ACC2000: "Application-defined or object-defined error" Error

If you use the Error() or Error$() functions to get the textual description of an error message, you may receive the following error message:

You may receive this error message when you try to get the description of an error trapped in a form's Error event as follows:

The error message being trapped is Microsoft Access specific. When you pass an error number to the Error() function that is not a Visual Basic for Applications specific error, Visual Basic for Applications does not call back into the hosting application to ask it for the error message.

Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied. This includes, but is not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language that is being demonstrated and with the tools that are used to create and to debug procedures. Microsoft support engineers can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific requirements. You can use the AccessError method to return the descriptive string associated with an Access error as follows: NOTE: The AccessError method will return a string associated only with Access errors and Visual Basic errors. It will not return descriptive strings associated with data access errors.

CAUTION: If you follow the steps in this example, you modify the sample database Northwind.mdb. You may want to back up the Northwind.mdb file and follow these steps on a copy of the database.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.
2. Open the Orders table in Design view.
3. Set the Required property of the EmployeeID field to Yes, and then close the table.
4. Click Yes to the following prompt:
   Data integrity rules have been changed. Existing data may not be valid for the new rules.
   This process may take a long time. Do you want the existing data to be tested with the new rules?
5. Open the Orders form in Design view and set the following form property: OnError: [Event Procedure]
6. Type the following code in the form module:
   

   Private Sub Form_Error(DataErr As Integer, Response As Integer)
      MsgBox Error$(DataErr)
      MsgBox Application.AccessError(DataErr)
      Response = acDataErrDisplay
   End Sub
   						

7. View the form in Form view and click the New Record toolbar button to advance to a new Order record.
8. Type the following line in Bill To: and press ENTER:
   
   Hello World!
   Note that you receive the following three messages:
   Application-defined or object-defined error.
   The text you entered isn't an item in the list.
   The text you entered isn't an item in the list.
   
   NOTE: Because the Response variable is set to acDataErrDisplay, the error is not trapped. The third message above is the actual error message.
9. Click to select a customer in the Bill To: list.
10. Click Save Record on the Records menu. Note that you receive the following three messages:
    Application-defined or object-defined error
    < a message box with no text appears >
    Field 'Orders.EmployeeID' can't contain a null value.
    NOTE: The second message box is empty because the error generated is a data access error. The AccessError method does not return data access error messages.

For more information about the AccessError method, in the Visual Basic Editor, click Microsoft Visual Basic Help on the Help menu, type "AccessError" in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.