How to create a comment box with time and date stamp in Access using VBA - vba

Question

Completely new to VBA and need help with detailed instructions (dummy version for me).
I have a table with various columns and the following columns, specifically:
ReviewerComments
NewComment
I created a form with both of these fields and need to create an Append Comment button that moves the text from NewComment field and appends it to ReviewerComment field and time/date stamps the comments as they are added. I named this button cmdAppendComment.
I had seen someone else post something and I tried, but as I am completely new to this I know I messed it up. Any help is greatly appreciated.
This is what the VBA code looks like right now:
Private Sub cmdAppendComment_Click()
If (IsNull(NewComment.Value)) Then
MsgBox ("Please provide a comment before clicking" & _
"on the Append Comment button.")
Exit Sub
End If
If (IsNull(ReviewerComments.Value)) Then
ReviewerComments.Value = NewComment.Value & " ~ " & _
VBA.DateTime.Date & " ~ " & VBA.DateTime.Time
Else
ReviewerComments.Value = ReviewerComments.Value & _
vbNewLine & vbNewLine & _
NewComment.Value & " ~ " & _
VBA.DateTime.Date & " ~ " & VBA.DateTime.Time
End If
NewComment.Value = ""
End Sub

Answer 1

I have some suggestions for your code:
1. Do not check if a textbox is null but how many characters your textbox has. You should always do it that way because otherwise you tend to get errors.
If (len(Me.NewComment.Value & "") > 0) Then
MsgBox ("Please provide a comment before clicking" & _
"on the Append Comment button.")
Exit Sub
End If
Here you check the length of the string in your textbox. You need to append "" because otherwise you tend to get null-errors or something similar.
2. You forgot to reference the objects in your form correctly. You have your form and in that form you put your textboxes and also your VBA-code. Your can reference all your objects with "Me.[FormObjects]".
The compiler complains that "NewComment.Value" or "ReviewerComment.Value" is not initialized or in other words not dimensioned. With correct reference this should stop.
Private Sub cmdAppendComment_Click()
If (len(Me.NewComment.Value & "") > 0) Then
MsgBox ("Please provide a comment before clicking" & _
"on the Append Comment button.")
Exit Sub
End If
If (IsNull(Me.ReviewerComments.Value)) Then
Me.ReviewerComments.Value = Me.NewComment.Value & " ~ " & _
VBA.DateTime.Date & " ~ " & VBA.DateTime.Time
Else
Me.ReviewerComments.Value = Me.ReviewerComments.Value & _
vbNewLine & vbNewLine & _
Me.NewComment.Value & " ~ " & _
VBA.DateTime.Date & " ~ " & VBA.DateTime.Time
End If
Me.NewComment.Value = ""
End Sub