Field and Datasheet Names are Different. Why?

[Guest]

Hello:

I'm used to working in an excellent database program called Alpha Five where
changing a name of the field in table design shows up correctly everywhere,
including forms and reports. I have to use Access 2003 on my job and I'm
perplexed by some of the behavior I've seen.

For example, I imported tables from another Access DB and then changed the
names of some fields. However, when I clicked on the tables and the Datasheet
view came up, it displayed the old names that were changed and no longer
exist.

I don't understand this behavior. If I go into table design and change the
name of fields, why aren't those changes reflected everywhere? At the very
least, the correct field name should be displayed in a datasheet. This
behavior is extremely confusing, especially to users who weren't privy to the
design process.

I've noticed some other strange behavior when editing code behind buttons,
but I'll save that question for a later time.

Thanks,
RT

 

[Guest]

Hi Robert

You have changed the control source but not the name of the field - the
column title on your datsheet. If you alte the control source the name is
retained. But if you delete the field and then re-insert it, it will have
your new control source as the name by default - unless you alter it.

 

[Guest]

Hello Wayne:

Thanks for the prompt response. I returned to table design, deleted the
fields where the names were incorrectly displayed, saved the table design,
reopened table design and added the fields back to the table with the new and
updated names. That worked, so my problem was solved.

However, I still don't understand why the Datasheet, which isn't a form or a
report, was reflecting the old field name when it no longer existed.

Thanks,
Robert

 

[Dirk Goldgar]

Hello:

I'm used to working in an excellent database program called Alpha
Five where changing a name of the field in table design shows up
correctly everywhere, including forms and reports. I have to use
Access 2003 on my job and I'm perplexed by some of the behavior I've
seen.

For example, I imported tables from another Access DB and then
changed the names of some fields. However, when I clicked on the
tables and the Datasheet view came up, it displayed the old names
that were changed and no longer exist.

I don't understand this behavior. If I go into table design and
change the name of fields, why aren't those changes reflected
everywhere? At the very least, the correct field name should be
displayed in a datasheet. This behavior is extremely confusing,
especially to users who weren't privy to the design process.

I suspect that the fields' Caption properties had been set. In
datasheet view of a table, the column header is taken from the Caption
property of the field, if that has been set; if there's no Caption
property, then the name of the field is used.

 

[Guest]

Hi Dirk:

Thanks for the feedback, however, I couldn't find a property sheet for a
Datasheet view where I could change the caption. Where and how can I find
that?

Robert

 

[Dirk Goldgar]

Hi Dirk:

Thanks for the feedback, however, I couldn't find a property sheet
for a Datasheet view where I could change the caption. Where and how
can I find that?

The Caption property of each field is set in the design view of the
table. Open the table in design view, click on each of the renamed
fields in turn, and check the Caption property in the property sheet in
the lower pane. I'm only guessing that this is the problem, of course,
but your description makes it sound likely.

Note that this is different from the datasheet view of a form. But you
said the problem was evident when you open the table directly in
datasheet view.

 

[Guest]

Hi Dirk:

That made a lot of sense to me, thanks for the explanation. However, when I
went back and checked there was nothing in the Caption box when examined
during a table redesign. Plus it's a little late, I deleted the fields with
the problems, saved the table, and then added back the fields we needed.

Robert

 

[Dirk Goldgar]

Hi Dirk:

That made a lot of sense to me, thanks for the explanation. However,
when I went back and checked there was nothing in the Caption box
when examined during a table redesign. Plus it's a little late, I
deleted the fields with the problems, saved the table, and then added
back the fields we needed.

Hmm, odd. It seemed so likely, too! I don't suppose you want to send
me a copy of the original database that was behaving badly, so I can try
to figure out what was going on? If you do, you can get my real e-mail
address by removing NO SPAM from the reply-address of this message.