Display for Text Box (Access 2003)

[truthlover]

Is there a way to have text display in a data entry form that will not be stored as an actual value (like a default value does)?

Status bar and Tool tips wont work. I need something that will display in an empty data entry field.

Thanks!

[sierra7]

Hi
You can use the On_Open or On_Current event of a form to automatically place text in a Textbox

 Me!MyTextBox = "My Text ?"

However, if you have a Bound Form and Me!MyTextBox is bound to field [MyText] (i.e. ControlSource = [MyText]) then this will be written to the database.

If the Control Source is blank, you have an Un-Bound control, so the data will be displayed but not saved anywhere, so is not a data entry box.
You could have another event read this data and then copy it to a bound contril (that could be hidden) but what are you trying to do?

S7

[truthlover]

The fields are all bound controls.

What I'm trying to do is make the data entry as simple to use as possible. So I would like to have tool tips in the form of text inside the empty text field (since they'll never look at the status bar and the mouse-over tips are too easy to ignore).

I have one popup message, but even that one gets really annoying after a while and there is no room on the form to put the tips near the control

Thanks

Hi
You can use the On_Open or On_Current event of a form to automatically place text in a Textbox

 Me!MyTextBox = "My Text ?"

However, if you have a Bound Form and Me!MyTextBox is bound to field [MyText] (i.e. ControlSource = [MyText]) then this will be written to the database.

If the Control Source is blank, you have an Un-Bound control, so the data will be displayed but not saved anywhere, so is not a data entry box.
You could have another event read this data and then copy it to a bound contril (that could be hidden) but what are you trying to do?

S7

[sierra7]

Hi

I think what you mean is you want 'Type Your Name Here' inside the text box label 'Name' ??? or similar

(I'm not going to forgive myself for this!) I've got something like this working by making the TextBox Background Style = Transparent and placing a Label behind it with the required text. The label must be exactly the same size as your TextBox. The After_Update event on the text box is;

 Private Sub Text13_AfterUpdate() 
If Me.Text13 <> "" Then
     Me.Text13.BackStyle = 1
Else
     Me.Text13.BackStyle = 0
End If
End Sub
 

so the label is visible until there is data in the text box, then the BackStyle is changed to Normal (1) to hide the label.

You would have to do this for every field on your form, then you would have to copy and paste all of these bits of code into a new Sub, lets call it DisplayHelp, which you would need to call in the On_Current event of the Form, so that it would reset for each record. I suppose you could have the Label backcolour different to the TextBox then it would highlight what was Data and what was Help text. Different Fonts might help too (It sound like this is growing on me!)

If you really liked the effect you could probably wrap it up in a Public module.

 
Sub DisplayHelp(Fname As Form)
Dim frm As Form
Dim ctl As Control
 
Set frm = Fname 
 
For Each ctl In frm.Section(acDetail).Controls
With ctl
Select Case .ControlType
Case acComboBox
If .Value <> "" Then
.BackStyle =1
Else
.BackStyle =0
EndIf
 
 
Case acTextBox
If .Value <> "" Then
.BackStyle =1
Else
.BackStyle =0
EndIf
End Select
End With
Next ctl
 
End Sub
 
 

You would call it by putting

DisplayHelp Me

in all the after_updates and On_Currents where needed

I HAVE NOT TESTED this and it may need polishing a bit but should give you the idea.

Best of luck

S7

[truthlover]

I think what you mean is you want 'Type Your Name Here' inside the text box label 'Name' ??? or similar

Yes, that's exactly what I want.

That's an interesting solution. I'll give it a try, thanks!

(I'm not going to forgive myself for this!) I've got something like this working by making the TextBox Background Style = Transparent and placing a Label behind it with the required text. The label must be exactly the same size as your TextBox. The After_Update event on the text box is;

 Private Sub Text13_AfterUpdate() 
If Me.Text13 <> "" Then
Me.Text13.BackStyle = 1
Else
Me.Text13.BackStyle = 0
End If
End Sub
 

so the label is visible until there is data in the text box, then the BackStyle is changed to Normal (1) to hide the label.

You would have to do this for every field on your form, then you would have to copy and paste all of these bits of code into a new Sub, lets call it DisplayHelp, which you would need to call in the On_Current event of the Form, so that it would reset for each record. I suppose you could have the Label backcolour different to the TextBox then it would highlight what was Data and what was Help text. Different Fonts might help too (It sound like this is growing on me!)

If you really liked the effect you could probably wrap it up in a Public module.

 
Sub DisplayHelp(Fname As Form)
Dim frm As Form
Dim ctl As Control
 
Set frm = Fname 
 
For Each ctl In frm.Section(acDetail).Controls
With ctl
Select Case .ControlType
Case acComboBox
If .Value <> "" Then
.BackStyle =1
Else
.BackStyle =0
EndIf
 
 
Case acTextBox
If .Value <> "" Then
.BackStyle =1
Else
.BackStyle =0
EndIf
End Select
End With
Next ctl
 
End Sub
 
 

You would call it by putting

DisplayHelp Me

in all the after_updates and On_Currents where needed

I HAVE NOT TESTED this and it may need polishing a bit but should give you the idea.

Best of luck

S7