saving records in form

[Guest]

hi, im new to this..i have a form with look-up combo boxes that get data from
tables, i fill the combo boxes with data from the tables and save the form.
i re-open the form and none of the data has been saved.
how can i save the form with the data intact?
please help.
thank you

 

[Richnep]

hi, im new to this..i have a form with look-up combo boxes that get data from
tables, i fill the combo boxes with data from the tables and save the form.
i re-open the form and none of the data has been saved.
how can i save the form with the data intact?
please help.
thank you

It sounds like you are using an unbound form, which you would need to
use an append/update query to add the data to the table.

OR

The easy thing to do is make a table and the set the forms
recordsource by going to the form proerties, data tab, and then select
the table name and save the form. Make sure the table field names are
spelled exactly as they are on your form. Usually people create a
table first then just make a form from the table.

 

[Guest]

i created multiple tables, then created form#1 with dropdown combo boxes to
display the data from the tables in the form#1, is this the wrong way to do
it? do i need to use one table only?
i dont want to change the data in the tables, i want to save form#1 with the
inputed data that comes from the tables. so everytime i open form#1 all the
previous inputed data is still there.
thank you richnep
gary

 

[Steve Schapel]

Gary,

It might help for yu to understand this concept: forms don't have data.

Data is in tables. The purpose of forms is to provide a convenient
avenue for viewing and interacting with the table data.

Which data is accessible via the form is determined by one of the
Properties of the form, namely the Record Source property. This is
typically set to the name of a table, or the name of a query which in
turn is based on one or more tables.

Not a direct answer to your question, I know, but hopefully will help
you to see what's happening.

 

[Guest]

thank you steve...now i know......can you please help me.
we have several items that are issued to several people daily.
the drop-down combo boxes that get data from tables work perfectly because
we could go through each drop-down combo box and select an item from a list
for each person. but we could'nt save the data on the form (as you know) for
the next day when an item and/or person may or may not change....what do you
suggest i use for this? page? report? table?.... i am at a loss and under
extreme pressure from higher ups. the forms are good because i could place
the drop-down combo boxes where i wanted to on the page. i cant place combo
boxes where i want to in a table.....i hope i am describing my problem
accurately.
thank you very much
gary

 

[Steve Schapel]

Gary,

I can't quite grasp what you have there.

Can you tell us what is the Record Source for the form, and what are the
fields in this table/query?

 

[Guest]

thank you steve, the record sources for the form are 10 seperate tables, each
table has a unique product listed in its colum, there are 10 seperate
drop-down combo boxes on the form...
drop-down combo box #1 in the form gets its data from table#1, drop-down
combo box #2 in the form gets its data from table #2 and so on.
i dont want to alter the data in the tables, i want to open the form, input
data utilizing the drop-down combo boxes, and then save the form so the next
time i open the form the data that i input is still in place.
i realize i am not explaining this very well....i can take a bitmap picture
of the form and post it on an anonymous board for you to see, or e-mail it to
you.
i think if you see the form you will understand what i mean
thank you again steve
gary

 

[Steve Schapel]

Gary,

A form can only have one Record Source. You can see what it is by
looking at the Properties of the form. It will typically (though not
always) be the name of a table or the name of a query. If you are
trying to tell me that the record source is a query composed of 10
tables, then I think youy need to re-think... but anyway I doubt that
that's the case.

So, we'll worry about the comboboxes and the data in a bit. First step
first... have a look at the Record Source property of the form, and let
us know what it is.

 

[Guest]

the record source of the form is table #1...can i place the 10 tables into a
new table and then set the record source for the form to the new table?
thank you

 

[Steve Schapel]

Gary,

Can you tell us some more details please about the 10 tables? In normal
circumstances, you couldn't "place the 10 tables into a new table",
because the 10 tables would all be related to different entities, and
would be of a different structure from each other. However, you have
said that each table relates to a different product, and in that case,
it is likely that you only need one table, and the 10 products would be
entered as 10 records in the table. But it would help if you could tell
us the fields in the table, and the purpose of them, and maybe some
example actual data.

Sorry to be grilling you for the details, but I still don't quite get
what you are doing, and I suspect you are misinterpreting a concept
about the nature of tables and forms, so it is important that we clarify
that.

 

[Guest]

thank you steve...i realize now that i can only use one table for my form and
it works well, however i dont want the combo boxes in the form to change any
records in the table...is this possible?
thank you

 

[Steve Schapel]

Gary,

No, this is not possible. Well, not if you want the entries made on the
form to be retained for later reference, which appears to be what you
want. If they are going to be retained, then that means the entries
have to be stored somewhere, and in a database this "somewhere" has to
be a table.

 

[Guest]

thanks again steve...you are correct i want the entries made on the form used
for later reference...if the data must be stored in a table can i store it in
a different table? or a different colum in the same table?
thank you for your patience with me

 

[Steve Schapel]

Gary,

Yes, that sounds like the correct approach. You should:
1. Design and construct a table which is suitable for storing the data
that will be entered via the form.
2. Make this table the Record Source of the form.
3. Set the Control Source of the controls (comboboxes and whatnot) on
the form, to the applicable fields in this Record Source table.

 

[Guest]

thank you again steve, i will let you know how it works....

 

[Guest]

thank you steve, it works quite well...except for one thing, i have multiple
combo boxes on my form that draw data from the same colum in my table...when
i update one of the combo boxes the other combo boxes update with the same
data...
i need for the combo boxes to display different items from the same colum in
the table.
hope i explained it right
thank you
gary

 

[Steve Schapel]

Gary,

Can you please give:
- some specific details with example data
- what are the fields in the table that is now the form's Record Source
- what are the Row Source of the comboboxes
- what specifically you mean by "the same column in my table"

Note that comboboxes relate to two sets of data. They relate to "where
do the items in the drop-down list come from?" This is defined by the
combobox's Row Source property. And they relate to "where does the item
selected from the drop-down list get put?" This is defined by the
combobox's Control Source property. We would expect the field shown in
the combobox's Control Source to normally be one of the fields in the
form's Record Source. That's part of how it all hangs together.

 

[Guest]

thank you for educating me on the combo boxes steve, i appreciate your
patience.

-the fields in the table that is the forms record source is a list of names
in a column,
(in my table i have names listed in a single column)

-on my form i have 2 combo boxes labeled "name"

-when using my form i update combo box #1 with the name "joe"
then i update combo box #2 with the name "fred"
combo box #1 instantly changes to "fred" and i want it to remain "joe"

i hope i explained it right
thank you
gary

 

[Steve Schapel]

Gary,

If the table that the form is bound to only has one field, It sounds to
me that you need to use the form in Continuous View, in order to be able
to see multiple *records* at one time.

In design view of the form, first of all remove one of the comboboxes.
It saounds like you have 2 comboboxes bound to the same field, which
achieves no purpose.

Then, find the Property of the form called Default View, and change it
from 'Single Form' to 'Continuous Forms'. Adjust the height of the
Detail section of the form so that it is only a little higher than the
height of the combobox.

Now open the form in form view. If I have understood you correctly, you
should now be able to enter as many names as you want.

 

[Guest]

thank you steve, okay here goes.....
my form is populated with combo boxes(in caps) the lower case words are
labels

car1- NAME SHIRT PANTS SHOES BELT HAT
car2- NAME SHIRT PANTS SHOES BELT HAT
car3- NAME SHIRT PANTS SHOES BELT HAT
car4- NAME SHIRT PANTS SHOES BELT HAT
car5- NAME SHIRT PANTS SHOES BELT HAT

all of the combo boxes on the form are bound to a single table...the table
looks something like this...

COLUMN1 COLUMN2 COLUMN3 COLUMN4 COLUMN5 COLUMN6
frank blue slacks shiney leather
derby
steve white jeans dull swede
cowboy
mike red dirty deck long
helmet
tony green clean slipper short
beret
sam black torn heel buckle
cap

i open my form and start with car1...i select mike under name, i select blue
for mikes shirt, i select dirty for mikes pants, and slipper for mikes
shoes........
then i go to car2...i select sam under name, i select red for sams shirt, i
select torn for sams pants, and dull for sams shoes.
-problem--i select mike for car1, and blue for mikes shirt.....
i get to car2 and select sam..car1 instantly changes from
mike to sam
i select red for sams shirt, and mikes shirt instantly
changes from blue
to red. i want car1 to be mike with blue shirt
and car2 to be sam with red shirt .........
hope this works
gary



gary