Combobox vs. listbox

[Guest]

I am a newbie. Kindly tell me the difference between combo box, list box and
drop down list box & when to use one control in preference to otherin a form
.. Thanks in advance.

 

[John Spencer]

There are comboboxes and listboxes.
Comboboxes can Drop down to show a list of the items available in the
combobox.

Comboboxes show ONE item at a time and when the drop down is not activated
show only the first "visible" column. They are good for entering data,
selecting one item from a list, etc. They generally take up only a small
amount of space.

Comboboxes also have the ability to use "type-ahead" functionality. As you
type into the combobox, the combobox automatically attempts to match what
you have typed to a matching item in its list.

Listboxes show multiple rows and multiple items at one time on the screen.
They are good for selecting item(s) and displaying many choices at one time.
Since they usually show more data at one time, they take up a larger amount
of screen space.

 

[Douglas J Steele]

Access only has combo boxes and list boxes: there is no drop down list box.

A combo box takes less space on a form: it displays a single row, so it's
the same size as a text box. You can only select one row from the combo box.

A list box allows you to select more than one row, but it takes more space
on the form. Be aware that while it allows you to select more than one row,
you cannot bind a multiselect list box to a field in a table. In other
words, you cannot use a multiselect list box to provide a value to a field
in the underlying recordset of your form.