ACC2000: How to Use the Seek Method on Linked Tables

Although you cannot use the Seek method directly on a linked (attached) Microsoft Access table, by using Visual Basic for Applications, you can create a workaround. This article demonstrates a sample user-defined Sub procedure that you can use to link a Microsoft Access table and describes how to use the Seek method to locate specified records.

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. NOTE: The sample code in this article uses Microsoft Data Access Objects. For this code to run properly, you must reference the Microsoft DAO 3.6 Object Library. To do so, click References on the Tools menu in the Visual Basic Editor, and make sure that the Microsoft DAO 3.6 Object Library check box is selected.

To use the Seek method on a linked table from the sample database Northwind.mdb, follow these steps:

1. Create a new database and name it Db1.mdb.
2. On the File menu, click Get External Data, and then click Link Tables.
3. Select the Northwind.mdb file, and then click Link.
4. In the Link Tables dialog box, select Orders, and then click OK.
5. Create a module, and then type the following line in the Declarations section if the line is not already there:
   Option Explicit
6. Type or paste the following procedure:NOTE: In the following sample code, an underscore (_) at the end of a line is used as a line-continuation character.

   Sub Seek_Attached_Table(Tablename, Indexname, SearchValue)
   Dim db As Database
   Dim t As TableDef
   Dim rs As DAO.Recordset
   Dim dbpath, SourceTable
   
   On Error GoTo SA_Errors
   
   Set db = DBEngine(0)(0)
   dbpath = Mid(db(Tablename).connect, InStr(1, _
      db(Tablename).connect, "=") + 1)
   If dbpath = "" Then MsgBox "You've chosen a table already in the current database", 64, "": Exit Sub
   
   SourceTable = db(Tablename).sourcetablename
   
   Set db = DBEngine(0).OpenDatabase(dbpath)
   Set rs = db.OpenRecordset(SourceTable, DB_OPEN_TABLE)
   rs.Index = Indexname
   rs.Seek "=", SearchValue
   
   If Not rs.NoMatch Then
      MsgBox "Found It!", 64
   Else
      MsgBox "Not Found", 64
   End If
   
   rs.Close
   db.Close
   
   Exit Sub
   SA_Errors:
      MsgBox Error, 16, CStr(Err)
      Exit Sub
   
   End Sub
   					

7. To run the Sub procedure, type the following line in the Immediate window, and then press ENTER:

   Seek_Attached_Table  "Orders","PrimaryKey",11000
   						

   Note that the message "Found It!" appears.

For more information about linking tables, click Microsoft Access Help on the Help menu, type should I import or link a table? in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.