What is it called so I can figure it out

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Guest

I have a table that lists different variables of a particular part we build
(i.e. size, capacity,material, etc) . I want a report where we can choose
which particular attribute(s) we want to query for and have it output on a
report. I see in Northwinds they have a box where you can select a particular
report and I don't even know how to build that. Is this called a selection
box, combo box, what? Where can I find info on how to build this particular
function? Sorry, I am a newbie and I need help.

Thanks,
 
Not sure which object you are seeing, but a combo box often is used to allow
a user to select a single item in these situations. A combo box looks like a
textbox with an arrow at the right side; when you click the arrow, the list
of available choices drops down.
 
Thank you for responding. My table consists of the following:
GWID, Autonumber, Key
Partnumber, number
PNDescription, text
Height, number
Width,number
Capacity, number
DamSqft, number
Material,text
Typeoftank, text
usedfor, text
Dateofissue, date/time

Now I don't know if this is possible, but what I would like to do is create
a dialog box (form) that would allow me to put in parameters for output to a
report, i.e. where for instance, I put in my tank size parameters, say
between 25" and 30" and that it uses Stainless Steel. I am not sure if this
is possible, but I would like to know what direction to go so I can study and
create one. I have purchased Access for Dummies and even a course study in
Access, but it was intermediate level. Thank you for your time. Hope I made
sense...
 
First step: write down on paper the fields on which you want to be able to
search, and the type of search (exact, between one number and another
number, greater than, less than, etc.) for each field. That list will
dictate how you'll need to design the form in terms of whether to use option
groups ("select type of search:"), textboxes, combo boxes, list boxes, etc.
as the entry controls.

Then, the best way to generate the report is to base the report on an
unfiltered version of the query, and to build the WHERE clause in VBA code
in the form (the form reads the various controls and obtains the information
from them) that can be "given" to the report. If you have ACCESS 2002 or
2003, you can pass the WHERE clause as an OpenArgs to the report when it's
opened; if ACCESS 2000 or 97, you could write the string into an invisible
textbox on the form and have the report read the string in its Open event
and apply it as a Filter to the report.

--

Ken Snell
<MS ACCESS MVP>
 
Again, thanks for replying. II consider myself intermediate, but once you
start talking VBA or other coding, I get lost. I know what I want to search
for in each field, but the problem is knowing what application will help me
with this. appreciate your giving me hints (combo box, etc) I will look into
these. Is there a book you might recommend that could help me a little
further?
 
John Viescas' book "ACCESS 2003: Inside and Out" is a good book. And there
are many others.

Setting up a "complicated" filter form, which is what you want to do, is not
an extremely easy thing to do, but it's not something that takes expert
status to do. Once you see how to do it, the rest comes pretty easily.

If you don't know VBA code, it's possible in many cases to use parameters
(e.g., Forms!FormName!ControlName) in the query to get the values from the
form's controls. However, be "warned" that the query can become
"complicated" by all the different combinations of the controls and the
values in them (especially if you want the absence of a value in a control
to mean don't filter on that field, etc.). And such a query typically runs
much slower than building the query in VBA.

Feel free to post back with specific questions.
 
Thank you so much for replying. I am not getting email notification when
there is an answer, so I occasionally go back to check. Anyway, appreciate
your recommendation for the book. I will look into that. As you can guess, I
do not know VBA - I guess I should break down and take a couple of classes,
or buy a good book and hope it makes sense. I live in a rural area and am not
sure what is available around here.

In the meantime, I can get a query to work for me on two of my six fields
(width and length) when querying a range of measurements. This is good for
temporary measure, but I am ready to tackle this new way so I can make more
sophisticated applications, and this would probably make the database more
efficient and much smaller.

Again, thanks for your assistance.
 
OK - post back with any specific questions that you identify as part of the
process. We'll be here to help!
 
If I get a chance tonite, I'll put together a sample database showing
examples of various filtering options using VBA code. I'll post a link here
later ...
 
I downloaded the combo box zip easily, the other (filter) will not open,
gives me a message "page cannot be found"
 
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