Comments Box Question

Hello,

I would like to make a comments box where a user click on a command button
titled "Add Comment" and a the current date automatically prefills in the
comments section. I also want the comments to stay shown so everyone going
into the form my read all the comments and see the date it was inputted. Is
this possible and if so, how difficult of a task would it be? I would
appreciate any help given.

Thank You!!

Not difficult.

Obviously you want to track multiple comments for the item, so create a
table with these fields:
ItemID Number Foreign key to the primary key of
your other table
CommentDate Date/Time Default value of: =Date()
Comment Memo Text of the comment.

Now create a subform on your main form, and bind it to this new table.

The comments will show in the subform for the record in your main form
(based on whatever the ItemID is.) People can add as many comments as they
wish (one per row in the subform), and when they do, the CommentDate will
default to today.

--
Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia.
Tips for Access users - http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps dot org.

"Doug_C" wrote in message
...

I would like to make a comments box where a user click on a command button
titled "Add Comment" and a the current date automatically prefills in the
comments section. I also want the comments to stay shown so everyone going
into the form my read all the comments and see the date it was inputted.
Is
this possible and if so, how difficult of a task would it be? I would
appreciate any help given.

Thank You!!

Personally, if you want to keep running comments with the date (and userid
of who entered them?) I would think you would make it a separate table with
a 1-to-many relationship to your main table, then display those comments in
a continuous subform.

I believe the "contact management" database template that ships with Access
has a very good example of how to do this. I think it is the telephone
calls that you log. I used this as a starting point for one of my databases
and I turned that option into comments/notes that can be
entered/stored/viewed.

--
Rick B



"Doug_C" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I would like to make a comments box where a user click on a command button
titled "Add Comment" and a the current date automatically prefills in the
comments section. I also want the comments to stay shown so everyone going
into the form my read all the comments and see the date it was inputted.
Is
this possible and if so, how difficult of a task would it be? I would
appreciate any help given.

Thank You!!

Hi Allen,

Thank you for replying so quickly. Yes, I do want to track all comments on
each item. Let me give a precise example.

On form, I will have a field "Project Name" Also, will be a field "Date
Started" so each time someone has a new project they can enter the name and
the date they started it. I will also have a "Comments" field so that
everytime they have an update on the project, they click a buttonabove the
comments field that says "Update Project Status" then the comments field is
acctivated (live) with a current date prepopulating and the user can type the
comment. Once they leave the comments field, the field locks and a new
comment can only be added if the user click the Update Project Status
buttton. I hope this makes sense and not confusing. I am a amature with
Access so if could please simplify or spell out the process, I would greatly
appreciate it.

Thanks!

"Allen Browne" wrote:

Not difficult.

Obviously you want to track multiple comments for the item, so create a
table with these fields:
ItemID Number Foreign key to the primary key of
your other table
CommentDate Date/Time Default value of: =Date()
Comment Memo Text of the comment.

Now create a subform on your main form, and bind it to this new table.

The comments will show in the subform for the record in your main form
(based on whatever the ItemID is.) People can add as many comments as they
wish (one per row in the subform), and when they do, the CommentDate will
default to today.

--
Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia.
Tips for Access users - http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps dot org.

"Doug_C" wrote in message
...

I would like to make a comments box where a user click on a command button
titled "Add Comment" and a the current date automatically prefills in the
comments section. I also want the comments to stay shown so everyone going
into the form my read all the comments and see the date it was inputted.
Is
this possible and if so, how difficult of a task would it be? I would
appreciate any help given.

Thank You!!

Behind this form you have a table?
Say the table is named "Project", it will need fields like this:
ProjectID AutoNumber primary key
ProjectName Text
DateStarted Date/Time

Now you say you want to track each *revision* of each project as well? Since
one project can have many revisions, you need another table to hold the
revision information. This "ProjectRevision" table will have fields:
ProjectRevisionID AutoNumber primary key
ProjectID Number matches a ProjectID number
from Project table.
RevisionDate Date/Time when this revision was made.
RevisionComment Memo

Once you have the 2 tables in place, choose Relationships on the Tools menu.
Add both tables to the Relationships window, and drag Proejct.ProjectID onto
ProjectRevision.ProjectID to create a relationship. Check the box for
Referential integrity.

Then, you will have a main form for the Project, with a subform for
ProjectRevision. Each revision will be a new line in the subform.

That may not be exactly how your data works, but apply that general idea of
making 2 tables, with a one-to-many relationship. It's the heart of what
relational databases are all about.

--
Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia.
Tips for Access users - http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps dot org.

"Doug_C" wrote in message
...
Hi Allen,

Thank you for replying so quickly. Yes, I do want to track all comments on
each item. Let me give a precise example.

On form, I will have a field "Project Name" Also, will be a field "Date
Started" so each time someone has a new project they can enter the name
and
the date they started it. I will also have a "Comments" field so that
everytime they have an update on the project, they click a buttonabove the
comments field that says "Update Project Status" then the comments field
is
acctivated (live) with a current date prepopulating and the user can type
the
comment. Once they leave the comments field, the field locks and a new
comment can only be added if the user click the Update Project Status
buttton. I hope this makes sense and not confusing. I am a amature with
Access so if could please simplify or spell out the process, I would
greatly
appreciate it.

Thanks!

"Allen Browne" wrote:

Not difficult.

Obviously you want to track multiple comments for the item, so create a
table with these fields:
ItemID Number Foreign key to the primary key of
your other table
CommentDate Date/Time Default value of: =Date()
Comment Memo Text of the comment.

Now create a subform on your main form, and bind it to this new table.

The comments will show in the subform for the record in your main form
(based on whatever the ItemID is.) People can add as many comments as
they
wish (one per row in the subform), and when they do, the CommentDate will
default to today.

"Doug_C" wrote in message
...

I would like to make a comments box where a user click on a command
button
titled "Add Comment" and a the current date automatically prefills in
the
comments section. I also want the comments to stay shown so everyone
going
into the form my read all the comments and see the date it was
inputted.
Is
this possible and if so, how difficult of a task would it be? I would
appreciate any help given.

Hi Rick,

I'll take a look at it and give it try. Maybe I can taylor it to my needs as
well. Thank you!

"Rick B" wrote:

Personally, if you want to keep running comments with the date (and userid
of who entered them?) I would think you would make it a separate table with
a 1-to-many relationship to your main table, then display those comments in
a continuous subform.

I believe the "contact management" database template that ships with Access
has a very good example of how to do this. I think it is the telephone
calls that you log. I used this as a starting point for one of my databases
and I turned that option into comments/notes that can be
entered/stored/viewed.

--
Rick B



"Doug_C" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I would like to make a comments box where a user click on a command button
titled "Add Comment" and a the current date automatically prefills in the
comments section. I also want the comments to stay shown so everyone going
into the form my read all the comments and see the date it was inputted.
Is
this possible and if so, how difficult of a task would it be? I would
appreciate any help given.

Thank You!!

Very nice Allen, I will follow these steps and put this together to see how
it works out. If anything, I may only need to fine tune it but as long as the
majority of what I is there it should work out ok.

Thanks!!

"Allen Browne" wrote:

Behind this form you have a table?
Say the table is named "Project", it will need fields like this:
ProjectID AutoNumber primary key
ProjectName Text
DateStarted Date/Time

Now you say you want to track each *revision* of each project as well? Since
one project can have many revisions, you need another table to hold the
revision information. This "ProjectRevision" table will have fields:
ProjectRevisionID AutoNumber primary key
ProjectID Number matches a ProjectID number
from Project table.
RevisionDate Date/Time when this revision was made.
RevisionComment Memo

Once you have the 2 tables in place, choose Relationships on the Tools menu.
Add both tables to the Relationships window, and drag Proejct.ProjectID onto
ProjectRevision.ProjectID to create a relationship. Check the box for
Referential integrity.

Then, you will have a main form for the Project, with a subform for
ProjectRevision. Each revision will be a new line in the subform.

That may not be exactly how your data works, but apply that general idea of
making 2 tables, with a one-to-many relationship. It's the heart of what
relational databases are all about.

--
Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia.
Tips for Access users - http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps dot org.

"Doug_C" wrote in message
...
Hi Allen,

Thank you for replying so quickly. Yes, I do want to track all comments on
each item. Let me give a precise example.

On form, I will have a field "Project Name" Also, will be a field "Date
Started" so each time someone has a new project they can enter the name
and
the date they started it. I will also have a "Comments" field so that
everytime they have an update on the project, they click a buttonabove the
comments field that says "Update Project Status" then the comments field
is
acctivated (live) with a current date prepopulating and the user can type
the
comment. Once they leave the comments field, the field locks and a new
comment can only be added if the user click the Update Project Status
buttton. I hope this makes sense and not confusing. I am a amature with
Access so if could please simplify or spell out the process, I would
greatly
appreciate it.

Thanks!

"Allen Browne" wrote:

Not difficult.

Obviously you want to track multiple comments for the item, so create a
table with these fields:
ItemID Number Foreign key to the primary key of
your other table
CommentDate Date/Time Default value of: =Date()
Comment Memo Text of the comment.

Now create a subform on your main form, and bind it to this new table.

The comments will show in the subform for the record in your main form
(based on whatever the ItemID is.) People can add as many comments as
they
wish (one per row in the subform), and when they do, the CommentDate will
default to today.

"Doug_C" wrote in message
...

I would like to make a comments box where a user click on a command
button
titled "Add Comment" and a the current date automatically prefills in
the
comments section. I also want the comments to stay shown so everyone
going
into the form my read all the comments and see the date it was
inputted.
Is
this possible and if so, how difficult of a task would it be? I would
appreciate any help given.