Microsoft KB Archive/93138

Knowledge Base

ACC: Using Column Property of Combo Box to Update Text Box

Article ID: 93138

Article Last Modified on 1/18/2007

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APPLIES TO

• Microsoft Access 1.0 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Access 1.1 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Access 2.0 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Access 95 Standard Edition
• Microsoft Access 97 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q93138

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

SUMMARY

You can display multiple fields in a combo box or list box on a form or report, even when those fields come from a table that is not bound to the form or report. You can also update controls, such as text boxes, with new information based on what a user selects from a combo box or list box.

MORE INFORMATION

To accomplish these objectives, use one of these techniques:

• Method 1: Use AutoLookup in forms.
• Method 2: Use the Column property of a multiple-column combo box to update a text box control with new information as focus moves from row to row in the combo box.
• Method 3: Use multiple DLookup() functions in forms and reports.

Method 1: Using AutoLookup in Forms

For more information about using AutoLookup in forms, type "AutoLookup" in the Office Assistant, click Search, and then click to view "Create an AutoLookup query that automatically fills in data."

Method 2: Using the Column Property of a Combo Box

By assigning the Column property of a multiple-column combo box or list box to a text box, you can display one column from the current combo box selection in the text box. Microsoft Access automatically updates the text box when a selection is made from the combo box. The following example demonstrates how to do this:

1. Create a form or report based on the appropriate table or query.
2. Add a combo box or list box that retrieves information from more than one field. For example, you might use the following multiple-column Select statement as the RowSource property for a combo box or list box to display information from several columns in the Categories table.
   
   For Microsoft Access 97 and 7.0, use:

   "Select [CategoryId], [CategoryName], [Description] from Categories Order by [CategoryName];"

   For Microsoft Access versions 1.x and 2.0, use:

   Select [Category Id], [Category Name], [Description] from Categories Order by [Category Name];

   For this example, set the ColumnCount property to 3, and set the ColumnWidths property to an appropriate size for the combo box or list box. After you have the combo box or list box sized correctly and defined to return multiple fields, you can use the Column property to display the current selection in a text box control. Choose one entry in the list box first; otherwise, it returns a null.
   
   The Column property uses a reference argument to refer to a specific column in the multiple-column combo box or list box. Use Column(0) to refer to the first column, Column(1) to refer to the second column, and so on.
   
   

   This example uses Column(1) to refer to [CategoryName]--the second column in the combo box.
3. To display the [CategoryName] of the current combo box selection, create a text box control. Make the text box a calculated control by defining the following expression as the ControlSource for the text box
   
   =[<cboControlName>].Column(1)
   
   where <cboControlName> is the name of the combo box. The Column property will make the text box (calculated control) read-only.

Method 3: Using DLookup in Controls

1. Create an unbound form, and add a combo box named cboEmployeeLookup and a text box called LastName.
   
   NOTE: In the following sample code, an underscore (_) at the end of a line is used as a line-continuation character. Remove the underscore from the end of the line when re-creating this code.

         Object: Combo Box
         -------------------------------
         Name: cboEmployeeLookup
         RowSourceType: Table/Query
         RowSource:     Employees
         ColumnCount:   2
         ColumnWidths:  1
         BoundColumn:   1
   
         Object: Text Box
         -------------------------------
         Name: LastNameLookup
         ControlSource: =DLookup("[LastName]","Employees","[EmployeeID]=" _
            & [cboEmployeeLookup])

Note that when you select an EmployeeID value with the cboEmployeeLookup combo box, the LastNameLookup will be filled in.

REFERENCES

For more information about Column property, type column property in the Office Assistant, click Search, and then click to view "Column Property."

For more information about the DLookup() function, type DLookup in the Office Assistant, click Search, and then click to view "DLookup Function."

Keywords: kbinfo kbusage KB93138

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