ACC: Detail Section Blank When Form Is Printed or Previewed

• Microsoft Access versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 7.0, 97

SYMPTOMS

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

When you print or preview a form, the detail section is blank even though controls are visible in the detail section when you view the form in Form view. Other sections, such as the form header and form footer, appear correctly when you print or preview the form.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs if the form's underlying table or query returns no records, or if the detail section's DisplayWhen property is set to Screen Only.

RESOLUTION

Make sure the underlying table or query returns at least one record, or place necessary controls in other sections, such as the form header or form footer. If the detail section's DisplayWhen property is set to Screen Only, change it to Always or Print Only.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

Example 1: No Records in Underlying Table

1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb (or NWIND.MDB in versions 1.x and 2.0)

2. Create a new table with several fields. Do not add any records to the table.

3. Save the new table as Table1, and then close it.

4. Create a new form based on Table1. Place the fields from the table in the form's detail section.

5. Place some controls, such as labels or buttons, in the form header and form footer.

6. View the form in Form view. Note that you can see all the controls.

7. Print or preview the form. Note that the detail section is blank.

Example 2: DisplayWhen Property Set to Screen Only

1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb (or NWIND.MDB in versions 1.x and 2.0)

2. Preview the Categories form. Note that you can see the controls in the form's detail section.

3. Open the Categories form in Design view.

4. Change the detail section's DisplayWhen property to Screen Only.

5. Preview the form again. Note that the detail section is blank.

REFERENCES

For more information search for "DisplayWhen Property" using the Microsoft Access 97 Help Index.