Multiple Entry Field in Form

[muriel]

Hello. I have a field in a form that has many possible entries. What I envision is a field on the main form, and then the user clicks to open a second form which lists all the possible entries. The user needs to be able to select as many of the entries that apply - so they may be selecting as many as 5 or 10. Then those selected entries need to be reflected in the field on the main form.

Any suggestions for how to set this up?

Thanks much!

 

[fneily]

Are you asking for a multi-select listbox? Users see a list of options and can select as many as they want. Or do you want them to select multiple options and have their selections spread across a line eg. warm, cold, medium all in a row? Could you be more clear?

Neil

 

[AllanG]

I implemented something like this on a data entry form. I had a list box bound to a simple lookup table set to allow multiple selections. The user selects multiple fields, then, after the user leaves the list box, a function extracts the entries, separates them with semi-colons and places the string into a bound text box.

This does violate the normalization rules. Before doing this, you will need to first analyze what you are going to do with the data stored in text box entry. It can be queried with a like statement, but to group by each of the items would be a pain. This mechanism worked for me because I wasn't going to query on the entries; I was only showing them in the list as information only.

If this sounds ok or you want to try it, I can look and send you a copy of the KB article that I used.

 

[muriel]

I'd like to use a multi-select list box where users can select as many options as they want. Then the options would be displayed on the main form, separated by commas or something like that. I may need to query the data at a later time, but for now, I'd like to try what you're describing.

fneily - Your first option sounds like the best for me.
AllanG - I'd like to see the KB article that you used, if you can tell me how to access it.

Thank you both very much!!

 

[AllanG]

Sorry for the delay; I had to find it at work. Here's the link:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q210/2/03.asp

Like I said, it's not the best solution but it is simple, easy to plug in and you don't have to change the table designs.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

[muriel]

Thanks for your help! I am working through this and will ask if I have questions.