Primary key and combo box

[not a code fan]

I have a scenario where i have records that have an ID numbered field but i have deliberately given some records the same numbered ID (I won't go into why i have done this or i will be here all day explaining it). Anyway i have those records linked to a combo box. The field the records are in is for different countries so if i type in England in the combo, up comes England. The trouble i am having is, as soon as i move on to the next box on the form the combo box i just typed in 'England' then forgets that and reverts back to the first alphabetical entry on the underlying table with the same ID field as 'England.' Is there a way to stop the combo or whatever it is doing this from doing it? I do want to keep the underlying table with identical IDs for some records so i don't want to make the ID field a primary key.

 

[Mile-O]

I have a scenario where i have records that have an ID numbered field but i have deliberately given some records the same numbered ID (I won't go into why i have done this or i will be here all day explaining it).

Please take the day out to explain. You are probably heading off in some inefficient method which would be a habit best broken early.

 

[not a code fan]

well i think i may be heading in a different direction with this now anyway. I have however been working on this darn cascading combo box database for the past week now.

I have 5 combos that are linked. I also now know how to automatically update the underlying table when i add information in a combo not in the list. "Great" i thought, "i've done it!" Then i find the automatic update now doesn't work when the combos are connected and i am also having issues with the content of the boxes in the next record when i have entered information in the first record.

By the way the records are people's addresses so in the first combo is "Country", then State, "County," "VTC" (Village/Town/City) and lastly "Suburb." I have had the extra headache that the USA is one of few countries that has states and England one of the few that has Counties.

I have looked at lots of cascading combo box examples and to add to confusion they vary in design and often only have a maximum of three combos, i have five. I'm not very good with all the Access jargon so i'm amazed i have got this far.