ACC: Trapping ODBC Login Error Messages

• Microsoft Access versions 2.0, 7.0, 97

SYMPTOMS

Advanced: Requires expert coding, interoperability, and multiuser skills.

When you try to log in to Microsoft SQL Server through ODBC using Visual Basic for Applications code, the code that seems most direct does not trap ODBC login errors. Instead, it returns a connection failure error message.

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: Visual Basic for Applications is called Access Basic in Microsoft Access versions 1.x and 2.0. For more information about Access Basic, please refer to the "Introduction to Programming" manual in Microsoft Access version 1.x or the "Building Applications" manual in Microsoft Access version 2.0

RESOLUTION

To work around this behavior and supply your own error message in place of the error returned by ODBC, you can use the following sample code. This code tests the connection by trying to run an SQL pass-through query, which uses a different method of connecting and is able to trap errors. This sample code uses Microsoft SQL Server as the ODBC data source.

NOTE: This workaround specifically does not work with ORACLE.

NOTE: In the following sample code, an underscore (_) at the end of a line is used as a line-continuation character. Remove the underscore from the end of the line when re-creating this code in Access Basic.

   Function Test_Login_Error (UserID, Password)

      On Error GoTo Error_Trap

      Dim mydb As Database
      Dim myq As QueryDef
      Set mydb = CurrentDB()
      Set myq = mydb.CreateQueryDef("")
      myq.connect = "ODBC;DSN=opus;UID=" & UserID & ";PWD=" & _
      Password &";LANGUAGE=us_english;DATABASE=pubs"

      myq.returnsrecords = False

      ' Any SQL statement will work below.
      myq.sql = "select * from authors"
      myq.Execute
      Exit function

   Error_Trap:
      MsgBox "An error has occurred."
      MsgBox Error
      Exit Function

   End Function

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Create the following function in a module:

         Function Login_Error (UserID, Password)
   

            On Error GoTo Error_Trap2
   
            Dim myws As WorkSpace, connstr As String
            Dim mydb As Database
   
            connstr = "ODBC;DSN=opus;UID=" & UserID & ";PWD=" & _
            Password & ";LANGUAGE=us_english;DATABASE=pubs"
   
            Set myws = DBEngine.Workspaces(0)
            Set mydb = myws.OpenDatabase("", False, False, connstr)
   
            mydb.Close
   
            Exit Function
   
         Error_Trap2:
            MsgBox "An error has occurred."
            MsgBox Error
            Exit Function
   
         End Function
   
   

2. Type the following line in the Debug window (or Immediate window in version 2.0), and then press ENTER:

         ?Login_Error("myuser","wrongpassword")
   

   Note that you do not reach the error trap unless you cancel the login attempt, at which point the error message is "Operation canceled by user."

Keywords          : kbprg kbusage PgmHowTo PgmErr OdbcOthr
Version           : 2.0 7.0 97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbprb
Solution Type     : kbcode