ACC: Maximizing One Form Maximizes All Forms

• Microsoft Access versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0

SYMPTOMS

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

When you maximize a form, all other open forms are also maximized. You cannot maximize one form independent of the other open forms.

CAUSE

Microsoft Access is a multiple document interface (MDI) application. The default behavior for an MDI document is for all child windows to be maximized when one is maximized. This behavior occurs in many applications. For example, if you maximize one group window in Windows Program Manager, any other group window that you select (using the Window menu) will also be maximized. Or, if you maximize a document window in Microsoft Word for Windows, all other document windows will be maximized as well.

RESOLUTION

This article assumes that you are familiar with Access Basic and with creating Microsoft Access applications using the programming tools provided with Microsoft Access. For more information on Access Basic, please refer to the "Introduction to Programming" manual in Microsoft Access version 1.x, or the "Building Applications" manual in version 2.0.

There are two ways to work around this behavior:

• Forms whose PopUp property is set to Yes are not MDI child windows. Pop-up forms float on top of other forms, and are not maximized when an MDI child window is maximized.
• You can simulate maximizing a form by sizing it as large as possible in a restored state. The following example demonstrates how to create and use a sample Sub procedure called MaximizeRestoredForm to restore a form if it is maximized, and then move the form to the upper left corner of the Microsoft Access client area window and size it as large as possible.

  NOTE: In the following sample code, an underscore (_) at the end of a line is used as a line-continuation character. Remove the underscore from the end of the line when re-creating this code in Access Basic.

  1. Create a new module and enter the following lines in the

        Declarations section of the module:
  

           Option Explicit
  
           Type Rect
              x1 As Integer
              y1 As Integer
              x2 As Integer
              y2 As Integer
           End Type
  
           Declare Sub GetWindowRect Lib "User" (ByVal hWnd As Integer, _
              lpRect As Rect)
           Declare Function IsZoomed Lib "User" (ByVal hWnd As Integer) _
              As Integer
           Declare Sub ShowWindow Lib "User" (ByVal hWnd%, ByVal nCmdShow%)
           Declare Sub MoveWindow Lib "User" (ByVal hWnd As Integer, _
              ByVal X As Integer, ByVal Y As Integer, ByVal nWidth As _
              Integer, ByVal nHeight As Integer, ByVal bRepaint As Integer)
           Declare Function GetParent Lib "User" (ByVal hWnd As Integer) _
              As Integer
  
           Const SW_MAXIMIZE = 3
           Const SW_SHOWNORMAL = 1
  
     2. Enter the following Sub procedure in the module:
  
           Sub MaximizeRestoredForm (F As Form)
              Dim MDIRect As Rect
  
              ' If the form is maximized, restore it.
              If IsZoomed(F.hWnd) <> 0 Then
                 ShowWindow F.hWnd, SW_SHOWNORMAL
              End If
  
              ' Get the screen coordinates and window size of the
              ' MDIClient window.
              GetWindowRect GetParent(F.hWnd), MDIRect
  
              ' Move the form to the upper left corner of the MDIClient
              ' window (0,0) and size it to the same size as the
              ' MDIClient window.
              MoveWindow F.hWnd, 0, 0, MDIRect.x2 - MDIRect.x1, _
                 MDIRect.y2 - MDIRect.y1, True
           End Sub
  
     3. To automatically simulate maximizing a form when the form is opened,
        set the form's OnLoad property to the following event procedure:
  
           Sub Form_Load()
              MaximizeRestoredForm Me
           End Sub
  
     4. To simulate maximizing a form called MyForm, use the following
        statement in a function or subroutine:
  
           MaximizeRestoredForm Forms!MyForm
  
  

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

REFERENCES