ACC: How to Create a Function That Pauses Program Execution

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

SUMMARY

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

This article describes a sample user-defined function called Wait() that you can use to delay program execution for a specified period of time. This function can be called from any form or report event procedure or from a RunCode macro action.

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

MORE INFORMATION

To create the sample user-defined Wait() function, open a new module and enter the following code:

   '**********************************************************
   ' Declarations section of the module
   '**********************************************************

     Option Explicit

   '===================================================================
   ' NOTE: In Visual or Access Basic the unit of greatest precision
   ' is seconds. Therefore if the Timer is set to wait one second, the
   ' result could be a delay of anywhere from 0 to 1 second. If a higher
   ' degree of precision is required, another option is to use the Timer
   ' event of the form which has the ability to trigger every 1000th of a
   ' second.
   '====================================================================

      Function Wait (Delay As Integer, DispHrglass As Integer)

      Dim DelayEnd As Double
      DoCmd.Hourglass DispHrglass
      '(In Microsoft Access 2.0 and 1.x use: DoCmd Hourglass DispHrglass)
      DelayEnd = DateAdd("s", Delay, Now)
      While DateDiff("s", Now, DelayEnd) > 0
      Wend
      DoCmd.Hourglass False
      '(In Microsoft Access 2.0 and 1.x use: DoCmd Hourglass False)
      End Function

REFERENCES

For more information about methods of calling a function, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q97514
   TITLE     : ACC: Writing Functions Called from Events or Expressions

Keywords          : kbprg PgmHowTo PgmLoop MdlGnrl
Version           : 1.0 1.1 2.0 7.0 97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbhowto