CancelEvent in BeforeUpdate still allows attempt to write record

[Guest]

1) I am using Forms with built-in macros. The file being written has a
multi-field key to detect duplicate entries. How can I prevent the system
error messages when a duplicate is detected? Is there an error number that
will let me correct the entry before the attempt to write the record?
2) Putting a conditional CancelEvent in the BeforeUpdate macro does not seem
to stop the attempt to write the record. What else is needed?

 

[Allen Browne]

CancelEvent in the BeforeUpdate event of the *form* will prevent the record
being written.

If that's not enough for what you need, you can use the Error event of the
form to trap engine-level errors.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply. What you suggest is just about what I learnt from the
standard Help file. The conclusion seems to be that I shall have to use some
VBA to read the "engine-level" error numbers. I was hoping to do everything
with macros.

 

[Allen Browne]

As you found, macros are not enough to handle errors like the ones you are
trying to catch. VBA code provides so much more!