Automatically copying one value from one form to another form.

Database Background: When processing a record you have to enter information
into three seperate forms.

I would like to create an automatic action, so that when you open the next
form the same "Ref Number" from the previous form is entered into the new
form and recorded in the table. I've tried the Look up Wizard but that only
gives me a list and it is not shown on the new form.

Any one know the solution

Cookie

Why? As in "why does the same information need to be entered in three
separate forms?" And since forms generally reflect underlying data in
tables, are you saying the same data is being entered in three different
tables? If so, ?!why?!

--
More info, please ...

Jeff Boyce
Access MVP

"Cookie" wrote in message
...
Database Background: When processing a record you have to enter
information
into three seperate forms.

I would like to create an automatic action, so that when you open the next
form the same "Ref Number" from the previous form is entered into the new
form and recorded in the table. I've tried the Look up Wizard but that
only
gives me a list and it is not shown on the new form.

Any one know the solution

The reason why the same information is being entered into the three seperate
forms is because the "Ref Number" is the primary key of the table and when
exporting the data from Access to Excel this will be used to identify the
data. The reason why there are three separate tables is beacause Access
limits the amount of fields (255) per table.

Another reason why i want the ref number to be automatically repeated on
each of the three forms is so that who ever is inputting the data won't have
to key in the ref number repeatedly to reduce the likely hood of error.

Thanks

"Jeff Boyce" wrote:

Cookie

Why? As in "why does the same information need to be entered in three
separate forms?" And since forms generally reflect underlying data in
tables, are you saying the same data is being entered in three different
tables? If so, ?!why?!

--
More info, please ...

Jeff Boyce
Access MVP

"Cookie" wrote in message
...
Database Background: When processing a record you have to enter
information
into three seperate forms.

I would like to create an automatic action, so that when you open the next
form the same "Ref Number" from the previous form is entered into the new
form and recorded in the table. I've tried the Look up Wizard but that
only
gives me a list and it is not shown on the new form.

Any one know the solution

On Mon, 4 Apr 2005 06:11:03 -0700, Cookie
wrote:

The reason why the same information is being entered into the three seperate
forms is because the "Ref Number" is the primary key of the table and when
exporting the data from Access to Excel this will be used to identify the
data. The reason why there are three separate tables is beacause Access
limits the amount of fields (255) per table.

I've needed as many as 60 fields in a table... once, in the past 20
years of database development. 255 fields is absurdly large; 750
fields is simply *not a database*. You would do MUCH MUCH better to
properly normalize your data, and extract the one-to-many
relationships embedded within each record in this monster into
separate tables!

You can recast the data into "wide-flat" format for export to Excel,
but there is NO reason I can imagine why you should store the data in
this way. "Fields are expensive, records are cheap"!

Another reason why i want the ref number to be automatically repeated on
each of the three forms is so that who ever is inputting the data won't have
to key in the ref number repeatedly to reduce the likely hood of error.

If you *really* insist on working with this incorrect data structure,
you can use a Form for the first table, with two Subforms for the
second and third. Use the Ref Number as the master/child link field.

John W. Vinson[MVP]