Unbound Form, but wish to save records...how?

[LostInAccess]

Hi all,

I have a Form that was built in Form Design. It uses multiple combo boxes, pulling from multiple queries that were built from different tables.

The Form works great, however I would like to be able to save a record of each Form (combination of fields) i create, then move to a new one. Right now (because it is an unbound Form i presume), I am unable to get a new record. If I select a Record Source for the Form, it then limits me to the number of records in that source (table or query) and the different text boxes i have populated (via an event of the combo boxes) maintain the original field selections as i scroll through the records (don't change per record).



What are my options here? Is it possible to save records from an unbound Form?

Any help would be very appreciated. Thank you.

[pbaldy]

Sure, but you have to do it yourself, using a recordset or append query.

[Missinglinq]

...If I select a Record Source for the Form, it then limits me to the number of records in that source (table or query) and the different text boxes i have populated (via an event of the combo boxes) maintain the original field selections as i scroll through the records (don't change per record).

If the Comboboxes are Bound to a Field in your Form's underlying Table or Query, they will change and be Record-appropriate as you move from Record to Record.

You shouldn't confuse the RowSource, i.e. the Table or Query the Combobox is based on, and the underlying Table/Query that your Form is based on and to which the Combobox can be Bound.

To be honest, I have no idea what you mean by "...If I select a Record Source for the Form, it then limits me to the number of records in that source (table or query)..."

Access is designed to be used with Bound Forms. By doing this, the Access Gnomes automatically take care of most of the heavy lifting involved in saving Records! A big part of the reason to use Access for database development is the speed with which it can be created, using Bound Forms. Several developers I know, experienced in Visual Basic database development and Access development, estimate that development, using Unbound Forms, by highly experienced developers, takes twice as long as it does when using Access and Bound Forms.

If you insist on using Unbound Forms, you'd be far better off using a straight VB or C++ front end with a SQL Server or Oracle back end.

• You can create an EXE file which gives total protection to your code/design
  
• You can distribute the db to PCs without a copy of Access being on board
  
• Your data security if far, far better than anything you can do in Access

So my question to you is is why are you going about this the hard way?

Linq ;0)>

[LostInAccess]

Thanks for the tips guys.

You were right about it being the hard way. So I decided to try to make it a Bound Form. I was able to create a table from my designed query (make-table-query), and used that as my record source for the Form. It actually solved all my problems quite well.

I now have only one last issue with this Form that I can't seem to solve. Hopefully it has a much easier solution. I would like to know how to have the 'back color' of my Form 'Screen Only'. I am trying to print this form via a dot matrix printer and I only require the info from the Form. All the other fields and elements of my Form have the property to select "Display When - Screen Only" except for the 'back color'. I need the back color on the screen to make it user friendly, but I don't want it to print. Any suggestions?

Thanks for all the help.
(I will re-post this in a new thread as well)

[pbaldy]

I only print reports; you have a lot more control over the format when printing a report.