name of automatic entry "feature"

[Elsner]

Please help a rookie to Access 2000.... this "feature", more of a creature to me, did not seem to exist in Access 97, and I HATE it. I do not even know the name of it to look it up in the help files. When entering integer numbers in a number filed or in a text field, the darn program "anticipates" the entry in the next record to be one higher than the last record- as soon as I move to that new record a number is placed in the field. This is so annoying that I have hesitated to convert some older data bases to Access 2000. How do I get rid of this "feature"???

 

[WayneRyan]

Elsner,

Those darned things are AutoNumbers. Every record in a table should
have a unique identifying number. For some tables that's easy; a
social security number, drivers license, etc.

When you make a new table in Access you should define a unique primary
key. If you don't, Access will offer to supply an AutoNumber field
named "ID". This is a good thing.

For instance, in a database containing people's names, you should
still use the AutoNumber field and use that as the "link" to their
other related information. This ID is unique to them and will never
change, even though their name (first and/or last) may change. It's
a good practice to use these identifying numbers.

As you can see, Access will do all the work of assigning them, all
you have to do is use them to relate info in other tables. You don't
even have to display them, they're only used to ID the record. They
don't even have to be sequential, they can be assigned randomly. They
don't have a "meaning", they're just for ID purposes.

Wayne

 

[neileg]

Wayne, I don't think this is an autonumber question, but a kind of autocomplete. However, I don't know what the answers is. I use Access 2000 and haven't come across this behaviour and I can't find any settings in Access that might control this.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Try looking up "autofill" - and if it is anywhere, it is in the Tools >> Options dialog box, possibly the edit tab but maybe not.

 

[Elsner]

thanks for the suggestions

The second reply was correct, it is has nothing to do with autonumber fields. I checked "autofill" and this has nothing to do with it either. I am really getting desparate to solve this problem. It has made a data base I spent over a year of spare time on a real pain to work with.

 

[FLabrecque]

I know what you mean. It bugs me too, but only a little. Perhaps you may consider:

1. Use an UPDATE query to populate the field.
2. Make a form that looks like the table datasheet (but without the auto entry).

PS: Technically, it doesn't always increase by one. It tries to find the logical next step of the last 2 values. 2, followed by 4, would have an autoentry of 6 (and not 5).

 

[Elsner]

thanks FLabrecque

Thanks for the help. The "feature" is extremely annoying for the type of work I am doing, almost to the point of making Access worthless to me. I'll play with the update query suggestion a bit....

 

[Elsner]

and more...

FLabrecque, do know what the MS Access overlords call the feature? If it had a name I could find more help easier, I hope.