The Problem (Q-score 3, ranked #51st of 67 in the Access VBA archive)
The scenario as originally posted in 2014
I have a form called ‘detail’ which shows a detailed view of a selected record. The record is selected from a different form called ‘search’. Because I want to be able to open multiple instances of ‘detail’, each showing details of a different record, I used the following code:
Public detailCollection As New Collection
Function openDetail(patID As Integer, pName As String)
'Purpose: Open an independent instance of form
Dim frm As Form
Debug.Print "ID: " & patID
'Open a new instance, show it, and set a caption.
Set frm = New Form_detail
frm.Visible = True
frm.Caption = pName
detailCollection.Add Item:=frm, Key:=CStr(frm.Hwnd)
Set frm = Nothing
End Function
PatID is the Primary Key of the record I wish to show in this new instance of ‘detail.’ The debug print line prints out the correct PatID, so i have it available. How do I pass it to this new instance of the form?
I tried to set the OpenArgs of the new form, but I get an error stating that OpenArgs is read only. After researching, OpenArgs can only be set by DoCmd (which won’t work, because then I don’t get independent instances of the form). I can find no documentation on the allowable parameters when creating a Form object. Apparently, Microsoft doesn’t consider a Constructor to be a Method, at least according to the docs. How should I handle this? (plz don’t tell me to set it to an invisible text box or something) Thanks guys, you guys are the best on the net at answering these questions for me. I love you all!
Source Code for the multi-instance form taken from: http://allenbrowne.com/ser-35.html
Why community consensus is tight on this one
Across 67 Access VBA entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds solid answer (above median) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.
The Verified Solution — solid answer (above median) (+9)
11-line Access VBA pattern (copy-ready)
Inside your Form_detail, create a custom property.
Private mItemId As Long
Property Let ItemID(value as Long)
mItemId = value
' some code to re query Me
End Property
Property Get ItemId() As Long
ItemId = mItemId
End Property
Then, in the code that creates the form, you can do this.
Set frm = New Form_detail
frm.ItemId = patId
frm.Visible = True
frm.Caption = pName
This will allow you to pass an ID to the new form instance, and ensure it gets requeried before making it visible. No need to load all of the results every time if you’re always opening the form by Newing it. You let the property load the data instead of the traditional Form_Load event.
This works because Access Form modules are nothing more than glorified classes. Hope this helps.
When to Use It — classic (2013–2016)
Ranked #51st in its category — specialized fit
This pattern sits in the 71% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the Access VBA archive for a higher-consensus alternative.
What changed between 2014 and 2026
The answer is 12 years old. The Access VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.