Closing a form without saving data.

Thanks for the help, I am still a little lost. I am going to spend some time reviewing the code you provided and I will reply in the morning.

theNelson,
I am hoping you can help me tackle this one problem at a time. My coding skills are not as good as I thought (haha)
The first is getting the cancel button to work for the pop-up after pressing enter when typing in NewData. I have attached a copy of the current code I am using. In the Code between the two ampersand It appears there is no instruction what to do if  it = False
I think the line (DoCmd.Close acForm, "frmEditNewInmate", acSaveYes) Should be acSaveNo

Private Sub InmateId_NotInList(NewData As String, Response As Integer)
    Dim strMessage As String
    Dim dbsCurrentDB As Database
    Dim rstInmates As Recordset
 
        strMessage = "Are you sure you want to add '" & NewData & _
        "' to the list of Inmates?"
 
    &If fncConfirm(strMessage) Then&
        Set dbsCurrentDB = CurrentDb()
        Set rstInmates = dbsCurrentDB.OpenRecordset("tblInmates")
        rstInmates.AddNew
        rstInmates!InmateLastName = NewData
        rstInmates!InmateFirstName = "FirstName"
        rstInmates!CIN = "00000"
        rstInmates!InmateGender = "Male"
 
        rstInmates.Update
        Response = acDataErrAdded
    Else
        DoCmd.Close acForm, "frmEditNewInmate", acSaveYes
        Response = acDataErrDisplay
    End If
 
End Sub
 
 
Public Function fncConfirm(strMessage As String) As Boolean
    Dim bytChoice As Byte
    bytChoice = MsgBox(strMessage, vbQuestion + vbYesNo)
    
    If bytChoice = vbYes Then
        fncConfirm = True
    Else
        fncConfirm = False
        
    End If
 
End Function

                                              

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You can simplify your code by replacing
If fncConfirm(strMessage) Then
and
the fncConfirm Function with
If MsgBox(strMessage, vbQuestion + vbYesNo) = vbYes Then

Is the InmateId combobox in the frmEditNewInmate form or the  Report Form?  If it is in the Report form, why are you opening the InmateId  form since you are adding the required record with your recordset?  I open a form to add the record if the user needs to enter information into the new record. Otherwise I just use an update query or recordset to add the new record (usually an update query since it is easier).

The InmateID Is in the WriteUp Form. It is a Drop-down that is used to select existing people in the database. The reason for the "Not in list Event" is to add new inmates without staff having to navigate to another tab to enter new people. I can email you a copy if that will help.  

The report form in the pics above is the same as Writeup form.

I am trying to handle this problem one issue at a time. The first is that I get a information message when I click "No" when asked if I want add the person. I have figured out how to correct that, but am still have a problem getting the comb box empty without pressing esc twice. I have explain a little better below.

I have followed the advice above and it works fine, but when I have typed in text and then click "No" when asked if I want to add the name. Changing the response to Continue suppresses the message and using SendKey Chr(vbKeyEscape) closes the dropdown, but I still have to press the esc key twice to get back to a empty form. Is there another way to clear the text entered and loose focus on the combo box?

I changed the response to acDataErrContinue from acDataErrDisplay
and added the following code. Now when I click cancel the the Info msgbox closes and the combo box is cleared.
Now I have to get the cancel to work if I click yes and the frmEdfitNewInmate form opens. I want the form to clear any data in the combo box and the table and close.

        Response = acDataErrContinue
        SendKeys Chr(vbKeyEscape)
        Me.InmateID = ""
        SendKeys Chr(vbKeyEscape)
   End If
   End Sub

                                              

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Please post all the code for the not in list event.

Here is the code for the "NotInList" event. I have the it working if you cancel at the first message box that ask if you want to enter the new data. You can click "No" and it closes the msgbox and clears the form. If you click yes the EditNewInmate form opens, if you click cancel the form closes, but it still enters the data in the table. I looked at he example you reference above. I tried to use the code you provide but still have the same problem of the data being entered even though I click to cancel. I think the reason is the data is being entered into a different form and I don't know how to address this.

Private Sub InmateID_NotInList(NewData As String, Response As Integer)
On Error GoTo Err_InmateID_NotInList
 
    Dim strMessage As String
    Dim dbsCurrentDB As Database
    Dim rstInmates As Recordset
    
        strMessage = "Are you sure you want to add '" & NewData & _
        "' to the list of Inmates?"
        
        If fncConfirm(strMessage) Then
    
        Set dbsCurrentDB = CurrentDb()
        Set rstInmates = dbsCurrentDB.OpenRecordset("tblInmates")
        rstInmates.AddNew
        rstInmates!InmateLastName = NewData
        rstInmates!InmateFirstName = "FirstName"
        rstInmates!CIN = "00000"
        rstInmates!InmateGender = "Male"
        rstInmates.Update
        
        Response = acDataErrAdded
Else
        Response = acDataErrContinue
     '  Three lines below added to get the combo box InmateID to close, clear and Not Dirty.
        SendKeys Chr(vbKeyEscape)
        Me.InmateID = ""
        SendKeys Chr(vbKeyEscape)
End If
   
Exit_InmateID_NotInList:
        Exit Sub
Err_InmateID_NotInList:
        If Err.Number = 3022 Then
        MsgBox "Please contact your administrator..." & vbCrLf & "Check for Duplicate CIN Numbers of   000000..."
Else
        MsgBox Err.Number
End If
Resume Exit_InmateID_NotInList
   
End Sub
                                              

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I realize you stated this part is working but lets get rid of SendKeys. Instead of
        SendKeys Chr(vbKeyEscape)
        Me.InmateID = ""
        SendKeys Chr(vbKeyEscape)
try
    InmateID.UnDo
    Me.Undo

In the code you posted, I do not see anything opening the form EditNewInmate. This code:
        Set dbsCurrentDB = CurrentDb()
        Set rstInmates = dbsCurrentDB.OpenRecordset("tblInmates")
        rstInmates.AddNew
        rstInmates!InmateLastName = NewData
        rstInmates!InmateFirstName = "FirstName"
        rstInmates!CIN = "00000"
        rstInmates!InmateGender = "Male"
        rstInmates.Update
writes to the table tblInmates directly.

I made the change you suggested. It works, but the combo box is still open. Maybe this is better It saves the user a step if they want to type a different name, but I have users that don't know they need to click the esc key to exit the record.

The code below open the edit form

 
Private Sub InmateID_Exit(Cancel As Integer)
    
    Dim stDocName As String
    Dim stLinkCriteria As String
    
    stDocName = "frmEditNewInmate"
    
    fncSaveRecord
 
    
    If Me.InmateID.Column(2) = 0 Then
        
        stLinkCriteria = "[InmateID]=" & Me![InmateID]
        DoCmd.OpenForm stDocName, , , stLinkCriteria
    
    Else
    End If
    
End Sub

                                              

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You can close the dropdown of a combobox by setting the focus to another control then back to the combobox.

Why are you opening the form frmEditNewInmate when you have already saved the not in list new data to the table tblInmates?  Since the new record is saved in the not in list event, pressing the Cancel button in the Add New Inmate form will not remove the record unless you have coding like a delete query to remove the record.

Now that I see there is design problem, but do not know how to write the query to delete the record. I started this data base, but then had someone help me complete it and this is how she constructed it. I wanted to be able to add a new person without going to a different tab, so she wrote the "NotInList Event". I like the way it works, but need to be able to cancel. When staff are making entries if they need to cancel for any reason currently they are getting stuck. Some have exited by Cntlr, Alt, Delete which then enters "000000" into the table. Then no one else can add a new inmate. The database is still usable as long as the person receiving the violation is already in the database.  

To create a delete query, go to queries in the database window select, new, select the table. Under the queries menu, select delete query. Drag the star (all fields) from the table window to the first field column. Enter the criteria to select the record. Switch to SQL view and copy that. To run the query from code paste the SQL statement behind "CurrentDB.Execute". When your done it will look like this:
CurrentDB.Execute "DELETE tblInmates.* FROM tblInmates WHERE InmateID= " & Me!InmateID & ";"

Once people get used to using Ctlr, Alt, Delete or turning off the computer, it is hard to get them to stop. Your company should have a strict written policy forbidding any employee except IT personal from doing that with listed consequences. Also, doing frequent updates can protect from this sort of action. This is my back up policy for any database critical for office operation:

This is what I do to back up our database.  It may seem excessive but the data is critical to our business and I am very paranoid having been a system's engineer through the 70's and 80's when hard drive crashes were common.

The backend is stored on a raid 7 disk pack.  The server will email me if there is a problem.

Every half hour that the frontend is running, the frontend copies the backend to a raid 0 disk pack by shelling to the DOS copy command.  The DOS copy command will copy an open file.  The only time the copy is corrupted is when someone writes to the backend during the 30 seconds the copy is being made.  The database deletes copies that are more than two hours old so I always have the last 4 copies.  The database will email me if it runs into a problem.  (These copies are very useful for things like a user saying, "I just accidental deleted everything in a memo field.")

Every night, a workstation runs MS backup zipping a copy of the BE to its harddrive.  I keep all these backups for the last four months.

Every night, another workstation runs Second Copy (www.centered.com) zipping a copy to a ftp site on our hosted www.nosuffering.com site.  Second Copy will email me if it runs into a problem.  The data center is in California.

Every night, a third workstation runs Handy Backup which compacts and repairs and then zips the file to a ftp site on my hosted www.thenelson.name site.  Handy Backup will email me if it runs into a problem.  The data center is in Pennsylvania.

I also look in on all the backups a couple of times a week.  This way, I am not relying on one computer or one piece of software for the backups.  I have automatic offsite backups at opposite ends of the country.  All of this has cost me $50 for Second Copy and Handy Backup and $9 a month for two hosted websites (which includes my websites www.nosuffering..com and www.thenelson.name).

Do I run this command from the cmdCancel_Click button?

I suppose you can. I don't quite understand why you tire opening that form anyway since you are giving the user the option to cancel the new record add with the message box: "Are you sure you want to add '" & NewData & "' to the list of Inmates?"

The Sgt gets reports from various places and staff. Some times they may be in the process of entering a report that requires them to add a inmate that has never had a writeup so he/she is not in the database. So they enter the last name, press enter the form opens because it is a new person, then they realize the report is missing the CIN number or they see the report is pass the date to process it ect. Now they need to exit out of the record without adding what they have typed already.

The message box prior to this point ask "Are you sure you want to add this inmate to the database, Normally the answer is yes. But sometimes as you are adding the report the name doesn't come up which is caused by typing the name wrong so they would click no. I use the esc key, but I have thirty people that use this database and most are not very computer savvy. I keep telling them to press the esc key, but they don't remember, so I am trying to make it as simple for the user as possible.

theNelson thanks for the patience and advice, I am re-designing part of the db.