ACC2: How to Create a Stopwatch Form

• Microsoft Access version 2.0

SUMMARY

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

This article describes how to create and use a form that contains a Start/Stop and a Reset command button that use the form's Timer event to display elapsed hours, minutes, and seconds in a text box control.

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 about Access Basic, please refer to the "Building Applications" manual.

MORE INFORMATION

The following example demonstrates how to create and use a form to track elapsed time:

1. Open any database.

2. Create a blank form not based on any table or query and set the following properties for the form:

         ScrollBars: Neither
         RecordSelectors: No
         NavigationButtons: No
         OnTimer: [Event Procedure]
         TimerInterval: 0
   

3. Type the following code for the form's OnTimer property event procedure:

         Sub Form_Timer ()
            Dim Hours, Minutes, Seconds, MS
            Dim Msg As String
   
            ElapsedMS = ElapsedMS + Me.TimerInterval
   
            Hours = Format((ElapsedMS \ 360000), "00")
            Minutes = Format(((ElapsedMS \ 6000) Mod 60), "00")
            Seconds = Format((ElapsedMS \ 100) Mod 60, "00")
            MS = Format((ElapsedMS) Mod 100, "00")
   
            If Hours > 0 Then Msg = Hours & ":"
            Msg = Msg & Minutes & ":" & Seconds & ":" & MS
   
            Me!ElapsedTime = Msg
         End Sub
   
   

4. Add a command button to the form and set the following properties for the command button:

         Name: StartStop
         Caption: Start
         OnClick: [Event Procedure]
   

5. Enter the following code for the command button's OnClick property event procedure:

         Sub StartStop_Click ()
            If Me.TimerInterval = 0 Then
               Me.TimerInterval = 1
               Me![StartStop].Caption = "Stop"
            Else
               Me.TimerInterval = 0
               Me![StartStop].Caption = "Start"
            End If
         End Sub
   
   

6. Add a second command button to the form and set the following properties for the second command button:

         Name: Reset
         Caption: Reset
         OnClick: [Event Procedure]
   

7. Enter the following code for the second command button's OnClick property event procedure:

          Sub Reset_Click ()
            ElapsedMS = 0
            Me!ElapsedTime = ""
          End Sub
   
   

8. Add a text box to the form and set the following properties for the text box:

         Name: ElapsedTime
         Enabled: No
         Locked: Yes
   

9. Click Code on the View menu to display the form module. In the Declarations section, replace the default statement

         Option Compare Database
   

   with the statements:

         Option Explicit
         Dim ElapsedMS
   

For more information about creating a Stopwatch Form in Microsoft Access 7.0 and 97, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: