Why is the .dropdown method of a combo box unable to work when used within the Form_Load event procedure?. This apparently works in Access 2003, but not in Access 2007?
It works to set the form's timerinterval to 1, then use .dropdown on the combo box in the Form_Timer procedure. This is certainly an acceptable solution, but I'd like to know if someone can shed some light on why it does not work as it was apparently intended, and if there's a more direct solution.
I can't upload the entire db, since it contains personal confidential information.
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By the way, the problem is not that the control loses focus after Load, or somehow does not have the focus during Load. This combo box is first on the tab list.
Also, as stated in the error message when it was attempted to open the combo box without the focus, "You can't reference a property or method for a control unless the control has the focus."
I can confirm that the code above works in Access 2003, at least when used alone on a form (no other event handlers, nothing special at all).
It doesn't work in your form either because the exact order of events has changed between version 2003 and 2007 (for example there is a final redraw after the form is done loading) or because other code interacts with the redrawing (for example in the "current" event).
This is really your question, why?, and I will leave that to another expert willing to test it in version 2007.
I can however answer why the "timer interval" works reliably. The first timer event will fire only once the form is idle. This means that all other events, including "form current" and the first control's "on enter", among others, have been processed. There are other tricks to achieve the same behaviour if the timer is used for something else.
Cheers!
(°v°)
Yes, I had the combo box Visible property set to "no", so I tried again with it set to "yes" with same result.
These are the first lines of the Form_Load procedure (after a couple of dim statements). All controls are visible and enabled.
Further, I tried omitting the setfocus line, and an error stated, "You can't use the .dropdown method unless the control has the focus. (yet it's first on the tab list).
I agree with harfang that there is no need to make the combo box visible and enabled from the Load event -- if you don't need it to be disabled or invisible when the form is loaded, just make it visible and enabled. I did that, and tested the code in Access 2007. I found that when I stepped through the code, the list did indeed drop down on the DropDown line, but it closed on the End Sub line.
Helen Feddema, you said...
"Open the VB window, place a breakpoint on the code using F9, and then when the form is loaded, the code will stop at the breakpoint, and you can step through the remaining code using F8."
I have used these steps often, but was unable to view the form as I stepped through the code. Each instruction is highlighted as I move from line to line, but when I click on the Access tab to view the form, it is not displayed. I would really like to see the effect of each line of code on the form as you said you did, to view the dropdown (before the End Sub instruction was executed).
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by: JDettmanPosted on 2009-10-28 at 06:59:18ID: 25683261
I'm not sure why that would be the case. At the point of the Onload event, all controls should be instantiated and good to go.
What exactly happens?
And as a suggestion, to see if it is control creation related, try a Me.Repaint before the command in place of timer. If that works, then it would seem the control is not available as yet.
JimD.