Knowledge Base

How to Use a Multi-Select List Box to Filter a Form

Article ID: 135546

Article Last Modified on 1/19/2007

APPLIES TO

Microsoft Access 95 Standard Edition
Microsoft Access 97 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q135546

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

SUMMARY

This article shows you how to use a multiple-selection list box to restrict records in a recordset. The two methods described in this article are more flexible than other techniques, such as applying a query or an SQL WHERE clause because they enable you to choose at random which records are displayed.

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.

MORE INFORMATION

Both of the following methods work by restricting the records in a recordset based on the items that you select in a multiple-selection list box.

Method 1

This method uses the Filter property of a form. To create this method, follow these steps:

Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.
Create a new, blank form based on the Customers table and open it in Design view.
If the field list is not displayed, on the View menu, click Field List and drag the CustomerID and CompanyName fields from the field list to the detail section of the form.

Add an unbound list box to the form's detail section and set its properties as follows:

   Name: List0
   Row Source: Customers
   Column Count: 2
   Column Widths: .5";2"
   Multi Select: Extended
   Width: 2.5"

Add a command button to the form. Set the Name property to Command2, and set the OnClick property to [Event Procedure].

On the View menu, click Code, and type the following text in the Form module:

Option Compare Database
Option Explicit

Private Sub Command2_Click()

   Dim Criteria As String
   Dim i As Variant

   ' Build criteria string from selected items in list box.
   Criteria = ""
   For Each i In Me![List0].ItemsSelected
      If Criteria <> "" Then
         Criteria = Criteria & " OR "
      End If
      Criteria = Criteria & "[CustomerId]='" _
       & Me![List0].ItemData(i) & "'"
   Next i

   ' Filter the form using selected items in the list box.
   Me.Filter = Criteria
   Me.FilterOn = True

End Sub

Open the form in Form view.
Select multiple items in the list box: click the first item, then hold down the CTRL key, and click subsequent items.
Click the command button. Note that the form's recordset is restricted to the records that you selected in the list box. If you clear the items and click the button again, you remove the filter and restore all the records.

Method 2

This method modifies the QueryDef object of a query. To create this method, follow these steps:

Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.
Create a new query based on the Orders table and include all the fields. Save the query as MultiSelect Criteria Example.
Create a new, blank form based on the Customers table and open it in Design view.

Add an unbound list box to the form's detail section and set its properties as follows:

   Name: List0
   RowSource: Customers
   ColumnCount: 2
   ColumnWidths: .5";2"
   Multiselect: Extended
   Width: 2.5"

Add a command button to the form. Set the Name property to Command4 and set the OnClick property to the following event procedure:

NOTE: This example uses the ItemData property to return values from the Bound Column of the list box. To return a value from a column other than the Bound Column use the Column property instead of the ItemData property.

Private Sub Command4_Click()

   Dim Q As QueryDef, DB As Database
   Dim Criteria As String
   Dim ctl As Control
   Dim Itm As Variant

   ' Build a list of the selections.
   Set ctl = Me![List0]

   For Each Itm In ctl.ItemsSelected
      If Len(Criteria) = 0 Then
         Criteria = Chr(34) & ctl.ItemData(Itm) & Chr(34)
      Else
         Criteria = Criteria & "," & Chr(34) & ctl.ItemData(Itm) _
          & Chr(34)
      End If
   Next Itm

   If Len(Criteria) = 0 Then
      Itm = MsgBox("You must select one or more items in the" & _
        " list box!", 0, "No Selection Made")
      Exit Sub
   End If

   ' Modify the Query.
   Set DB = CurrentDb()
   Set Q = DB.QueryDefs("MultiSelect Criteria Example")
   Q.SQL = "Select * From Orders Where [CustomerID] In(" & Criteria & _
     ");"
   Q.Close

   ' Run the query.
   DoCmd.OpenQuery "MultiSelect Criteria Example"

End Sub

Open the form in Form view.
Select multiple items in the list box by holding down the CTRL key and clicking the different items.
Click the command button. Note that the query is restricted to the records that you selected in the list box.

REFERENCES

For more information about the MultiSelect property of a list box, search for "MultiSelect property" using the Microsoft Access 97 Help Index.

For more information about the ItemData property of a list box, search for " ItemData property" using the Microsoft Access 97 Help Index.

For more information about the Column property of a list box, search for "Column property" using the Microsoft Access 97 Help Index.

Additional query words: listbox inf

Keywords: kbhowto kbusage KB135546

Microsoft KB Archive/135546

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