Private Sub Form_Delete(Cancel As Integer)
Cancel The setting determines if the Delete event occurs. Setting the Cancel argument to True (–1) cancels the Delete event.
Remarks
To run a macro or event procedure when these events occur, set the OnDelete, BeforeDelConfirm, or AfterDelConfirm property to the name of the macro or to [Event Procedure].
After a record is deleted, it's stored in a temporary buffer. The BeforeDelConfirm event occurs after the Delete event (or if you've deleted more than one record, after all the records are deleted, with a Delete event occurring for each record), but before the Delete Confirm dialog box is displayed. Canceling the BeforeDelConfirm event restores the record or records from the buffer and prevents the Delete Confirm dialog box from being displayed.
The AfterDelConfirm event occurs after a record or records are actually deleted or after a deletion or deletions are canceled. If the BeforeDelConfirm event isn't canceled, the AfterDelConfirm event occurs after the Delete Confirm dialog box is displayed. The AfterDelConfirm event occurs even if the BeforeDelConfirm event is canceled. The AfterDelConfirm event procedure returns status information about the deletion. For example, you can use a macro or event procedure associated with the AfterDelConfirm event to recalculate totals affected by the deletion of records.
If you cancel the Delete event, the BeforeDelConfirm and AfterDelConfirm events don't occur and the Delete Confirm dialog box isn't displayed.
Note The BeforeDelConfirm and AfterDelConfirm events don't occur and the Delete Confirm dialog box isn't displayed if you clear the Record Changes check box under Confirm on the Edit/Find tab of the Options dialog box, available by clicking Options on the Tools menu.
By running a macro or an event procedure when the Delete event occurs, you can prevent a record from being deleted or allow a record to be deleted only under certain conditions. You can also use a Delete event to display a dialog box asking whether the user wants to delete a record before it's deleted.
To delete a record, you can click Delete Record on the Edit menu. This deletes the current record (the record indicated by the record selector). You can also click the record selector or click Select Record on the Edit menu to select the record, and then press the DEL key to delete it. If you click Delete Record, the record selector of the current record, or Select Record, the Exit and LostFocus events for the control that has the focus occur. If you've changed any data in the record, the BeforeUpdate and AfterUpdate events for the record occur before the Exit and LostFocus events. If you click the record selector of a different record, the Current event for that record also occurs.
After you delete the record, the focus moves to the next record following the deleted record, and the Current event for that record occurs, followed by the Enter and GotFocus events for the first control in that record.
The BeforeDelConfirm event then occurs, just before Microsoft Access displays the Delete Confirm dialog box asking you to confirm the deletion. After you respond to the dialog box by confirming or canceling the deletion, the AfterDelConfirm event occurs.
You can delete one or more records at a time. The Delete event occurs after each record is deleted. This enables you to access the data in each record before it's actually deleted, and selectively confirm or cancel each deletion in the Delete macro or event procedure. When you delete more than one record, the Current event for the record following the last deleted record and the Enter and GotFocus events for the first control in this record don't occur until all the records are deleted. In other words, a Delete event occurs for each selected record, but no other events occur until all the selected records are deleted. The BeforeDelConfirm and AfterDelConfirm events also don't occur until all the selected records are deleted.
Macro
You can use a Delete macro to display the Delete Confirm dialog box asking whether the user wants to delete a record before it's deleted.
You can use a BeforeDelConfirm or AfterDelConfirm macro to respond whenever the user deletes a record. However, the BeforeDelConfirm and AfterDelConfirm macros can't set the argument determining whether the Delete Confirm dialog box is displayed and can't return the argument indicating the status of the deletion, so you typically use event procedures with these events.
You can use the CancelEvent action in a Delete macro to cancel the deletion.
You can use the CancelEvent action in a BeforeDelConfirm macro to cancel the deletion of all the deleted records. If you do this, the Delete Confirm dialog box isn't displayed. However, the AfterDelConfirm event occurs even if you cancel the BeforeDelConfirm event.
You can't use the CancelEvent action in an AfterDelConfirm macro.
Example
The following example shows how you can prevent a user from deleting records from a table.
To try this example, add the following event procedure to a form that is based on a table. Switch to form Datasheet view and try to delete a record.
Private Sub Form_Delete(Cancel As Integer)
Cancel = True
MsgBox "This record can't be deleted."
End Sub