ACC: Dirty Property Not Recognized on Unbound Forms

• Microsoft Access versions 2.0, 7.0, 97

SYMPTOMS

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

When you reference the Dirty property of an unbound form (a form that is not based on a table or query), you may receive the following error message.

   In Microsoft Access 7.0 and 97:

      Run-time error '2455':
      You entered an expression that has an invalid reference to the
      property Dirty

   In Microsoft Access 2.0:

      Invalid reference to field 'Dirty'

CAUSE

The Dirty property is unavailable on unbound forms. The Dirty property was intended to indicate if the current record in the forms recordset is in edit mode. Because an unbound form has no recordset (the RecordSource property is blank) the Dirty property is not available.

RESOLUTION

Set the form's RecordSource property to a table, query, or SQL statement.

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb (or NWIND.MDB in Microsoft Access 2.0).

2. Create a blank, new form. Do not base the form on any table or query.

3. Add a text box to the form.

4. Save the form as Test.

5. View the form in Form view.

6. Open the Utility Functions module.

7. On the View menu, click Debug Window (or Immediate Window in Microsoft Access 2.0.)

8. In the Debug window, type the following line, and then press ENTER:

         ? forms!test.Dirty
   

   Note that you receive the error message mentioned earlier in this article.

REFERENCES