[AccessD] Tracking real edits

Hi Mark & John

Wouldn't it be easier to create a RecordsetClone at the OnCurrent
event, then at BeforeUpdate compare all fields of the current record
with the clone and cancel if they match?

/gustav

>>> lists at theopg.com 11-01-2005 00:37:38 >>>
John

Dunno if either of these would be appropriate... In some cases I store
all the values in a two simple delimited strings, create a function
which concatenates all the values and call it first on form load (or
current) to populate oldString and then on save / exit (or whatever)
to
populate newString and then compare the two... It works pretty good
but
could (possibly?) be problematic where the contents of the form
include
memo fields. I have also done the same with arrays (containing
controlName and controlValue), one for the old values and one for the
new then loop through doing comparisons and whatever actions
appropriate. Do the comparisons on save / exit as appropriate and
stuff
the access update events :@) 

Both methods work pretty good in the right place... Generally, where
control specific audits have been required I found it less problematic
to use unbound forms... In fact, recently I have wanted to kick myself
for using bound forms at all coz it's such a pain.

Hth

Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com 
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of John W.
Colby
Sent: 10 January 2005 05:42
To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
Subject: RE: [AccessD] Tracking real edits


I could do that.  If it comes down to that I am examining a class for
each control being tracked, with an Old/Newvalue property.  If I want
to
use WithEvents to trigger the save of the data only when there is a
modification to the control's data, then I have to have a class for
each
control type being tracked since a control object type cannot source
events (it must be a specific type - combo, text etc).  Doing it that
way allows it to work for A2K (or even A97) as well as WinXP and
beyond.
I have toyed with that idea for logging the actual data changes which
is
a subject that comes up often on this list.  

I was really hoping to just use built in events to tell me that data
changed, and if the data changes were undone.  Sometimes Access can be
so frustrating.  Something like this should just already be there in
the
control class.  If the undo events triggered correctly and reliably I
would be done right now.  Each control MUST know that it's data
changes
are undone, why doesn't it fire the event each and every time?

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com 

Contribute your unused CPU cycles to a good cause:
http://folding.stanford.edu/ 

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com 
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Jim
Lawrence
Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2005 11:43 PM
To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
Subject: RE: [AccessD] Tracking real edits


Hi John:

Would it work if you took control yourself but simply saving the
initial
data settings, of the current record....then comparing for any
differences. I use a similar technical, storing all the fields in a
matching TYPE record and compare when moving or exiting. (It an old
unbound habit....)

HTH
Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com 
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of John W.
Colby
Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2005 6:14 PM
To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
Subject: [AccessD] Tracking real edits

I have wondered for a long time how to track real edits.  Issues:

User starts to edit a field, hits the escape key and undoes edit.  The
AfterUpdate of a given control tells me the user started an edit.  In
Access XP the Escape causes OnUndo to fire, I can determine that the
undo happened. Notice that A2K and previous do not even have OnUndo.

However, if the user edits a control and leaves that control, then the
AfterUpdate fires, I know the control was edited, but if they then hit
Escape, the control edit is undone, but OnUndo DOES NOT FIRE, thus I
incorrectly think that the control is still edited.

My client wants to create date stamp fields for groups of fields, i.e.
a
NameDateStamp, AddressDateStamp, PhoneDateStamp etc.  Thus I need to
know that an edit happened and that the edit actually stored.  I've
never really figured out a satisfactory way to do this.  Does anyone
have a method that they use that appears to correctly handle all the
nefarious things that a user can do?