Get shape control name from access form to pass value in vba - vba

Question

I have a form in Access with over 500 shapes that each represent a specific record. Each shape has the control name of Box1, Box2 etc. In VBA I am trying to capture the shape name so if the user clicks the shape called Box502 for example it will go to record 502. Since it is a shape, the other methods I have used are not capturing this control name. If I can capture the name, I can remove “Box” from it and get the number to use to go to that record.
If I use a command button instead of a shape I can use the code below and get it to do what I want, but there is also code that changes the color of the shape so that does not work on the command button.
Private Sub Box2_Click()
Dim strActiveCtl As String
strActiveCtl = Replace(Me.ActiveControl.Name, "Box", "")
DoCmd.GoToRecord acDataForm, "Form1", acGoTo, [strActiveCtl]
End Sub
If I use this line of code on the shape, it is grabbing another control and not what I had clicked on.
On click I was using the code builder and this line of code, but it is capturing another control and not what I am clicking on.
Dim strActiveCtl As String
strActiveCtl = Screen.ActiveControl.Name
The reason there are these little boxes are because they basically relate to a service that is monitored. There are about 550 services monitored. When the service has been noted as reviewed the shape goes from red to green. The team wanted to be able to just click on the shape as well and have it take to them to the service it was associated with.

Answer 1

I can't for the life of me envision a Form with over 500 shape boxes that each represent a different record. Egads.
But maybe you have a unique reason for doing this. So I won't question this design philosophy other than to say most people use "sub-forms" and "list boxes" when trying to identify individual records like you are doing. You may be able to save yourself lots of headaches by reading up on how to design forms using those methods. (As well as many other methods that avoid putting over 500 shape boxes on your form.)
However, if this is a design that you have to adhere to... there are a few things you need to know about Access and the way it resolves the active control as well as what happens when a control is clicked on.
Whenever you click on a control or shape, if you have the control properties set so it can accept "Focus", Access instantly makes that the "active control".
So if you then go to click on something else... your shape will lose it's status of being the "active control" and the new thing will now be the new "active control".
So there is no way to click on a shape and then click on something else to launch your code that you want to have performed on the previous "active control". Access doesn't keep a memory of past "active controls".
So this brings up the question of: "What can you do to figure out if a control or shape was clicked on?"
Luckily (or unluckily) for you, when a shape is clicked on, it checks if code has been written for it's "On Click" property.
Each and every shape you put on the Form will have it's very own "On Click" property. Which means you can write a function that you can place in every single shape you create. You can pass to that function the number of which "Box" it was that called it.
This is obviously very cumbersome. (Which is why I'd suggest using "sub-forms" or "list boxes".) But it's the only way you are going to capture the Box number that is different for each of the 500 boxes since there is no way to launch other code without losing the "Focus" on which box you were on.
So if you want to continue with your "500 shapes on one Form each addressing a different record"... you could write a VBA function that calls your record with an input parameter that tells what "Box" called it. Like this:
Private Sub subGoToNewRecord(intActiveCtl As Integer)
DoCmd.GoToRecord acDataForm, "Form1", acGoTo, intActiveCtl
End Sub
Then for each Shape Box you can write:
Private Sub Box1_Click()
subGoToNewRecord 1
End Sub
Private Sub Box2_Click()
subGoToNewRecord 2
End Sub
.
.
.
Private Sub Box502_Click()
subGoToNewRecord 502
End Sub
This will get you what you want. (Although, some shapes require you to click on the outline of the shape in order make it the "active control". So you may need to make your shape boundary thick and tell users to click on the boundary line.)
Once again, I have no idea why you'd want to do this. I'd suggest again to look into what "sub-forms" are and to look into what "List Boxes" are. They are much better suited to helping you select a desired record and then make that the "Active Record".
Hope that helps. :)