Format Painter on Controls with Associated Label

[BiigJiim]

Hi,

In previous versions of Access, certainly up to 2003, if you used the Format Painter to copy the format of a control to another, if those controls had associated labels then the format - and more importantly positioning of the label relative to the control - were also copied over. So for example if you had a column of controls on a form, you could format the first control and align its label correctly etc, and then use the format painter to quickly make it consistent down the column.

Access 2010 doesn't seem to do this. If I use format painter on a control, the format of the control gets altered correctly, but the associated label does not move and its format does not change.

This is a pain where you have several controls and you want to position the label associated with each consistently.

I have searched but cant find a solution to this anywhere. I cant believe no-one else has the same problem or hasn't noticed it. Am I doing something wrong?

Many thanks for any help!
Jim

 

[vbaInet]

I don't remember how it worked in 2003 because I normally use the alignment tools and copy and paste.

I'll have to test it out later in 2010, but do you have a tabular or stacked layout set? That could be preventing it.

 

[BiigJiim]

Hi VbaInet,

This was on a form set to Single Form mode.

You can use the alignment tools when the text boxes are all in a row, or column. But sometimes you want to just make sure that different text boxes, not aligned, have the same offset to their respected attached labels.

Does that make sense?

 

[vbaInet]

I understand all that. What I'm asking is if you have a Layout set for your controls? And are you 100% sure that:

1. The label is attached?
2. This worked as you described in 2003?

 

[BiigJiim]

I don't have a layout set for the controls, because I dont necessarily want Access to align them all up for me. They could be distributed anywhere over my form.

1. Yes
2. Yes

 

[vbaInet]

You didn't need to delete that last line. I read it before you edited your post It wasn't offensive

I'll test it later when I get a minute.

 

[vbaInet]

Right, I've done some tests and yes it doesn't affect the positioning of the label relative to the textbox. I don't really pay attention to these things because I tend to do things as groups before moving them around so the alignment is consistent throughout.

If you say that this functionality existed in 2003 then it was probably taken out following the introduction of Layouts and the Layout View. That would be my guess.

 

[BiigJiim]

Guess you are right vbaInet. Thanks for looking. Another example of Microsoft removing something that was genuinely usefull, in the name of "progress"!

 

[vbaInet]

No problem!