ACCESS 2003 presenting "suggested" values; how to stop it?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mark Gross
  • Start date Start date
M

Mark Gross

We've just installed Access 2003. In a table that has 4 consecutive
fields of 3 characters each (which are all nullable), if you put 11 in
the first, 12 in the second, Access goes ahead and puts 13 in the
third!!! Try it, Mikey, you won't like it.
This is potentially very dangerous for us.

Yet another unwanted behavior, how do you turn it off?

Thanks if any one can help,
Mark
mgross @ deq. state. id. us
 
Well, that's somewhere between a non-answer and an evasion. In the old days
we called that a work-around or a KLUDGE. ;)
 
Mark Gross said:
Well, that's somewhere between a non-answer and an evasion. In the old days
we called that a work-around or a KLUDGE. ;)
Click to expand...

Yes, you are having to "work around" a dumb decision made by MS to
implement that feature. However; it is still true that entering data
directly into the tables is equally a bad idea. So by avoiding the latter
you also avoid the former.
 
It would seem Microsoft has forgotten a basic of Human Factors Engineering as
applied to User Interface design: there are experts as well as beginners: Just
because Mac assumes all are dummies... oh, sorry.

You help the dumb but also get out of the way of power users.

BTW, clearly MS expects folks to be entering data directly into tables or they
wouldn't make it possible or add such silly features.

Thanks for the observations!
mark
 
Well, the experts use forms for data entry, so MS hasn't
gotten in their way. So this is only a feature for naive
users, and only affects naive users.

But I haven't actually met a naive user who uses this
feature (it would be different if it could be configured
to do more complex functions, like the frequently requested
mixed alpha-numeric ID fields).

I hope that this feature just fell out of some code
consolidation exercise: I would hate to think that
someone at MS actually thought it was a good idea and
carried it at a feature management meeting.

(david)

Mark Gross said:
It would seem Microsoft has forgotten a basic of Human Factors Engineering as
applied to User Interface design: there are experts as well as beginners: Just
because Mac assumes all are dummies... oh, sorry.

You help the dumb but also get out of the way of power users.

BTW, clearly MS expects folks to be entering data directly into tables or they
wouldn't make it possible or add such silly features.

Thanks for the observations!
mark
Click to expand...
 
BTW, clearly MS expects folks to be entering data directly into tables or they
wouldn't make it possible or add such silly features.
Click to expand...

That's one bad decision; the Lookup Wizard is an even worse one! It
conceals the actual contents of your table behind a "lookup" value. If
the naive user then attempts to create a query based on the table, it
won't search or sort as expected because what the SEE and what is
THERE are different things. See

http://www.mvps.org/access/lookupfields.htm

for a critique.

Microsoft developers heard complaints about this foolishness, loud and
clear. Alas, they apparently listened to Marketing rather than to the
people who actually work with the program. :-{(


John W. Vinson[MVP]
Join the online Access Chats
Tuesday 11am EDT - Thursday 3:30pm EDT
http://community.compuserve.com/msdevapps
 
Since the behavior is identical in forms entry, even with "autocorrect" set to
false, the answer of using form entry does not seem to be of assistance, unless
I'm missing something.
 
Entry in a table style form with default value set to null presents the same
unwanted behavior.
I've goofed around with different settings to no avial.

mg/
 
Entry in a table style form with default value set to null presents the same
unwanted behavior.
I've goofed around with different settings to no avial.
Click to expand...

AFAIK the only way to avoid this misfeature is to use a Continuous
Form rather than a datasheet.

John W. Vinson[MVP]
Join the online Access Chats
Tuesday 11am EDT - Thursday 3:30pm EDT
http://community.compuserve.com/msdevapps
 
By "Continuous Form," you mean exactly what? The only choices are
Columnar/Tabular/Datasheet/Justified/Pivot Table/Pivot Chart

thanks
 
By "Continuous Form," you mean exactly what? The only choices are
Columnar/Tabular/Datasheet/Justified/Pivot Table/Pivot Chart
Click to expand...

I'm talking about the Form properties, not the wizards. Open the Form
itself in design view; view its Properties, using either the View menu
option or right mouseclicking the little square at the upper left.

One of the properties is "Default View" - you have the choices
Datasheet, Continuous, or Single. Change it to Continuous.

It's been a while since I used the form wizard, but I think that
'tabular' in fact produces a continuous form.

John W. Vinson[MVP]
Join the online Access Chats
Tuesday 11am EDT - Thursday 3:30pm EDT
http://community.compuserve.com/msdevapps
 
In DataSheet mode, it is the "Allow AutoCorrect" property
which controls this behaviour. Is that broken in 2003?


(david)
 
Back
Top