Why clone an MS-Access recordset?

Question

I\'m a newbie at VBA and attempting to understand someone else\'s code.

Set rstClone = Me.RecordsetClone
rstClone.MoveFirst

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Answer 1

First off, the recordset is not cloned -- the form's Recordsetclone exists as long as there is a recordsource, even if it contains no records.

Second, the recordsetclone is an independent recordset that you can navigate and not have an effect on the form's edit buffer, which has an independent set of record pointers (i.e., bookmarks).

That said, it's pretty senseless to set a recordset variable to the recordsetclone. Instead, just use a WITH block:

  With Me.RecordsetClone
    .FindFirst "[MyPK]=" & Me!cmbFindByPK
    If Not .NoMatch Then
       If Me.Dirty Then
          Me.Dirty = False
       End If
       Me.Bookmark = .Bookmark
    End If
  End With

The alternative using setting a recordset variable looks like this:

  Dim rs As DAO.Recordset

  Set rs = Me.RecordsetClone
  rs.FindFirst "[MyPK]=" & Me!cmbFindByPK
  If Not rs.NoMatch Then
     If Me.Dirty Then
        Me.Dirty = False
     End If
     Me.Bookmark = rs.Bookmark
  End If
  Set rs = Nothing

Note also that since Access 2000, the form also has a Recordset object in addition to the RecordsetClone. That object gives you access to the form's actual edit buffer, and navigation through it changes the record pointer in the form itself. I would avoid using it, though, as the indirection of using a separate identical object that is a dynaset of the same data seems a helpful layer of protection from doing things one oughtn't.