Access VBA Macro Programming

The other command to use before you send keys isAppActivate. If the application is

already loaded, you do not need to use theShellfunction to load it in again, but you do need

to switch the focus over to that application so it can send the keys. This allows your code to

activate another application already loaded by use of the title in the header bar:

AppActivate "Microsoft Word"

In this way, you can perform simple automation of other applications:

Sub test_sendkeys()

x = Shell("calc.exe")

For n = 1 To 10

SendKeys n & "{+}", True

Next n

MsgBox "Press OK to close calculator"

AppActivate "calculator"

SendKeys "%{F4}", True

End Sub

In this example, the Windows Calculator is loaded, and then a For..Next loop makes it add up

the numbers from 1 to 10.

The message box will appear on the Access application, because that is where the code is

running from. The Access icon will flash on the Windows toolbar. Select Access and click

OK, and the calculator will close.

The plus sign (+), caret (^), percent sign (%), tilde (~), and parentheses (( )) have special

meanings toSendKeys. To specify one of these characters, enclose it in braces ({}). For

example, to specify the plus sign, type{+}. Brackets ([ ]) have no special meaning toSendKeys,

but you must enclose them in braces.

To specify special characters that aren’t displayed when you press a key, such asENTERor

TA B, and keys that represent actions rather than characters, use the codes shown in Table 5-7.

To specify keys combined with any combination of theSHIFT,CTRL, andALTkeys, precede

the key code with one or more of the following codes:

Key Code

SHIFT +

CTRL ^

ALT %

64 Microsoft Access 2010 VBA Macro Programming