populating multiple fields in subform using combobox and AfterUpdate Event Prodcedure - vba

Question

I am creating a set of Access database form for entering vegetation data into a linked SQL Server data base. For one protocol, I have created a form 'frmLPI' for entering data from a vegetation monitoring method called Line-Point-Intercept. It is a form with a subform within it called 'frmLPIDetail' where individual counts of plant species get recorded. The main form has three unbound controls: [TransectOID], [DataRec], and [DataObs]. TransectOID is a unique id for each time we ran protocol. For each TransectOID, there are 30 locations where we sampled vegetation these have a hidden unique id in the subform called LPI_OID. The subform is linked to the main form by TransectOID. I want my users to be able to click the unbound [DataRec] and [DataObs] comboboxes in the main form, and have the corresponding fields in the subform autopopulate for all 30 records. I have figure out how to accomplish this for record in the subform but can't figure out how to do it for 30 records for each value of TransectOID in the Main form. Below is a screenshot of my form to help you visualize what I am after:
And here is the code I have come up with to get one record to autopopulate
Private Sub Form_Load()
Me.TransectOID = Me.OpenArgs
End Sub
Private Sub Form_Deactivate()
DoCmd.RunCommand acCmdSaveRecord
End Sub
Private Sub DataObs_AfterUpdate()
Me!frmLPIDetail.Form!Data_observer = Me!DataObs
Me.Dirty = False
End Sub
Private Sub DataRec_AfterUpdate()
Me!frmLPIDetail.Form!Data_recorder = Me!DataRec
Me.Dirty = False
End Sub
Any suggestions would be much appreciated

Answer 1

Since inserting multiple records at a time is desirable your question has been asked before but I couldn't find an answer that was particularly helpful so I will provide a more general answer than you asked for.
Access doesn't provide default forms for inserting multiple records. You have to code that yourself but the process is always pretty much the same.
figure out a normalized table structure for your data
figure what data you need to collect from the user for the multiple insert
add a button to the form and put the vba for the multiple insert in the click event
so here is 1 normalized table structure that might fit your data:
Since I don't know where TransectionOID is coming from we let Access provide TransectionID as the primary key and assume TransectionOID is entered on another form. All the other information of interest is in the TransectionDetails table and there is no need to write a query to gather all the variables we will need into our forms record source to finish step 2. To get a jumpstart I selected the TransactionDetails table and used the create form wizard to make a tabular style form.
To finish step 2 we put controls in the header to collect the information from the user we will need and the start editing the form for user friendliness. For instance I delete the checkbox for TransectionDetailID in the details section and replace every other control with comboboxes. I normally replace the circled record selectors with comboboxes as well but here that may be confusing so I leave the record selectors to provide some search functionality. The final form looks like:
Finally, for step 3 we add the vba for the click event
Private Sub cmdInsert_Click()
Dim db As Database
Dim rs As Recordset 'using recordset because lower error rate than using sql strings
Set db = CurrentDb
Set rs = db.OpenRecordset("TransectionDetails")
Dim L As Integer
Dim S As Integer
If Not Me.lstLocations.ListCount = 0 Then 'if no locations are selected no records can be inserted
For L = 0 To Me.lstLocations.ListCount 'simple multiselect listbox version matters for the vba code
If Me.lstLocations.Selected(L) = True Then
For S = 0 To Me.lstSpecies.ListCount
If Me.lstSpecies.Selected(S) = True Then
rs.AddNew
rs!TransectionID = Me.cmbTransectionID
rs!Data_observer = Me.cmbData_observer
rs!Data_recorder = Me.cmbData_recorder
rs!TransectLocation = Me.lstLocations.Column(0, L) 'column gives you access to values in the listbox
rs!SpeciesID = Me.lstSpecies.Column(0, S)
If Not IsNull(Me.chkDead) Then 'chkDead is a triple value checkbox, this both avoids setting Dead to null and shows how to handle when the user doesn't set all controls
rs!Dead = Me.chkDead
End If 'chkdead
rs.Update
End If 'lstspecies selected
Next S
End If
Next L
End If
Me.Detail.Visible = True 'quick and dirty bit of style (detail starts invisible)
Me.Filter = "TransectionID = " & Me.cmbTransectionID 'more quick and dirty style filter to focus on inserted records
Me.FilterOn = True
'clean up
rs.Close
Set rs = Nothing
Set db = Nothing
End Sub
Private Sub cmdSelectAllLocations_Click()
Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To Me.lstLocations.ListCount
Me.lstLocations.Selected(i) = True
Next
End Sub
Private Sub cmdSelectAllSpecies_Click()
Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To Me.lstSpecies.ListCount
Me.lstSpecies.Selected(i) = True
Next
End Sub
Private Sub cmdSelectNoLocations_Click()
Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To Me.lstLocations.ListCount
Me.lstLocations.Selected(i) = False
Next
End Sub
Private Sub cmdSelectNoSpecies_Click()
Dim i As Integer
For i = 0 To Me.lstSpecies.ListCount
Me.lstSpecies.Selected(i) = False
Next
End Sub

Answer 2

While Mazoula's answer is far more elegant, I discovered a quick and dirty way to accomplish what I was after using a While loop. Below is my code:
Private Sub Form_Load()
Me.TransectOID = Me.OpenArgs
End Sub
Private Sub Form_Deactivate()
DoCmd.RunCommand acCmdSaveRecord
End Sub
Private Sub DataObs_AfterUpdate()
Dim rs As DAO.Recordset
Set rs = Me!frmLPIDetail.Form.RecordsetClone
rs.MoveLast
rs.MoveFirst
While Not rs.EOF
rs.Edit
rs!Data_observer.Value = Me.DataObs.Value
rs.Update
rs.MoveNext
Wend
rs.Close
Set rs = Nothing
Me.Dirty = False
End Sub
Private Sub DataRec_AfterUpdate()
Dim rs As DAO.Recordset
Set rs = Me!frmLPIDetail.Form.RecordsetClone
rs.MoveLast
rs.MoveFirst
While Not rs.EOF
rs.Edit
rs!Data_recorder.Value = Me.DataRec.Value
rs.Update
rs.MoveNext
Wend
rs.Close
Set rs = Nothing
Me.Dirty = False
End Sub