ACC: How to Create a Stopwatch Form (95/97)

• Microsoft Access versions 7.0, 97

SUMMARY

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

This article describes how to create and use a form that contains Start/Stop and Reset command buttons 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 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.

NOTE: This article explains a technique demonstrated in the sample files, FrmSampl.exe (for Microsoft Access for Windows 95 version 7.0) and FrmSmp97.exe (for Microsoft Access 97). For information about how to obtain these sample files, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q150895
   TITLE     : ACC95: Microsoft Access Sample Forms Available on MSL

   ARTICLE-ID: Q175066
   TITLE     : ACC97: Microsoft Access 97 Sample Forms Available on MSL

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

   Name: ElapsedTime DefaultValue: "00:00:00:00" Enabled: No Locked: Yes

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

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

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

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

6. Click Code on the View menu to display the form module. In the Declarations section, type the following:

   Dim TotalElapsedMilliSec As Long Dim StartTickCount As Long Private Declare Function GetTickCount Lib "kernel32" () As Long

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

   Private Sub Form_Timer ()

             Dim Hours As String
             Dim Minutes As String
             Dim Seconds As String
             Dim MilliSec As String
             Dim Msg As String
             Dim ElapsedMilliSec As Long
   
             ElapsedMilliSec = (GetTickCount() - StartTickCount) + _
                TotalElapsedMilliSec
   
             Hours = Format((ElapsedMilliSec \ 3600000), "00")
             Minutes = Format((ElapsedMilliSec \ 60000) Mod 60, "00")
             Seconds = Format((ElapsedMilliSec \ 1000) Mod 60, "00")
             MilliSec = Format((ElapsedMilliSec Mod 1000) \ 10, "00")
   
             Me!ElapsedTime = Hours & ":" & Minutes & ":" & Seconds & ":" _
                & MilliSec
          End Sub
   
   

8. Type the following code for the btnStartStop command button's OnClick property event procedure:

   Private Sub btnStartStop_Click()

             If Me.TimerInterval = 0 Then
                StartTickCount = GetTickCount()
                Me.TimerInterval = 15
                Me!btnStartStop.Caption = "Stop"
                Me!btnReset.Enabled = False
             Else
                TotalElapsedMilliSec = TotalElapsedMilliSec + _
                   (GetTickCount() - StartTickCount)
                Me.TimerInterval = 0
                Me!btnStartStop.Caption = "Start"
                Me!btnReset.Enabled = True
             End If
        End Sub
   
   

9. Type the following code for the btnReset command button's OnClick property event procedure:

   Private Sub btnReset_Click()

             TotalElapsedMilliSec = 0
             Me!ElapsedTime = "00:00:00:00"
          End Sub
   
   

10. Open the form in Form view to test the stop watch.

   ARTICLE-ID: Q128813
   TITLE     : ACC2: How to Create a Stopwatch Form

Keywords          : kbusage FmsHowTo
Version           : 7.0 97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbhowto