MessageBox Macro Action

In Access databases you can use the MessageBox macro action to display a message box containing a warning or an informational message. For example, you can use the MessageBox macro action with validation macros. When a control or record fails a validation condition in the macro, a message box can display an error message and provide instructions about the kind of data that should be entered.

Note: Some of the content in this topic may not be applicable to some languages.

Note: Beginning in Access 2010, the MsgBox macro action was renamed to MessageBox.

Setting for Access desktop databases

In Access desktop databases the MessageBox macro action has the following arguments.

Action argument	Description
Message	The text in the message box. Enter the message text in the Message argument box. You can type up to 255 characters or enter an expression (preceded by an equal sign).
Beep	Specifies whether your computer or device's speaker sounds a beep tone when the message displays. Select Yes (sound the beep tone) or No (don't sound the beep tone). The default is Yes.
Type	The type of message box. Each type has a different icon. Select None, Critical, Warning?, Warning!, or Information. The default is None.
Title	The text displayed in the message box title bar. For example, you can have the title bar display "Customer ID Validation". If you leave this argument blank, "Microsoft Access" is displayed.

Setting for Access web apps

In Access web apps the MessageBox macro action only has one argument.

Action argument	Description
Message	The text in the message box. Enter the message text in the Message argument box. You can type up to 255 characters or enter an expression (preceded by an equal sign).

Remarks

In Access desktop databases you can use the MessageBox macro action to create a formatted error message similar to built-in error messages displayed by Access. The MessageBox macro action permits you to supply a message in three sections for the Message argument. You separate the sections with the "@" character.

The following example displays a formatted message box with a sectioned message. The first section of text in the message is displayed as a bold heading. The second section is displayed as plain text beneath that heading. The third section is displayed as plain text beneath the second section, with a blank line between them.

Type the following string in the Message argument:

Wrong button!@This button doesn't work.@Try another.

Note: This special formatting technique can't be used in Access web apps.

You can't run the MessageBox action in a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) module. Use the MsgBox function instead.

Examples

Message box scenarios

The following examples show different types of scenarios for using the MessageBox macro action.

Action	Argument	Comment
MessageBox	Message: Move to the supplier record whose products you want to see, then click the Review Products button again. Beep: No Type: None Title: Select a Supplier	In this example, if there is no current supplier on the Suppliers form, display a message. Access doesn't display any icon with the message.
MessageBox	Message: Please enter a supplier name before attempting to save the record. Beep: Yes Type: Warning! Title: Supplier name missing	In this example, if there is no supplier name provided for the record when the user attempts to save the record, display a message with an audible sound. Access displays an exclamation point icon with this message.
MessageBox	Message: ="The supplier " & [Forms]![Suppliers]![Supplier Name] & " is already in the database." Beep: Yes Type: Critical Title: Duplicate supplier	In this desktop database example, the user entered a duplicate supplier name into the Suppliers form. In the Message argument, the expression concatenates custom message text and displays the supplier name the user typed into the Supplier Name control on the Suppliers form. Access displays a message with an audible sound and a critical icon with this message.