Combo box help needed

[JimJones]

Hi,

It seems no matter how many databases I set up, where I need to use a combo box, that either the setup or the concept of it baffles me.

And now again, I have the same issue, likely one that's been answered before, but looking through my previous posts and others on combo boxes, I just don't get it.

I have a form with a subform. That subform is to have a combo box. The form is linked directly to a table, and I don't wish to use a query.

The combo box is to have a list of 30 or so items to choose from and that field is to be stored in that table.

I have set up the field in the table to combo box and "i will type in the values I want".

Now, how do I properly set up the combo box on the form ?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[dcx693]

You can use the combo box wizard to help you out.

Basically the steps are these:
- open the form you want to edit in design view
- add a combo box to the form
- set the rowsource type to value list
- fill in the rowsource values you want, separated by a semi-colon
- if you want the value of the combo box to be stored, set the controlsource to the name of the field in your table where you want the data stored.

 

[JimJones]

Yes, it's all ok now.
I don't know what my big confusion was yesterday, but
after trying a million things, I tried what you prescribed in your
reply, and it works now.

By the way, what's the difference between a combo box and a list box ?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Mile-O]

By the way, what's the difference between a combo box and a list box ?

A combobox is a compact droppable list which can only contain one value at a time.

A listbox is a control that can display multiple records and can hold one or more values.

The Help files give more details on the differences between the combobox object and the listbox object.

 

[dcx693]

As Mile pointed out, they are similar, but have their own unique properties. The most important difference (for me) is that combo boxes have a built-in facility to allow the user to add entries to it (using the NotInList event). List boxes do not.

 

[JimJones]

I now have another problem with a different combo box in my database.

That problem which is now ironed out was a combo box in my sub form.

I had already made a combo box in my main form to server as a look up field. After much ado, it finally worked, in looking up a record, based on customer last name, and moves to that record, just fine.

But, if the customer last name is not in the list, then, I want to click on the last name field to enter the new customer, and it blows up, asking me to hit "en" or "debug".

I'd rather it just let me enter the new record.
Can you help, once again,
Thanks, Jim

 

[dcx693]

In order to add records to a combo box, please read one of these two faq's, depending on the version of Access you are using:

[FAQ] Adding New Entries to Table From a Combobox (DAO)
[FAQ] Adding New Entries to Table From a Combobox (ADO)