Create an order form with pre-populated items

[wolfm]

Hello:


I wish to replace order forms we are using in Excel, into forms in Access.
Our traditional Excel order forms have the products listed in one column, and the user just enters the desired quantities in the next column.

I know I can create a combo or list box for the user to select products. However, we have a long list of products so I can see getting complaints about lots of scrolling to select products.

Does anyone know a way that I could list out the products on the form, so that all are visible? Next I would have a box by the product in which the user would enter a quantity.
Then, I would want the order to grab the particular product and the particular quantity next to it, and place the product and qty into an 'items ordered' table.

Thank you!

[orange]

However, we have a long list of products so I can see getting complaints about lots of scrolling to select products.

In plain English, how would you make a more focused list ?

It seems some sort of Find as you type approach might reduce the number of products presented, but I think you have to start with your full product list. Perhaps, after for a Customer you can look at past Orders and select a corresponding Product list for display?

You may find this post of interest.

[Micron]

Does anyone know a way that I could list out the products on the form, so that all are visible?

Based on my interpretation, I'm thinking a continuous form in order to display all products. You'd need a quantity field to denote that any particular product record is to be part of an order as you say. Another thought is to either have this form as a subform so that you can have all the order details in the main form (order number, customer, etc.) OR a split form. However, I've never used a split form beyond playing around with a forum problem for somebody so it may be a poor choice for this problem. Have to say I don't care for them much.

Without knowing more about the process, impossible to say definitively what the whole thing would look like. Maybe a temp table(s) (not that the table is temporary, but the records would be) so that you can begin an order and cancel it without having orphaned order records and no order detail records. You do have one table for orders and another for order details, yes?

Not sure how having all products on a form is a great idea - unless there aren't that many. If more than a few dozen, would think you'd want some sort of filter as Orange is suggesting.

[orange]

Further to responses so far, it would help if you could show us a sample list of products and quantities as you envision things.
It may help you and readers identify some options.

You know your environment better than readers so we don't know if there is some hierarchy to products, or how your categories are determined, or how many products fit into which category etc.

Any help to put some of this into context would be useful.