HOW TO: Use a Button to Hide and Display a Subform in Access

You can hide and display a subform by using a command button or toggle button. This article shows you how to create either a macro or a sample user-defined function that uses a command button or toggle button to hide and display the Quarterly Orders subform on the Quarterly Orders form in the sample database Northwind.mdb.

NOTE: This article explains a technique demonstrated in the sample file, FrmSmp00.mdb. For information about how to obtain this sample file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 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. The following steps demonstrate how to use a command button to hide and display a form.

Using a Macro

1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.
2. Create the following new macro, and then save it as Toggle Macro:

      Macro Name      Action
      ------------------------
      Toggle Macro    SetValue
   
      Toggle Macro Actions
      --------------------------------------------------
      SetValue
      Item: [Quarterly Orders Subform].Visible
      Expression: Not [Quarterly Orders Subform].Visible
   					

3. Open the Quarterly Orders form in Design view.
4. Set the AllowEdits property of the form to Yes.
5. Add a command button to the detail section on the form.
6. Set the following properties for the command button:

      Caption: Toggle Subform
      OnClick: Toggle Macro
   					

7. View the form in Form view. Note that when you click the command button, the Quarterly Orders subform is hidden or displayed.

Using a User-Defined Function

1. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.
2. Open the Quarterly Orders form in Design view.
3. Set the AllowEdits property of the form to Yes.
4. Add a command button or toggle button to any open area on the form.
5. Set the following properties for the command button:

      Name: cmdToggle
      Caption: Toggle Subform
      OnClick: [Event Procedure]
   						

   Set the OnClick property of the command button to the following event procedure:

   Sub cmdToggle_Click()
      Me![Quarterly Orders Subform].Visible = _
         Not Me![Quarterly Orders Subform].Visible
   End Sub
   					

6. View the form in Form view. Note that when you click the toggle button, the Quarterly Orders subform is alternatively hidden and displayed.