Date Picker Changed All Dates

[deesy58]

I added the "Date Picker" Active X control to my two primary db forms, and it changed all of the dates in the databases to today's date. It appears that I have lost a whole lot of vital information. Is there any way to recover my valid data?

[RuralGuy]

You looked directly at the table involved here and the dates have been changed?

[deesy58]

You looked directly at the table involved here and the dates have been changed?

Actually, no. The dates in the table are correct, but the dates in the forms are all today's date. I'm not sure why this is so. I followed directions I found at an Access forum.

[RuralGuy]

Good. You have not lost anything then. I believe Access 2007 has its own DatePicker so I don't believe the ActiveX control is necessary. Are you using a form in Continuous View mode? Tell us something about how you are using the form.

[deesy58]

I use the forms (two different) to enter data into my Access databases, and also to look at the data when I don't want to print or display a report (usually only one or two records). One of the databases was converted from Access 2003 a couple of years ago, and the other was created last June in Access 2007.

I got tired of entering the entire data into the text box, so (after reading up on it on an Access forum), I selected the Active X control from the task ribbon. I then deleted the text box and replaced it with the Date Picker Active X control box after resizing it. I did not realize that it would automatically display today's date in the form for every record, which seems a bit strange. I have now replaced the Date Picker control with the original text boxes and have all my correct dates displaying again.

What did I do wrong? Is there a way to make date entry easier while still displaying the correct date in the Forms view?

[deesy58]

BTW, I have shortcuts on my Windows 7 desktop that take me directly to the two different forms.

[RuralGuy]

Helen Feddema just addressed this in her latest Access Watch.

Date formatting
issues

Q: Mary T. writes to say that she put an Input Mask on a
textbox bound to a Date field, but users are complaining about how awkward it
is to enter the dates in that format, and in any case she wants to show the
dates in another format on a report. What is the best way to handle this?


A: I like to allow users to enter dates any way they want (to
avoid frustration), and format them as desired for the form using the Format
property of the textbox. I often display dates in the d-mmm-yyyy format
(6-Jun-2012) – just enter that expression in the Format property of the textbox
– but the user can type in 6/6/2012, or June 6, 2012, or any expression that
evaluates as a valid date, and as soon as they tab away, the date will display
in the correct format. So long as a textbox is bound to a Date field, you
can use the Format function to format it any way you want. You can use a
different format for the same date field on a report, say one that is grouped
by date. To display the date in Long Date format in the group header,
just use the expression Format([InvoiceDate], "Long Date"), which
returns a date like Wednesday, December 19, 2012.

[deesy58]

It's not so much a formatting issue as it is an ease of entry issue. I'm not too particular about the format, but I'd really like to be able to use the date picker that I have seen on other Access forms, and on the Web.

[deesy58]

I got it working. It was as simple as moving the entry fields a little further apart on the form to make more room for the date picker icon. I thought there was enough space, but apparently not.

Thanks for the help! I really appreciate it.

[Missinglinq]

As Allan suggested, beginning with version 2007, if a Field is defined as a Date/Time Field, Access provides a 'built-in' Calendar that automatically pops up, beside the Field/Control, to facilitate the entering of the date. You can turn this off, using the Control's ShowDatePicker Property to 'Never,' but by default it is turned on.

The advantage in using this feature, over an ActiveX add-in Calendar, is that the Access-native Calendar will work in future versions, whereas you often have to change the version of the ActiveX Control as you upgrade your version of Access! To be honest, I'm surprised that they even offered this ActiveX Control in version 2007, and I can see it being done away with in the future.

In addition to Access handling the data entry, from the native Calendar, automatically, it appears, when you move into the Textbox, as a small icon, rather than a full-sized Calendar. Also, the native Calendar works with Forms in Datasheet View.

Linq ;0)>

[deesy58]

As Allan suggested, beginning with version 2007, if a Field is defined as a Date/Time Field, Access provides a 'built-in' Calendar that automatically pops up, beside the Field/Control, to facilitate the entering of the date. You can turn this off, using the Control's ShowDatePicker Property to 'Never,' but by default it is turned on.

The advantage in using this feature, over an ActiveX add-in Calendar, is that the Access-native Calendar will work in future versions, whereas you often have to change the version of the ActiveX Control as you upgrade your version of Access! To be honest, I'm surprised that they even offered this ActiveX Control in version 2007, and I can see it being done away with in the future.

In addition to Access handling the data entry, from the native Calendar, automatically, it appears, when you move into the Textbox, as a small icon, rather than a full-sized Calendar. Also, the native Calendar works with Forms in Datasheet View.

Linq ;0)>

I agree. Use of the Active X control is confusing and doesn't seem to work the way I expected. I checked my property sheets, and both fields are set to show the Date Picker, which now seems to be working correctly.

I am thankful to those who responded to my request for help. You have put me on the right track to solving my problem.

Thanks!

[Missinglinq]

Glad we could help!

Linq ;0)>