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OpenReport macro action

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Applies to: Access 2013, Office 2013

You can use the OpenReport action to open a report in Design view or Print Preview, or to send the report directly to the printer. You can also restrict the records that are printed in the report.

Setting

The OpenReport action has the following arguments.

Action argument

Description

Report Name

The name of the report to open. The Report Name box in the Action Arguments section of the Macro Builder pane shows all reports in the current database. This is a required argument. If you run a macro containing the OpenReport action in a library database, Microsoft Access first looks for the report with this name in the library database, and then in the current database.

View

The view in which the report will open. Click Print (print the report immediately), Design, or Print Preview in the View box. The default is Print.

Filter Name

A filter that restricts the report's records. You can enter the name of either an existing query or a filter that was saved as a query. However, the query must include all the fields in the report you are opening or have its OutputAllFields property set to Yes.

Where Condition

A valid SQL WHERE clause (without the word WHERE) or expression that Access uses to select records from the report's underlying table or query. If you select a filter with the Filter Name argument, Access applies this WHERE clause to the results of the filter. To open a report and restrict its records to those specified by the value of a control on a form, use the following expression:
[fieldname] = Forms![formname]![controlname on form]
Replace fieldname with the name of a field in the underlying table or query of the report you want to open. Replace formname and controlname on form with the name of the form and the control on the form that contains the value you want records in the report to match.

NOTE: The maximum length of the Where Condition argument is 255 characters. If you need to enter a more complex SQL WHERE clause longer than this, use the OpenReport method of the DoCmd object in a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) module instead. You can enter SQL WHERE clause statements of up to 32,768 characters in VBA.

Window Mode

The mode in which the report will open. Click Normal, Hidden, Icon, or Dialog in the Window Mode box. The default is Normal.

NOTE: Some Window Mode argument settings do not apply when using tabbed documents. To switch to overlapping windows:

  1. Click Options.

  2. In the Access Options dialog box, click Current Database.

  3. In the Application Options section, under Document Window Options, click Overlapping Windows.

  4. Click OK, and then close and reopen the database.

Remarks

The Print setting for the View argument prints the report immediately by using the current printer settings, without bringing up the Print dialog box. You can also use the OpenReport action to open and set up a report and then use the PrintOut action to print it. For example, you may want to modify the report or use the PrintOut action to change the printer settings before you print.

The filter and WHERE condition you apply become the setting of the report's Filter property.

The OpenReport action is similar to double-clicking the report in the Navigation Pane, or right-clicking the report in the Navigation Pane and selecting a view or the Print command.

Tip

  • To print similar reports for different sets of data, use a filter or a WHERE clause to restrict the records printed in the report. Then edit the macro to apply a different filter or change the Where Condition argument.

  • You can drag a report from the Navigation Pane to a macro action row. This automatically creates an OpenReport action that opens the report in Report view.

Example

The following example shows how to use the OpenReport action to pass a parameter that filters a report as it is opened. The rptChapters report displays the records for the specified author by passing the item selected in the cboAuthors combo box to the SelectedAuthor parameter.

Sample code provided by the Microsoft Access 2010 Programmer’s Reference.

    OpenReport
        Report Name rptChapters
        View Report
        Filter Name
        Where Condition
        Window Mode Normal
    
    Parameters
        SelectedAuthor =[cboAuthor]