a2k detect identical records

[Deano]

I have a couple of combo boxes on a continous form. The user is free to
select anything.

However if they select the same thing twice from combo1 and then combo2,
they've effectively created a duplicate record. What's a good way of
trapping this ? (as opposed to the increasing complex strategies I'm
forming).

e.g
Combo1-----Combo2
Apple Orange
Banana Lemon
Apple Lemon

is ok - each record is different

but;
Combo1-----Combo2
Mango Grapefruit
Apple Lemon
Apple Lemon

is not good as the last 2 entries are the same. I suppose something in the
beforeupdate event of Combo2 could do the checking and inform the user.
Is there a simple solution I could try before I go all around the houses
once more?

thanks
Martin

[Pieter Linden]

Martin,
one way to do it would be to limit the contents of the second combobox
so that the user cannot choose combinations that already exist. Just
use a NOT IN subselect as the rowsource for the second combo...

[Deano]

Pieter Linden wrote:

Martin,
one way to do it would be to limit the contents of the second combobox
so that the user cannot choose combinations that already exist. Just
use a NOT IN subselect as the rowsource for the second combo...

How would that work exactly? Would the second combo be referring to itself?

I suppose one thing I should make clear is that the rowsource for both
combos are entirely separate and different.

[Pieter Linden]

"Deano" <de*********@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<41***********************@ptn-nntp-reader01.plus.net>...

I have a couple of combo boxes on a continous form. The user is free to
select anything.

However if they select the same thing twice from combo1 and then combo2,
they've effectively created a duplicate record. What's a good way of
trapping this ? (as opposed to the increasing complex strategies I'm
forming).

e.g
Combo1-----Combo2
Apple Orange
Banana Lemon
Apple Lemon

is ok - each record is different

but;
Combo1-----Combo2
Mango Grapefruit
Apple Lemon
Apple Lemon

is not good as the last 2 entries are the same.

One way would be to set the rowsource for the second combo to filter
out the chosen value from the first combo box... Something like...

SELECT FruitName
FROM tblFruits
WHERE FruitName<>[Forms]![MyForm]![cboFruit1]
ORDER BY FruitName;

then you couldn't choose a fruit twice, because the filtering would
eliminate the possibility.