Searching for an existing record while adding a new one

[Danielle17]

I have a simple form that is used to add a new entry to a table...it works perfect but now I need to make sure that when a new one is added (a customer name) it is not already in the table....so I figured I'd need some sort of lookup, etc. I tried to make the text box into a combo box and then as the user is typing in the new name it will automatically pop-up any of the records that look similiar, and then as the user keeps typing (assuming the new name isn't in the table) in will eventually NOT match anything in the table and the new name can be added....But it didn't work with the combo box, so I thought about using a look-up but that won't work since there are 300+ names in the db(and growing) and the look-up won't automatically update....Does anyone know how I can have the text box automatically show any similiar records in the table so that the same name/company isn't entered more then once??

 

[JoeMiller]

Why don't you set the field to require unique values at the table level and avoid this whole exercise altogether because then Access can do it all for you automagically?

Joe Miller
joe.miller@flotech.net

 

[Danielle17]

Even if I set it up that way, the boss would like any names similiar to "pop-up" when the user starts to type in a new name...is there a way to have a seperate box pop-up with all of the records that are similiar to it, just in case the user enters the new one REALLY close to the existing one. Like if the first letter of the second word is capitalized in the old record and the new records is entered with a lower-case letter, or if Corporation is spelled out completely in the existing record in the new one the user abbreviates it....or vice verse....is this possible or would the combo box automatically show the user the related records?

 

[JoeMiller]

I would go the combobox route then, it's the simplest for that situation. Joe Miller
joe.miller@flotech.net

 

[Danielle17]

Thanks for the suggestions