How to: Show a note after an action, with Undo

Tell users that an action worked (“Rule deleted”) in a short note at the lower right of the Access window, with an Undo they can reach with the mouse, the keyboard, or a screen reader, without a message box that has to be closed and without moving the focus.

Requires WKL Forms Object Library 1.34 or later.

Solution overview

WklToast is an object, not a control. Create it with New in the module that performs the action; no form needs a control, and a subform can show notes too.
Show displays a note: the text, the kind (wtkSuccess, wtkWarning, and so on), an optional title, the caption of the action, and a Tag that comes back with it (for example, the key of the deleted record). The note closes on its own after 4 seconds, or after 8 seconds if it has an action.
The action: declare the object WithEvents at the module level of the form and handle Action(Id, Tag). Or name a function in ActionFunction (=RestoreRule(17)), as for the OnAction property of an Access menu entry: it runs even when the module no longer listens.
Keyboard: Ctrl+Shift+Z runs the action of the newest note; F6 moves into the note, Esc closes it, and F6 returns. Without a visible note, nothing changes.

Implementation

The table for the example, created once (run the procedure from the Immediate window):

Public Sub CreateNoteSample()
    With CurrentDb
        .Execute "CREATE TABLE tblRules (ID LONG CONSTRAINT PK_Rules PRIMARY KEY, Name TEXT(50), IsDeleted YESNO)"
        .Execute "INSERT INTO tblRules VALUES (1, 'Reminder after 30 days', False)"
        .Execute "INSERT INTO tblRules VALUES (2, 'Discount from $1,000', False)"
    End With
End Sub

A continuous form frmRules over SELECT * FROM tblRules WHERE Not IsDeleted, with the text box Name and the button cmdDelete; deleting only marks the record (IsDeleted), so Undo can bring it back:

Option Compare Database
Option Explicit
 
Private WithEvents mToast As WklToast
 
Private Sub Form_Load()
    Set mToast = New WklToast
End Sub
 
Private Sub cmdDelete_Click()
    Dim id As Long
    Dim ruleName As String
    If IsNull(Me!ID) Then Exit Sub
    id = Me!ID
    ruleName = Nz(Me!Name, "")        ' read before Requery: afterwards the form is on another record
    CurrentDb.Execute "UPDATE tblRules SET IsDeleted = True WHERE ID = " & id, dbFailOnError
    Me.Requery
    mToast.Show "Rule """ & ruleName & """ deleted.", wtkSuccess, , "Undo", id
End Sub
 
Private Sub mToast_Action(ByVal Id As Long, ByVal Tag As Variant)
    CurrentDb.Execute "UPDATE tblRules SET IsDeleted = False WHERE ID = " & Tag, dbFailOnError
    Me.Requery
End Sub

The same without an event procedure, from a standard module, with a function that performs the undo:

Public Sub DeleteRule(ByVal id As Long)
    Dim note As New WklToast
    CurrentDb.Execute "UPDATE tblRules SET IsDeleted = True WHERE ID = " & id, dbFailOnError
    note.Show "Rule deleted.", wtkSuccess, , "Undo", , , , "=RestoreRule(" & id & ")"
End Sub
 
Public Function RestoreRule(ByVal id As Long) As Boolean
    CurrentDb.Execute "UPDATE tblRules SET IsDeleted = False WHERE ID = " & id, dbFailOnError
    If CurrentProject.AllForms("frmRules").IsLoaded Then Forms!frmRules.Requery
    RestoreRule = True
End Function

A message after saving, in the corner of the form instead of the Access window:

Private Sub Form_AfterUpdate()
    mToast.Show "Saved.", wtkSuccess, , , , 2000, Me
End Sub

Remarks

A local variable can't be declared WithEvents, so the events of a note shown by a local object go nowhere. Use ActionFunction there, or keep the object at the module level.
The note holds a copy of Tag. Pass the key, not a recordset or a form: the note might outlive them.
Notes shown with Form close when that form closes (Closed with wtrOwnerClosed); notes in the Access window stay until their time is up, even when the form that showed them closes.
Count, Close, and CloseAll work on all notes in the Access session, whichever object showed them; use CloseAll before a long operation that should start with an empty corner.
At most three notes are visible at a time; further ones wait. Don't show a note for each record in a loop; show one note with the number (“12 rules deleted”).
Errors and decisions that need an answer belong in a message box or a dialog, not in a note: a note disappears.

How to: Show a note after an action, with Undo

Solution overview

Implementation

Remarks

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