How to pass Outlook AppointmenItem data to Access form textbox - vba

Question

I have an Access form which will create an Outlook AppointmentItem for the current record.
The .Start and .Categories of the AppointmentItem are derived from user-input on the form.
I have a command button which will find and open the AppointmentItem so that the user may edit it.
After the user makes the edits I want to pass the edited information to the form controls so that the user can see the updated start time and category without having to open the AppointmentItem.
I am storing Public variables for the two bits of data. I cannot figure out the process by which the variables are updated with the data from the AppointmentItem.
Code for finding the existing AppointmentItem:
Option Compare Database
Public gdtStart As Date
Public gstrCat As String
Option Explicit
Function FindExistingAppt(strPath As String)
Dim OApp As Object
Dim OAppt As Object
Dim ONS As Object
Dim ORecipient As Outlook.Recipient
Dim OFolder As Object
Dim sFilter As String
Const olAppointmentItem = 1
Dim bAppOpened As Boolean
'Initiate our instance of the oApp object so we can interact with Outlook
On Error Resume Next
Set OApp = GetObject(, "Outlook.Application") 'Bind to existing instance of Outlook
If err.Number <> 0 Then 'Could not get instance of Outlook, so create a new one
err.Clear
Set OApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")
bAppOpened = False 'Outlook was not already running, we had to start it
Else
bAppOpened = True 'Outlook was already running
End If
On Error GoTo Error_Handler
Set OApp = GetObject(, "Outlook.Application")
Set ONS = OApp.GetNamespace("MAPI")
Set ORecipient = ONS.CreateRecipient("xxxxxxxxxxxxx")
'my example uses a shared folder but you can change it to your defaul
Set OFolder = ONS.GetSharedDefaultFolder(ORecipient, olFolderCalendar)
'use your ID here
sFilter = "[Mileage] = " & strPath & ""
If Not OFolder Is Nothing Then
Set OAppt = OFolder.Items.Find(sFilter)
If OAppt Is Nothing Then
MsgBox "Could not find appointment"
Else
With OAppt
.Display
End With
End If
End If
gdtStart = OAppt.Start
gstrCat = OAppt.Categories
Error_Handler_Exit:
On Error Resume Next
If Not OAppt Is Nothing Then Set OAppt = Nothing
If Not OApp Is Nothing Then Set OApp = Nothing
Exit Function
Error_Handler:
MsgBox "The following error has occurred" & vbCrLf & vbCrLf & _
"Error Number: " & err.Number & vbCrLf & _
"Error Source: FindExistingAppt" & vbCrLf & _
"Error Description: " & err.Description & _
Switch(Erl = 0, "", Erl <> 0, vbCrLf & "Line No: " & Erl), _
vbOKOnly + vbCritical, "An Error has Occurred!"
Resume Error_Handler_Exit
End Function
Here is the code from the command button which opens the AppointmentItem.
Private Sub cmdFindAppt_Click()
'Goes to the OutlookApp module and uses the FindExistingAppt function to look for an appointment that has
'already been created to the Warrants Outlook calendar, and if it found, opens the appointment. After edits are
'made the Appointment Date and Category are updated on the form.
Call FindExistingAppt(Me.ID)
Me.ApptDate = gdtStart
Me.Category = gstrCat
End Sub
How do I update the form controls with the Public variables?
After the code runs the form controls do not reflect the values of the stored Public variables.
If I open the AppointmentItem one more time (using the FindExistingAppt code - not by opening the AppointmentItem in Outlook proper), and close either by saving or not, then the form controls update.

Answer 1

This probably doesn't work because the VBA code continues to run after OAppt.Display.
So any changes you make and save to OAppt won't be read to your variables, because the function is already finished.
Try using the Modal parameter, this may halt the code until OAppt is closed.
With OAppt
.Display True
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/outlook.appointmentitem.display
Also add Debug.Print commands and/or breakpoints before and after .Display to see what's happening.

Answer 2

The way you update those form controls should be working fine.
Try to check if the FindExistingAppt function really does assign values into public variables by debugging the function.
Use locals window to watch the variables values (gdtStart and gstrCat) while debugging.
Just sharing common practice:
If your procedure/routine does not return the value then you can declare it with Sub keyword instead Function keyword.