Viewing content of long text cells

[mglevicky]

I have cells in my access file that are up to 150 or so characters long. Maybe longer. Is there an easy way to view the content of these cells other than pull down the row height? Some db programs have the "window" viewer at the top of the table but I don't see it in Access 2016. Newbee user. Thx! Mark

[kagoodwin13]

Maybe a lazy solution, but copy/paste to Word

Access tables are meant to store data, not view it. This is compared to Excel, where tables are both to store and view data. It's a different approach in Access.

You may want to design a form based on your table to view your data. With your table open, go to the Create tab, and click Form. A form will automatically appear with the appropriate text box sizes for each field. Use the arrows at the bottom to switch between records.

[mglevicky]

Thank you for the background and answer! Sounds like the form solution is the one I'll have to use. Just bought a business, and the current customer list is on.... MS Works Database! It works ok, but it scares me to have all the customer info on this old software. I think Access is probably overkill for what we do, but I'm used to MS Office products so maybe it makes sense to move to Access. Just a little overwhelmed by learning curve currently...

Mark

Maybe a lazy solution, but copy/paste to Word

Access tables are meant to store data, not view it. This is compared to Excel, where tables are both to store and view data. It's a different approach in Access.

You may want to design a form based on your table to view your data. With your table open, go to the Create tab, and click Form. A form will automatically appear with the appropriate text box sizes for each field. Use the arrows at the bottom to switch between records.

[Micron]

It can be a steep learning curve and the outcome usually reflects what goes into that first. MS has made it so that it's like giving your 14 year old the keys to the car. No doubt they will get something started, but the results will not always be pretty. Here's some of what I consider to be very important reading material, which unlike videos, you can easily put aside part way through.

Normalization is paramount. Diagramming maybe not so much for some people.

Normalization Parts I, II, III, IV, and V
http://rogersaccessblog.blogspot.ca/...on-part-i.html

Entity-Relationship Diagramming: Part I, II, III and IV
http://rogersaccessblog.blogspot.ca/...ng-part-i.html

How do I Create an Application in Microsoft Access?
http://rogersaccessblog.blogspot.ca/...cation-in.html

Important for success:
One source about how to name things - http://access.mvps.org/access/general/gen0012.htm
What not to use in names - http://allenbrowne.com/AppIssueBadWord.html
About Auto Numbers
- http://www.utteraccess.com/wiki/index.php/Autonumbers
- http://access.mvps.org/access/general/gen0025.htm

The evils of lookup fields - http://access.mvps.org/access/lookupfields.htm
Table and PK design tips - http://www.fmsinc.com/free/newtips/primarykey.asp
Multi-value fields http://allenbrowne.com/Access2007.html (in short, don't use them): quote from Allen Browne
"The relational structure behind multi-valued fields is not accessible.

Developers will find it harder to handle complex data types. Any generic procedure you write must be capable of handling fields that contain fields. You cannot use a table with a multi-valued field in an IN clause (i.e. in another database.)
Problems with filters - kb 926701"