Avoid multiple entry for foreign key

[Alico]

Hi All,

I have a master to child table relation which is one to many. Each one is represented by a different form.

The problem is, the user enters the primary key "JobID" on the master form, then he needs to enter a few records on the child list with the same "JobID" which is the foreign key in that case. I don't want the user to enter the "JobID" every time he enters a new record in the child form.

Is there a way I can copy the primary key to the foreign key each time the user enters a new record in the child form?

Thanks for your help & time.

Regards,
Ali

[ItsMe]

Ideally, the user would not even be aware of a PK or FK. Computers manage these fields. You may find it easiest to use the Relationships Window in Access to define relationships for your tables. Once a relationship is defined, you can add constraints like Referential Integrity, Cascade Delete, Cascade Update, etc.

My preference is to manage constraints using VBA. So I would just have code pass the value to the child table when the user triggers an event.

[hansendl]

I take it you're not using a subform? If you create a subform for your child records on your main form, and link the two using the LinkChildFields andLinkMasterFields properties, it will do what you're asking. When these properties are set, Access automatically updates the related record in the subform when you change to a new record in a main form. There are lots of resources on the web that explain how to do this, but here's one from the Microsoft Office development site: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/ac...010098674.aspx.

Good luck!