Cascading combos and multiselect field

Accessible92866

Registered User.
Local time
Yesterday, 19:22
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
11
Hello all. Let's see if I can explain this coherently...

I'm writing a database to track construction projects. Companies respond to an RFQ, with a separate application for each discipline (there are 11 of them, such as General Civil Engineering, Cost Estimating, Architechtural, etc.). Each discipline has several subdisciplines--for example, General Engineering has 12 of those, including Roadway Design, Utility Design, etc.). The complication arises when a company submits an application for a particular discipline (easy; just one value in a combo box), but they want to be considered for several subdisciplines (which would be several values from another box).

This database has to be written in Access 2003, which was long before 2007's multivalue fields. How can I easily let a user enter an application for one discipline and several subdisciplines, all nicely visible on one screen? Cascading combo boxes? One combo box and a multiselection list box (which I've never had any luck with)? Check boxes (which I suspect is not good database design)?

I've been going around and around with this with little success and would appreciate any help anyone can offer. Please note: I can pretty much understand code when I read it and can modify examples, but I am not a programmer and sadly don't have time to become one before this thing is due. :-)

Thanks!
Geekette in SoCal
 
Thank you, Alan. What wonderful resources these are! They're giving me some different ideas about how I might structure the forms. Still need to find more info on multiselect list boxes. Can't think of another way to display the several subdisciplines within a discipline that a company might be qualified for...

Geekette in SoCal
 
Thank you, Les. This will help a lot when I get to the reports (I'm slogging through input forms at the moment).

La muy agradecida,
Geekette in SoCal (I lived in Spain, too...looooong ago and far away):)
 
Howzit

What you want is another table linked to the main table that will list each subdisipline the each company wants to be considered for. Create a relationship between the two tables, and enforce referential integrity.

As a visual example - look at the Northwinds example database - the Orders Form, where they make one order and select multiple products. You may find this sample database in the following location:


Code:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\SAMPLES


Something like:


tblRFQApp - your MAIN form will be based on this - the one table
RFQID <PK> autonumber
CompID <FK> - from table tblCompany
DiscipID <FK> - from table tblDiscipline
other fields

tblRFQAppDisc - your subform will be based on this - the many table
RFQSUBID - <PK> autonumber
RFQID - <FK> - from table tblRFQApp
SubDiscID - <FK> - from table tblSubDiscipline - limited to subdisciplines relating to discipline in main table
other fields as required
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom