I have a database that loggs the jobs each employer does each day. One can enter job details, a start time and an end time.

I would like to prevent someone from entering a start time that is before the end time of the previous job. I have been trying to do this as a validation rule in the form properties but without any success.

Any ideas are most welcome.

Please note: The database is relational. Each job is a record in its own right that is linked to a record with a name and a date, i.e. a 1-many relationship. I suppose what I'm asking is for the start time of one record to be equal to or later than the end time of the previous record.

Use the DCount function in the BeforeUpdate of your textbox.

If DCount("*","tablename","[EndTime] >= " [txtBox]) > 0 then

msgbox "Overlapping times"

End if

The DCount function returns the number of times the criteria is true. Therefore, if the EndTime of a previous job is Greater than the time in the txtBox, you will get a message, but it will still allow the entry. This function also doesn't check dates, so you would have to add that to the criteria.

Keagan Quilty
Kilbride, Newfoundland

I must be tired. I just put in the code for you to get a syntax error.

DCount("*", "tablename","[EndTime] >= " &[txtBox])

There. Now try it.

Keagan Quilty
Kilbride, Newfoundland