Form to open in 'find mode'?

[kattatonic1]

Tell me this is so simple that I just can't see the forest for the trees. I am using Access 2010.

I have a simple employee database. Some forms are based on position info, some on employee info. I don't want these forms to open to the record sets. Users will always do a Postion# search on some screens, or an Employee# search on others. So I envision the form opening, the focus is on that field and they type in the # and hit enter and voila! It is found. Is it a form property I'm overlooking?

Then when they update that record, I would like them to press a button to do another (i.e. search for the next # they care about)

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy?



Kay

[ItsMe]

It is advisable that the user choose from a list of options vs. allowing the user to type their request into a textbox. An option may be to have a combobox or a listbox that is bound to a table or query. The table or query will have the information needed for the user to select from and for Access to open the appropriate form.

[kattatonic1]

Hi ItsMe!
That makes sense to me, except that there are thousands of positions and thousands of employees.

[ItsMe]

I am not quite sure what your end goal is and how many steps you have made to get there yet. If there is a performance problem, you can narrow things down by having a single text box begin with one of the criteria. You can have them type in the beginning of a position. With that, they then could select from a listbox of positions.

After a specific position was defined then they can start another search. The user could search within the position results for related employees.

[kattatonic1]

Okay, maybe I worded it poorly. Let's just use a single example.

To update Employee contact info, I have created a form called Employee Contact based on the correct query. When I open it, it opens showing record 1 of 2363. To find EmpID 1174, you right-click in the EmpID field and chose Number Filters, and then Equals... and type in 1174. I can't have them using the search at the bottom of the form because it will find the employee with the address 1174 Elm Street first. It is always an ID number they look up. Does that help?

[kattatonic1]

I guess what I need is something that is more user friendly than the "right-click in the EmpID field and chose Number Filters, and then Equals... and type in 1174" portion is all.

[ItsMe]

You need to build a search form. These are not the easiest and the only way I know to do them is with VBA.


If you are currently looking a your data via a form in DS View, you can place this into a subform. The subform can be inside a Main form that is either bound or unbound. You can place unbound controls on your main form.

The unbound controls on the main form will change the recordsource of your subform as the user interacts with the unbound controls on the main form.

This is the only way I know around "right clicking to filter".

[kattatonic1]

Okay, I will try to build a search form. I'm trying to avoid VB because this is a simple database and I haven't done any real programming for several years. The last databases I built were in FileMakerPro (don't laugh!) and they had a really handy search mode, which was just your exact form with the ability to put search parameters in it and say go! I realized when I went home last night that that's what I have had in the back of my mind.

I appreciate any and all help!

Kay

[ItsMe]

If you set focus within a field you can use ctrl + F

The new fangled search field is cumbersome and I wish I know how to disable it while still having navigation buttons available.

You can also import a custom shortcut menu to your program that will allow right click search option that is the same as ctrl + F

[kattatonic1]

My users would love a ctrl-f! They are happy ctrl-f'ers in other microsoft software.

Is there a simple way to do that to a field? I have been googling, etc. also as you can imagine and keep coming up with lengthy examples that are quite overkill.

[ItsMe]

You can search a column using ctrl + F

If you use the search field provided at the bottom of a form, it will search all of the columns of data across the entire recordset.

Setting focus within a field before using ctrl + F searches all the records within the recordset for that field name.

[kattatonic1]

I just showed them in a meeting. We updated several records in different forms, and in different ways, and they loved the Ctrl-f!

Many thanks, ItsMe!

Kay

[kattatonic1]

Oh, I might add, a note for a simple form: I discovered that I need to use [Current document] in the [Look In] option of the Find dialog box.

[ItsMe]

The new right click search feature is not bad either. Set focus in a cell and right click. You need to select how and what you are looking for....