ACC: Change Border Properties for Chart Using OLE Automation

• Microsoft Access versions 7.0, 97

SUMMARY

This article demonstrates how to use Automation to modify properties of the border object in a Microsoft Graph object.

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

It is possible to change the properties of a Microsoft Graph chart's border object using Automation. It is possible to programmatically change such border object properties as BorderColor, LineStyle, and Weight.

Example - Change the Color, LineStyle, and Weight of a Chart Border

The following example steps through creating a Microsoft Graph chart in a form, then changes the chart's default border to a thick, red dashed line:

1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.

2. Open a new, blank form in Design view.

3. On the Insert menu, click Chart. Click and drag a chart to the form.

4. In the first dialog box of the Chart Wizard, under View, click Queries, and then select the "Employee Sales By Country" query. Click Next.

5. In the next dialog box, add the Country and SaleAmount fields to the Fields For Chart box. Click Finish. Your graph will appear in the form.

6. On the View menu, click Properties. Select the Graph so that you are viewing the graph object's properties. Set the Name property to MyGraph.

7. Add a command button to the form with the following properties:

   Command button: Caption: Add Border OnClick: =AddBorder()

8. On the View menu, click Code to view the form's module.

9. Add the following code to the form's module:

   Function AddBorder()

             Dim GraphObj As Object
             Set GraphObj = Me![MyGraph].Object.Application.Chart
             GraphObj.ChartArea.Border.LineStyle = 4
             GraphObj.ChartArea.Border.Weight = 4
             GraphObj.ChartArea.Border.Color = 255
          End Function
   
   

10. Switch the form to Form view. When prompted for a beginning and ending date, enter "1/1/94" and "1/1/95" respectively (without the quotation marks). Click the command button to run the code and change the border type.

REFERENCES

For more information about Microsoft Graph, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q128364
   TITLE     : Microsoft Graph VBA Help File Available on MSL

For more information about Automation, search the Help Index for "Automation," and "Automation with Microsoft Access," or ask the Microsoft Access 97 Office Assistant.

For more examples of Automation between Microsoft Access and Microsoft Graph, obtain the Automation Help File as described in the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q148124
   TITLE:    : OLE Automation Help File (95) Available on MSL

Keywords          : kbinterop kbtool IntpGrph
Version           : 7.0 97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbhowto