This article describes several more variations of combo boxes, making them even more useful. Linked Combo Boxes You can use a set of linked combo boxes to filter a list, making it easier to get at the specific item you want to select. As an example, in the sample database (Specialty Combo Boxes, Part 2), […]
A regular combo box that gives you a choice of an item from a list (usually displaying items from a query or table) is very useful, but sometimes you need something more. This article describes several ways to expand the utility of a combo box. Hard-Coded List Combo Box When you have a small number […]
Back in 2002 I wrote an Access Archon article dealing with reference issues, among them the problem of certain references being upgraded when a database is opened in a higher version of Access, but not downgraded when it is again opened in a lower version. You might think that over the last 16 years Microsoft […]
Introduction If you need to print a report, or do some other Access task, on a regular basis, you can do this using a VBScript, a batch file and the Windows Task Scheduler. This article shows how. Access Database The sample database, Scheduling Task (AA 252).mdb, has some tables from the old Northwind sample database, […]
Introduction Back in 2004, I wrote an Access Archon article (Copying Records and Linked Records) that described a method for copying a record with possible linked data in another table, using an array based on form controls. This article describes a different approach, based on table fields rather than form controls, and also shows how […]
Introduction If you want to delete a record in a form bound to a single table that is not linked to another table, you can just select the record and press the Delete key, or use two simple commands in VBA code. However, if the form’s source table is linked one-to-one or one-to-many to another […]
by Helen Fedemma Introduction Back in 2004, I wrote an Access Archon article (Copying Records and Linked Records) that described a method for copying a record with possible linked data in another table, using an array based on form controls. This article describes a different approach, based on table fields rather than form controls, and […]
Introduction Combo boxes are a handy way to select values for various purposes, such as filtering forms and reports. The row sources can be of three types; this article discusses how to select the appropriate type of row source query, and use them to open a filtered report. The Form The filter form in the […]
If you need to filter by a Text value, such as person’s name or a company name, you may run into this problem: An error caused by an apostrophe in a Text string This is because the apostrophe is a Text delimiter. The way I deal with this problem is to make a calculated field […]
Introduction Recently I had occasion to update an Access database that used a DateTimePicker ActiveX control for selecting times. This control had worked for many years (about 15 years in this case), but stopped working when the user updated to 64-bit Windows 10. I was able to replicate the functionality of the old ActiveX control […]
Introduction In my Working with Word ebook (the 4th edition is available now), there is code that lists (among other things) the document properties in a Word document. This is useful information, but sometimes you need to know which of the doc properties have actually been used; that is what the code in the sample […]
If you have a datasheet subform on an Access form, containing numeric data in some columns, you may want to have column totals at the bottom of the datasheet. You can do this easily in an Excel workbook or a Word table, using a formula, but Access does it differently. In Access 2007, column totals […]
If you get Error #5152 when running code that saves a file, check whether there is a date formatted with slashes (2/15/2010) in the file name. Slashes are not permitted in file names, so you will get this error when trying to save a file including a date in this format. To avoid this error, […]
If you import a macro from an Access 2010 or 2013 database into an Access 2007 (or earlier) database, it will look like this in design view: This is because macro format changed between Access 2007 and 2010 (and again between 2010 to 2013, though not as much in that case). The macro may still […]
Introduction A few years ago, in Access Archon #127, I showed how to make an Access form for entering timesheet data, which was then exported to Excel. That timesheet had combo boxes in the header to select a project and a week, and columns for entering data for the days of the week. This article […]
In previous Access Archon columns, I have discussed concatenation of dollar amounts (Access Archon #179), or children’s names and school subjects (Access Archon #230). In this article I discuss a more complex type of concatenation, where concatenation is done for sets of records filtered by three values. The Form The sample database, Complex Concatenation, has […]
Q: On one of my Access reports, strange light grey bands print here and there. What causes them, and how do I remove them? A: This is most likely because of the Access default setting for Alternate Back Color for group headers and footers in reports. Alternate row shading is an excellent feature for the […]
By Helen Feddema Access versions: 2007-2013 Level: Intermediate Access Archon #240: Introduction In a database (like the sample Northwind database) that records orders, you might want a quick and easy way to send order lists to customers. This article demonstrates how to send order lists to customers in both Plain Text and HTML format emails. […]
Q: Don Ruppel writes: “I am using Access 2010 to track my collection and have photos attached. I want to filter and list any records that do not have an attachment (photo) so I know which items that need to take photos of. Every time I try to filter the table or create a filter […]
Q: Jane writes that when she makes a new form by clicking the Form button in the Create tab of the Ribbon, all the controls are the same width, and she can’t resize them individually, as in older versions of Access. A: This is a “feature” of recent versions of Access. It is called Layout, […]
Access Archon Column #237 By Helen Feddema Access versions: 2007-2013 Level: Intermediate The Problem Back in Access 2003 and Windows XP, it was easy to make a shortcut to open a specific Access database – just right-drag the database from an Explorer pane to the Quick Launch area of the taskbar. But if you try […]
