Summing up fields - newbie

  • Thread starter Thread starter spidey3721
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spidey3721

Wondering if there is a way to integrate a function into a table so I can
use it almost like a spreadsheet while I'm entering data. Is the only way to
do this by using a form ?

Example - I would like to enter in a list of costs and have a running total
at the end of the row.
 
No, Tables, by definition, store data. Queries can have calculated Fields;
Forms can have calculated Controls; Reports can have calculated Controls.

You can do what you want with a Query; the Total won't be stored in the
Table (of course, as a calculated Field which can be recalculated when
needed should never be stored). If you have a table with Fields: TheID -
AutoNumber for identification, NumField - a numeric value, and NumOther -
another numeric value, create a Query using the Query Builder... drag all
those fields down into the grid, then in the next available Field position
create a calculated field:

TotalNum: NZ([NumField]) + NZ([NumOther])

(the NZ is the Null-to-Zero function, so that a missing value is treated as
a zero). If you modify one of the NumField or NumOther values, when you move
off that field, the TotalNum field will be recalculated.

That said, what do you have against Forms? They are very nice, with events
in which you can execute either VBA code or Macros to make your life easier.
It's worth a little time and effort to learn how to use them -- it will pay
back that time and effort many times over, in the long run.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP
 
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