Null and empty and blank text

[GaryS]

I was given a table to process. Scanning the datasheet
view I can see that some of the fields appear blank.

I can see at least 3 reasons for this:

The field value is null.
The field value is an zero-length string.
The field value is a string consisting of all blanks.

In MS Word there's a little backwards-P button that
displays special characters (e.g., blanks as dots).

Is there anything like that in Access 2K so that I can see
what's REALLY in those "empty" fields?

Gary

 

[Wayne Morgan]

Nothing that I know of, but that sounds like a good idea.

You can find what is in those fields by setting up a query or doing a search. Use "Is
Null" (without the quotes) as the parameter or item to search for. The odds are, the
values are Null and not empty strings. If the table came from Access, a string of spaces
is very unlikely. Access usually does a Trim() when it stores data.

 

[GaryS]

Thanks for the useful tips, Wayne!

Nothing that I know of, but that sounds like a good idea.

You can find what is in those fields by setting up a query or doing a search. Use "Is
Null" (without the quotes) as the parameter or item to search for. The odds are, the
values are Null and not empty strings. If the table came from Access, a string of spaces
is very unlikely. Access usually does a Trim() when it stores data.