardless of which instance the user selects. Here is
the
code behind the event:

Option Compare Database 'Use database order for string comparisons.
Option Explicit 'Requires variables be declared before use.

Private Sub cmdOkFindFirm_Click()
' Find record for main form based on selection in dialog form.
On Error GoTo Err_OkFindFirm

' Check to see if no selection was made.
If IsNull(Me!lstFirm) Then
MsgBox "Make a selection or click Cancel", , "No Selection"
GoTo Exit_OkFindFirm
End If

' Store the selection in a variable.
Dim lngSelect As Long
lngSelect = Me!lstFirm
'Dim strSelect As String
'strSelect = Me!lstFirm

' Close the dialog form to switch back to the main form.
DoCmd.Close

' Move the cursor back to the search field.
' SendKeys "+{TAB}" doesn't work, although I see no reason why it
shouldn't.
DoCmd.GoToControl "txbFirmName"

' Find the selected record.
'DoCmd.FindRecord lngSelect, , , , , acAll
'DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect
DoCmd.GoToRecord acDataForm, "tblFirm", acGoTo, lngSelect

' Move the cursor back to the search button.
DoCmd.GoToControl "cmdSearchFirm"

Exit_OkFindFirm:
On Error Resume Next
Exit Sub

Err_OkFindFirm:
MsgBox "Error #: " & Err & Chr(13) & Err.Description
Resume Exit_OkFindFirm

End Sub

Originally, I put the firm's name into a string variable (strSelect)
and
did
DoCmd.FindRecord strSelect. This works, but not for duplicate firm
names.

Next I tried passing the firm's unique ID number to a long integer
variable.
This did not work at all, doubtless because FindRecord was searching
the
firm name field for the firm ID number, which of course isn't there.

Next, I tried to force FindRecord to look in all fields for a match to
the
firm ID. I didn't much care for this approach, but it didn't work
anyway,
so
that was okay.

The most recent thing I tried was passing the firm Id number to
DoCmd.GoToRecord. This gave me an error message stating that the Firms
table
wasn't open.

My brain hurts.