Multiple Columns

[Peterd]

Hi,

Instead of listing Product ID and Description in a long list, I want to divide into columns. To read in alphanumeric order, you would start at top of column and read downwards, then to column 2 and read down etc. The products have a group header to categorize, and some categories contain only a few products. The result should look like this;

Category 1

product ID 1 + Desc product ID 4 + Desc
product ID 2 + Desc product ID 5 + Desc
product iD 3 + Desc proudct ID 6 + Desc

Category 2

same as above format.

I have tried, page setup, under columns, but the list produced only changes to the next column at the bottom of a page, and not when you specify, say every 5 inches, easier to read.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Do you have Category specified as a group break?

 

[Peterd]

Hi,

Not sure what you mean by a group break, but the category is in the report section group header.

Ultimately, I want to be able to read columns which are sorted from top to bottom, rather than sorted left to right in columns.

I hope this helps ?!

 

[Pat Hartman]

In page setup once you have specified more than 1 column, you get the option of choosing accross or down for the sort sequence.

 

[Peterd]

Pat, Thanks for your reply.

I understand what you mean, but this does not help. Using the option under page setup, "downwards then across," the report does not spread the records evenly over the columns (in the case where the records extracted do not fill a complete page.)

Currently using your suggestion, column 1 would be full, then column 2 (if there was not enough records to fill an entire page) would be half full. What I want is 2 columns of equal lenght, sorted downwards then across.

Any ideas ?

Pete.

 

[Pat Hartman]

There is no property that would have that effect and I can't think of a way of fooling Access into doing it.

 

[Peterd]

Thanks for your note Pat.

I have spent hours trying to do it. At least its now concluded.

Thanks again.

Pete.

 

[Peter Whitfield]

If its really important you do this then assuming the max number of rows is always the same e.g. 20 rows over 3 columns (giving a maximum # of entries of 60.)

Take the number of records to be displayed and divide by the number of columns, append this number of records to the new table and x number of blank records to take it to the maximum records per row, repeat this sequence for each column. In theory therefore if there were 9 records to display this would display 3 records in column 1 followed by 17 blank records, then 3 in column 2, 17 blanks etc.

(Sounds great in principle, but putting it into code I havent thought about!!!)

 

[Peterd]

Thanks for the advice, but I think for now I will make do with the current layout.

Kind Regards,

Pete.