Microsoft KB Archive/103131

Knowledge Base

ACC: Error Previewing Subreports That Call Filter Macro

Article ID: 103131

Article Last Modified on 1/18/2007

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APPLIES TO

• Microsoft Access 1.0 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Access 1.1 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Access 2.0 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Access 95 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Access 97 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q103131

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

SYMPTOMS

When you print a form or report that contains a subform/subreport that calls an ApplyFilter macro action in its OnOpen event, you receive the following error message:

The action or method is invalid because the form or report isn't bound to a table or query.

Even if you do not receive this error message, you see that the ApplyFilter action has not been executed.

CAUSE

When printing, Microsoft Access erroneously tries to apply the filter that is run from the macro to the outermost (main) report/form, rather than to the subreport/subform.

The error occurs because the main report/form does not contain a RecordSource property setting to perform the ApplyFilter action against.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Access 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 7.0, and 97.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Problem

1. Start Microsoft Access and open the sample database Northwind.mdb (or NWIND.MDB in Microsoft Access 2.0 or earlier).
2. Create a new macro that executes an ApplyFilter action. Type a criteria such as the following for the Where Condition:
   
   In Microsoft Access 7.0 and 97:
   

   [LastName]="Fuller"

   
   In Microsoft Access 1.x and 2.0:
   

   [Last Name]="Fuller"

3. Create a new report not based on any table or query.
4. Drag the Employee Sales By Country report from the Database window to create a subreport on the new report.
5. Double-click the subreport to edit it. Set the OnOpen property of the subreport to the macro that you created in step 2 from the combo box.
6. Preview the report. Note that you receive the following error message.
   
   In Microsoft Access 7.0 and 97:
   

   The action or method is invalid because the form or report isn't bound to a table or query.

   
   In Microsoft Access 1.x and 2.0:
   

   Action isn't valid because the form or report isn't bound to a table or query.

7. Change the RecordSource property of the main report to point to the Employees table.
8. Preview the report. Note that the error message no longer appears; however, neither the subreport nor the main report have been filtered.

Additional query words: subreports reports subforms the action or method is invalid because the form or report isn t bound to a table or query

Keywords: kbbug kberrmsg kbusage KB103131

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