Format Field As Password or Hidden Text

[LadyDi]

I have a query that I am sending as a spreadsheet to various service technicians listing parts that they need to take inventory of. Then, after they take the inventory, they send the spreadsheet back to me and I upload their counts back into my database. Right now, my query contains the Bin number, part number, part description, and a blank column for the technician's count. I have just learned, that the company does not want the Bin number to be visible in the report. In order to upload the technician counts into the database when they return the spreadsheet, I need to be able to reference the Bin number to get the count on the right line.

Is there something that I can do so that the Bin number will be visible in the report when the database reads it, but not to the technician?

The only solution I could think of was to format the Bin Number as a password. Unfortunately, I can't get that to work in the query results. If I save the bin number as a password in the table, is there a way to make it visible on reports for internal use (so the people in headquarters who are responsible for over all inventory can still see each bin number)? I found how to hide the field in the query results. However, when I send the results to the technician, the field is not there at all.

Any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

 

[CJ_London]

have you thought about modifying the excel spreadseet to a) hide the column and then b) set a password so the user cannot unhide it

 

[LadyDi]

How can I do that?

Right now, I'm just sending it using the SendObject command.

 

[namliam]

Even hidden columns can be selected using the "Goto" or address options.

Best solution IMHO is to generate your own (autonumber) key to relate your BIN number to a random meaningless number. This way you can still keep your relation in tact and not worry about the privacy of the BIN number

 

[LadyDi]

That will work perfectly, and it's an easy fix. Thank you very much for the advice.

 

[CJ_London]

Having created the file you then need to open it as an Excel object and use that to make the changes.

For example to hide a column the vba would be along the following lines

Columns("K:K").Select
Selection.EntireColumn.Hidden = True

However I think Mailmans suggestion is much simpler