Correct method for using key press event (2 Viewers)

[tmyers]

What would be the acceptable method for calling buttons on click event using key press? I have typically done the If KeyAscii = (some code) Then call _Click. This seems like a bad way to handle 12 different key events on a form. I feel like there is a much better method than multiple IF statements, but have not seen any just yet browsing here and stackoverflow.

 

[MajP]

In this case you can not use a single function as an event handler, so you will have to write the individual key press event procedures. The reason you cannot write the single event handler is because you need to pass in event arguments.

But if you wrote the 12 event procedures they can call a single procedure and you could pass to it your keyascii and or other arguments. I do not understand A key press event procedure calling a click event procedure though.

 

[MajP]

FYI. If it was something more than 12, you could write a single class to trap all of these. Not saying this is "better", but would save you from writing the event procedures. I can demo, but for this few the amount of time and code saved would be minimum. If you had 20 or 50 you savings would be a lot.

 

[Gasman]

What would be the acceptable method for calling buttons on click event using key press? I have typically done the If KeyAscii = (some code) Then call _Click. This seems like a bad way to handle 12 different key events on a form. I feel like there is a much better method than multiple IF statements, but have not seen any just yet browsing here and stackoverflow.

I would use a Case statement, not If ?

 

[tmyers]

In this case you can not use a single function as an event handler, so you will have to write the individual key press event procedures. The reason you cannot write the single event handler is because you need to pass in event arguments.

But if you wrote the 12 event procedures they can call a single procedure and you could pass to it your keyascii and or other arguments. I do not understand A key press event procedure calling a click event procedure though.

I am just doing key shortcuts. I captioned several buttons like "F1 SAVE" "F2 OPEN FORM" etc. So when they press F1, it calls that buttons click event.

 

[tmyers]

I would use a Case statement, not If ?

I was leaning towards using case statements, but I am still learning the correct way to use that method. I have not fully grasped writing that just yet.

 

[tmyers]

After digging around some more, I found an example and went with:

Private Sub Form_KeyDown(KeyCode As Integer, Shift As Integer)

Select Case KeyCode

Case vbKeyF2
    Call SaveJobForm_Click

Case vbKeyF3
    DoCmd.Close

Case vbKeyF4
    Call OpenExcelbtn_Click

Case vbKeyF5
    Call CreateRevisionbtn_Click
    
Case vbKeyF6
    Call SearchRepBtn_Click

Case vbKeyF7
    Call DrawingLink_Click

Case vbKeyF8
    DoCmd.Requery

Case vbKeyF9
    Call VndrQuoteBtn_Click
    
Case vbKeyF10
    Call OpenQuoteBtn_Click
Case Else

End Select

End Sub

However, this does not work in respect to when the given key is pressed, nothing happens.

 

[Minty]

Does your form have Key Preview in the event properties set to Yes?
It will need to.

 

[tmyers]

Does your form have Key Preview in the event properties set to Yes?
It will need to.

Yup.
It seems to only work for a few of them and while holding shift. I would prefer to handle it by just the function keys without having to also press shift/alt/cntrl

 

[gemma-the-husky]

What are you actually doing that you want to use key presses, rather than just, for example, command buttons, or click events?
I don't think I have ever used a key press event.

 

[theDBguy]

However, this does not work in respect to when the given key is pressed, nothing happens.

Have you tried stepping through your code?

 

[Isaac]

Yup.
It seems to only work for a few of them and while holding shift. I would prefer to handle it by just the function keys without having to also press shift/alt/cntrl

For what it's worth, the reason I never really got into creating 'shortcut keys', or started and then quickly stopped, is it just seemed like a non-starter for me. I realized that your typical end-user comes with shortcut keys all their own in the first place. They already have stuff in place. It will be stuff you don't (cannot) know about it going in. It could be anything from:

1) Google shortcut keys that conflict with yours
2) Desktop actual shortcuts with a shortcut key combination that conflicts with yours
3) Some other program, where the designer also thought shortcut keys would be cool
...And the list goes on and on.

This is why generally speaking, shortcut keys in programs are only as good as the happy coincidence of that particular end user having no other conflicts with it at the present moment. It's like a shot in the dark, playing the lottery. They may work sometimes, not other times. Conflicting shortcut keys have various ways of behaving...from not working at all, to working some times, to working all the time for only one of the hosts. It's a mess.

IMHO.

 

[tmyers]

What are you actually doing that you want to use key presses, rather than just, for example, command buttons, or click events?
I don't think I have ever used a key press event.

I am just calling the on click events from buttons to open forms, do saves, refresh etc. Thought it would be nice to have hot keys but its turning out to be a pain.

 

[MajP]

Since it is just buttons. You can use the ampersand in the caption to launch the click event with a alt+Letter.
So
Open E&xcel
becomes
Open Excel

and fires on alt+X

or

Save Job
Open Quote
Create Revision

cannot be any easier

 

[Gasman]

Yup.
It seems to only work for a few of them and while holding shift. I would prefer to handle it by just the function keys without having to also press shift/alt/cntrl

I can get F2 to F6 outputting to Debug, but F7 is a spellcheck and F8 to F10 to debug

 

[Isaac]

Love the ampersand. Great for users doing heads-down data entry, banging out new records x many an hour

 

[MajP]

Love the ampersand. Great for users doing heads-down data entry, banging out new records x many an hour

I am so mouse centric, that I never use features like this. I forget they even exist. I think this only works with buttons and tabs. I tired on a label caption and it gives the underline, but I could get nothing to happen.

 

[Isaac]

I'm the opposite. No particular reason, just somehow grew into preferring the keyboard over the mouse. When I open a window I even do Alt+Space+X to maximize it rather than using the mouse! But yeah - at least it's a nice option to give users, in (I think) higher-volume situations

Only ever used it on buttons

 

[tmyers]

Since it is just buttons. You can use the ampersand in the caption to launch the click event with a alt+Letter.
So
Open E&xcel
becomes
Open Excel

and fires on alt+X

or

Save Job
Open Quote
Create Revision

cannot be any easier

I did not know this was a thing. I will just to this!

 

[theDBguy]

I did not know this was a thing. I will just to this!

I didn't mention it earlier because you said you wanted to avoid using the Alt key.