I'm a learner HELP! (1 Viewer)

agedswill

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Access 2016

I’m new to databases but have managed to grasp the basics. What I am trying to do is make a plant database which can be searched by entering a plant name and have the name, image, features and description displayed on another page (or enter features to find plants that match). The database will be stand-alone with no internet requirement. There will be only 1 user – me, (or anyone I choose to give a copy to) so there is no use need for data entry forms.

I have built a main table with all the unique names, plus the fields which are linked to tables where the features are held. All of the relationships have been made and running a search or report produces correct results – HOORAY!

I’ve now created 3 forms, 1 to enter name search data, 1 for searching by feature and 1 to display the results – they are very pretty but they don’t work.

I created a series of combos (e.g. 1 for each feature and used the wizard to complete each combo, so far so good.

But I do have problems with the controls wizard, sometimes when I select combo, the wizard doesn’t appear, even though it’s switched on. If I do the same thing afterwards, the first wizard page appears, sometimes with 2 questions and other times with 3 – it’s very touchy. Why is this?

Whether there are 2 or 3 questions, I’m not sure which of the tables is required – I’ve tried the Main table and also the feature tables. The result is the same – whatever is selected from the combo does nothing, it just sits there looking at me. I’m puzzled, If, for example, I select the table “plant type” from the combo and choose “bush”, how does it know that I want to pull the results from the main table (ie, all the records with the term “bush”)? Through the relationships? If so, it doesn’t work for me. I’ve tried the help and tutorials but got nowhere, except to lose a lot of hair.

Please could somebody explain how to do this (without using programming jargon or acronyms, I’m a simple layman). Thank you.
 

theDBguy

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Hi. Welcome to AWF! We might be able to tackle this one issue at a time. But first, are you able to share a copy of your db? It would probably help if we could discuss steps specific to your needs and applicable to your db. The first we'll probably teach you is the "Normalization" process.
 

The_Doc_Man

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Amplifying what theDBguy said, your first stop is "Normalization" and I have to qualify that for you. If you search for keyword "normalization" in this forum using the Search option (upper right of screen), that works because this is a Database forum. IF you search the general web (and it is OK if you do that) you must look for "Database Normalization" because there are other kinds of normalization... diplomatic, chemical, mathematical, and a few others as well. IF you go to the web, limit yourself to sites in the .EDU domain for topics on normalization, because the .COM sites usually have something to sell and will bombard you with surveys and probing questions to see how much money they can drag from you.

The second topic you need is to study up on queries and in particular, JOIN queries and the keyword "relationships." When you store things in tables, that is where raw data belongs. But with a relationship you can define tables to be related in specific ways. Access can then read the relationships so that if you need to temporarily combine data from two related tables, Access can build that JOIN for you automatically using its built-in query wizards.

Now, you mentioned combo boxes. You have to allow wizards to work -but when you do, you can use them to make combo boxes and command buttons do various things for you. Usually, a combo box wizard gives you choices as to what you do with it. Command buttons have pretty good wizards, too. Now, here is where it might get a little daunting. The more complex your task, the more likely you will have to "lift up the hood" and look at the engine parts. Here is where and how the wizards help you. They give you basic, one might even say minimalist versions of what you are trying to do. When you get to the point of being more comfortable, you can reach in and customize the "scaffold" that the wizard erected for you.

You had a specific question about how to make a combo box limit what you pull from the main table. Since you didn't describe what the main table looks like, I can only speak in general terms. The topic you want is the form's Filter property, which you can modify while the form is open. In essence, you can build a filter string using the results of the combo box. Then you slap this filter string into the form's Filter property and enable filtering. Then you do something called a Requery to make the form re-evaluate its source table in light of your new filter - and that should be how you do it simply. (There are a myriad of more complex ways but that is the simplest.)
 

agedswill

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Hi. Welcome to AWF! We might be able to tackle this one issue at a time. But first, are you able to share a copy of your db? It would probably help if we could discuss steps specific to your needs and applicable to your db. The first we'll probably teach you is the "Normalization" process.
Ah, I replied to the "do not reply" email you sent yesterday - that wouldn't have worked either! Thanks for your quick response and offer of help, I tried to attach my Db file, but I get this error message - flower db mar5.accdb The uploaded file does not have an allowed extension - which doesn't mean a lot to me.

I also read a tutorial on normalization and understand that pretty well, I think my db follows the rules.
 

Cronk

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With your number of posts being under 10, try zipping the db and post the zip file.
 

agedswill

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Hi. Welcome to AWF! We might be able to tackle this one issue at a time. But first, are you able to share a copy of your db? It would probably help if we could discuss steps specific to your needs and applicable to your db. The first we'll probably teach you is the "Normalization" process.

Hello again DBguy, can you let me know if you received my DB. Thanks Gerald
 

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