ACC: Listing Object Names Using Data Access Objects (DAO)

• Microsoft Access version 2.0, 7.0, 97

SUMMARY

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

In Microsoft Access, you can use data access objects (DAO) to list the objects in your database. This article describes a method using DAO that you can use to display all the objects in your database for the object type you select.

This article assumes that you are familiar with Visual Basic for Applications and with creating Microsoft Access applications using the programming tools provided with Microsoft Access. For more information about Visual Basic for Applications, please refer to the "Building Applications for Access 97" manual.

NOTE: Visual Basic for Applications (used in Microsoft Access 97 and 7.0) is called Access Basic in Microsoft Access 2.0 or earlier.

MORE INFORMATION

The following example demonstrates how to use DAO to list all the objects in your database for the object type you select:

1. Start Microsoft Access and open any database.

2. Create a new, blank form.

3. Add an option group to the form. Set the Option group's Name property to "ChooseObject" (without the quotation marks).

4. Add seven option buttons with the following properties to the option group:

         Option Button 1:
            Name: Tables
            OptionValue: 1
   
         Option Button 2:
            Name: Queries
            OptionValue: 2
   
         Option Button 3:
            Name: Forms
            OptionValue: 3
   
         Option Button 4:
            Name: Reports
            OptionValue: 4
   
         Option Button 5:
            Name: Macros/Scripts
            OptionValue: 5
   
         Option Button 6:
            Name: Modules
            OptionValue: 6
   
         Option Button 7:
            Name: All Objects
            OptionValue: 7
   
   

5. Set the option group's AfterUpdate property to the following event procedure.

   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.

       Sub ChooseObject_AfterUpdate ()
   

       Dim DB As Database, I As Integer, j As Integer, ok_cancel As Integer
       Dim System_Prefix, Current_TableName, Hidden_Prefix
       Dim Ok as Integer, Cancel as Integer
   

       Ok = 1
       Cancel = 2
       Set db = DbEngine(0)(0)
   

       Select Case Me![ChooseObject]
       Case 1
          'System tables are excluded from the list.
          For I = 0 To db.TableDefs.Count - 1
           Current_TableName = db.TableDefs(I).Name
           System_Prefix = Left(Current_TableName, 4)
           Hidden_Prefix = Left(Current_TableName, 1)
           If System_Prefix <>"MSys" And System_Prefix <> "USys" And _
           Hidden_Prefix <> "~" Then
                 ok_cancel = MsgBox(db.TableDefs(I).Name, 65, "TABLE NAMES")
                If ok_cancel = cancel Then
                 Exit Sub
                End If
           End If
           Next I
       Case 2
           For I = 0 To db.Querydefs.Count - 1
             ok_cancel = MsgBox(db.Querydefs(I).Name, 65, "QUERY NAMES")
                If ok_cancel = cancel Then
                 Exit Sub
                End If
           Next I
       Case 3
           For I = 0 To db.Containers("Forms").Documents.Count - 1
            ok_cancel = MsgBox(db.Containers("Forms").Documents(I).Name, _
            65, "FORM NAMES")
                If ok_cancel = cancel Then
                 Exit Sub
                End If
           Next I
       Case 4
           For I = 0 To db.Containers("Reports").Documents.Count - 1
            ok_cancel = MsgBox(db.Containers("Reports").Documents(I).Name, _
            65, "REPORT NAMES")
                If ok_cancel = cancel Then
                 Exit Sub
                End If
            Next I
       Case 5
            'Scripts are macros.
            For I = 0 To db.Containers("Scripts").Documents.Count - 1
             ok_cancel = MsgBox(db.Containers("Scripts").Documents(I).Name, _
             65, "MACRO NAMES")
                If ok_cancel = cancel Then
                 Exit Sub
                End If
            Next I
       Case 6
            For I = 0 To db.Containers("Modules").Documents.Count - 1
             ok_cancel = MsgBox(db.Containers("Modules").Documents(I).Name, _
             65, "MODULE NAMES")
                If ok_cancel = cancel Then
                 Exit Sub
                End If
            Next I
       Case 7
            For I = 0 To db.Containers.Count - 1
              For j = 0 To db.Containers(I).Documents.Count - 1
                ok_cancel = MsgBox(db.Containers(I).Name & Chr(13) & Chr(10) _
                & db.Containers(I).Documents(j).Name, 65, "ALL OBJECTS")
                If ok_cancel = cancel Then
                 Exit Sub
                End If
              Next j
            Next I
       End Select
       End Sub
   
   

6. View the form in Form view. Select the option button for the type of object whose names you want to list.

REFERENCES

Microsoft Access "Building Applications with Microsoft Access 97," Chapter 5, "Working with Objects and Collections"

Keywords          : kbusage PgmHowTo PgmObj MdlDao
Version           : 2.0 7.0 97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbinfo