ACC: How to Programmatically Change a Control Type

• Microsoft Access versions 7.0, 97

SUMMARY

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

This article demonstrates how you can programmatically change a control on a form to another type of control. Using the ControlType property in Visual Basic for Applications, you can change a text box into a combo box, a toggle button into an option button, and so on.

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 your version of the "Building Applications with Microsoft Access" manual.

MORE INFORMATION

The method described in this article uses a custom Visual Basic function (called from a command button on Form1) to change the ControlType property of a text box (on Form2) to a combo box. Two forms are necessary because the ControlType property is available only in a form's Design view. As a result, you cannot change a control's type using Visual Basic while the form that contains the control is open in Form view.

To programmatically change a form's control to another type of control, follow these steps:

1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.

2. Create new form not based on any table or query and name it Form1.

3. Add a command button to the Form1 form and set its properties as follows:

         Name: Command0
         Caption: Change Control Type
   

4. Set the command button's OnClick property to [Event Procedure], click the Build button to the right of [Event Procedure], and then type the following text in the Form module:

         Private Sub Command0_Click()
   

            If Forms!Form2.CurrentView <> 0 Then DoCmd.OpenForm "Form2",_
            acDesign
   
            If Forms!Form2![CategoryName].ControlType = acComboBox Then
              Forms!Form2![CategoryName].ControlType = acTextBox
            Else
              Forms!Form2![CategoryName].ControlType = acComboBox
            End If
   
         End Sub
   
   

5. Close and save the Form1 form.

6. Make a copy of the Categories form and call it Form2.

7. Open the Form2 form in Form view.

8. Open the Form1 form in Form view and click the command button. Note that the Form2 form opens in Design view and that the CategoryName control changes from a text box to a combo box. When you click the Change Control Type button again on the Form1 form, the CategoryName control in the Form2 form changes back to a text box.

REFERENCES

For more information about the ControlType property, search the Help Index for "ControlType."