Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this lesson, we will walk through how to track form open time in Microsoft Access using just a few lines of VBA, without relying on a timer event. I will show you how to record the time when a form opens, use TempVars to store that information, and then calculate and display the duration when the form closes. We will also discuss using the On Open and On Close events, working with variables and string formatting, and explain why TempVars are useful for this purpose. This simple method can help you monitor how long you spend on various tasks in your database.
Russell from Rochester, Minnesota (a Gold Member) asks How can I tell how long I spend working in one part of my database? Every morning I open a form with my customer follow-up list and work my way through it until I'm done. I'd like to know about how much time that takes, but I don't want some clock or timer constantly running on the screen. Is there an easy way to see how long I had that form open after I'm finished?
Silver Members & up get access to an Extended Cut of this video. In the extended cut, we will turn this technique into a reusable framework that works with any form, without having to put code in each form's module. I will show you how to use event handler functions, log the open and close times in a table, and track form usage by username so you can run totals on how much time is spent in different forms.
MEMBERS-ONLY EXTENDED CUT VIDEO:
youtu.be/sRF_ZnIu4IY
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Prerequisites
03:11 Setting Up the Example Database
04:02 Capturing the Form Open Time
06:11 Calculating Time on Form Close
10:13 Practical Uses and Benefits
11:25 Making the Technique Reusable
12:38 Conclusion
BECOME A MEMBER:
YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCl7-jJie4ifOVK87FINIuDg/join
or My Site: 599cd.com/THMember
LEARN MORE:
Form Open Time: 599cd.com/FormOpenTime
PREREQUISITES:
Intro to VBA: 599cd.com/IntroVBA
If Then: 599cd.com/IfThen
TempVars: 599cd.com/TempVars
Status Box: 599cd.com/Status
DateDiff: 599cd.com/DateDiff
Form Opening Events: 599cd.com/FormOpeningEvents
Variables: 599cd.com/Variables
Concatenation: 599cd.com/Concat
LINKS:
Format: 599cd.com/Format
RECOMMENDED COURSES:
Access Developer Courses: 599cd.com/Developer
FREE TEMPLATE DOWNLOADS:
TechHelp Free Templates: 599cd.com/THFree
Blank Template: 599cd.com/Blank
Contact Management: 599cd.com/Contacts
Order Entry & Invoicing: 599cd.com/Invoicing
More Access Templates: 599cd.com/AccessTemplates
DIAMOND SPONSORS:
More info on our Sponsors: 599cd.com/DiamondSponsors
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
FREE Access Beginner Level 1: 599cd.com/Free1
How to Use Access in 30 Minutes: 599cd.com/30Minutes
$1 Access Level 2: 599cd.com/1Dollar
Donate to my Tip Jar: 599cd.com/TipJar
Merch Store! Get your swag here: 599cd.com/Merch
Get on my Mailing List: 599cd.com/YTML
Contact Me: 599cd.com/Contact
TechHelp: 599cd.com/TechHelp
Consulting Help: 599cd.com/DevNet
Twitter: twitter.com/LearningAccess
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Access
products.office.com/en-us/access
microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/access
KEYWORDS:
TechHelp, Access 2016, Access 2019, Access 2021, Access 2024, Access 365, Microsoft Access, MS Access, MS Access Tutorial, #msaccess, #microsoftaccess, #help, #howto, #tutorial, #learn, #lesson, #training, #database, track form open time, VBA, TempVars, DateDiff, On Open event, On Close event, form duration, log form usage, status box, user time tracking, event handler functions, save open close timestamps, database productivity, minimize timer events
QUESTIONS:
Please feel free to post your questions or comments below. Thanks.
Live long, and prosper.
In this lesson, we will walk through how to track form open time in Microsoft Access using just a few lines of VBA, without relying on a timer event. I will show you how to record the time when a form opens, use TempVars to store that information, and then calculate and display the duration when the form closes. We will also discuss using the On Open and On Close events, working with variables and string formatting, and explain why TempVars are useful for this purpose. This simple method can help you monitor how long you spend on various tasks in your database.
Russell from Rochester, Minnesota (a Gold Member) asks How can I tell how long I spend working in one part of my database? Every morning I open a form with my customer follow-up list and work my way through it until I'm done. I'd like to know about how much time that takes, but I don't want some clock or timer constantly running on the screen. Is there an easy way to see how long I had that form open after I'm finished?
Silver Members & up get access to an Extended Cut of this video. In the extended cut, we will turn this technique into a reusable framework that works with any form, without having to put code in each form's module. I will show you how to use event handler functions, log the open and close times in a table, and track form usage by username so you can run totals on how much time is spent in different forms.
MEMBERS-ONLY EXTENDED CUT VIDEO:
youtu.be/sRF_ZnIu4IY
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Prerequisites
03:11 Setting Up the Example Database
04:02 Capturing the Form Open Time
06:11 Calculating Time on Form Close
10:13 Practical Uses and Benefits
11:25 Making the Technique Reusable
12:38 Conclusion
BECOME A MEMBER:
YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCl7-jJie4ifOVK87FINIuDg/join
or My Site: 599cd.com/THMember
LEARN MORE:
Form Open Time: 599cd.com/FormOpenTime
PREREQUISITES:
Intro to VBA: 599cd.com/IntroVBA
If Then: 599cd.com/IfThen
TempVars: 599cd.com/TempVars
Status Box: 599cd.com/Status
DateDiff: 599cd.com/DateDiff
Form Opening Events: 599cd.com/FormOpeningEvents
Variables: 599cd.com/Variables
Concatenation: 599cd.com/Concat
LINKS:
Format: 599cd.com/Format
RECOMMENDED COURSES:
Access Developer Courses: 599cd.com/Developer
FREE TEMPLATE DOWNLOADS:
TechHelp Free Templates: 599cd.com/THFree
Blank Template: 599cd.com/Blank
Contact Management: 599cd.com/Contacts
Order Entry & Invoicing: 599cd.com/Invoicing
More Access Templates: 599cd.com/AccessTemplates
DIAMOND SPONSORS:
More info on our Sponsors: 599cd.com/DiamondSponsors
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
FREE Access Beginner Level 1: 599cd.com/Free1
How to Use Access in 30 Minutes: 599cd.com/30Minutes
$1 Access Level 2: 599cd.com/1Dollar
Donate to my Tip Jar: 599cd.com/TipJar
Merch Store! Get your swag here: 599cd.com/Merch
Get on my Mailing List: 599cd.com/YTML
Contact Me: 599cd.com/Contact
TechHelp: 599cd.com/TechHelp
Consulting Help: 599cd.com/DevNet
Twitter: twitter.com/LearningAccess
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Access
products.office.com/en-us/access
microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/access
KEYWORDS:
TechHelp, Access 2016, Access 2019, Access 2021, Access 2024, Access 365, Microsoft Access, MS Access, MS Access Tutorial, #msaccess, #microsoftaccess, #help, #howto, #tutorial, #learn, #lesson, #training, #database, track form open time, VBA, TempVars, DateDiff, On Open event, On Close event, form duration, log form usage, status box, user time tracking, event handler functions, save open close timestamps, database productivity, minimize timer events
QUESTIONS:
Please feel free to post your questions or comments below. Thanks.
Live long, and prosper.
