Using linked combo boxes in continuous forms setting...

[stonward]

Hi All,

In a details subform I have two combo boxes, the second based upon the choice made in the first. So, the user chooses a manufacturer in the first box, and this narrows the choices available in the second.

Everything works just fine, but when a manufacturer is selected in the first combo, all the 'first' combos change - on each line - to the same setting!

The record is saved in the table correctly, but it will confuse the user...any ideas?

Thanks guys,

Stonward

[Seth Schrock]

First guess would be that the combo box is not bound to any field. This would definitely cause the a situation like you describe.

[Rabbit]

That's just what happens in a continuous form if you try to use a cascading combo box. Access is unable to display multiple cascaded combo boxes dependent on the record.

You can turn off the limit to list and that will show the value but then it allows free entry and that becomes more of an issue than the user seeing weird data on the screen.

There's not much you can do about it except not use a continuous form.

[zmbd]

Just courious:
Open your form
Select your combobox
Open the properties
Data tab
Post back the settings for:
(please enclose your reply for the following in a code block by clicking on the [Code/] format button and enter the data between the inserted tags.

[Control Source] = ?
[Record Source] = ?
[Record Type] = ?
[Bound Column] = ?

The reason I ask is that I V2010, my newest database is using the new navigation form... and all of the forms to the navigation form are "subforms" and I use cascading combo boxes.
Also many of these forms also use cascading comboboxes so I'm courious as to what I'm doing here that make these work where you're having an issue.

[stonward]

Hi Fellas,

Sorry for the delay - no internet!

Zmbd - I have no control source for the first combobox (it's unbound, tho I did try binding it); the RECORD source (for the subform) is a query, but if you mean RowSource it's a simple select statement against a one field table (manufacturers) , the type is Table/Query and the bound column is '1' (there is only one. Let me know please if something is different in 2010.

Changing the Limit to List setting made no difference. Binding the combo gives a table relationship type error.

Guess I've reached a wall here? Never mind; got a more interesting problem to throw out soon if I can't crack it!

As always, thanks for your time.

Best regards,,

stonward

[Seth Schrock]

To do what (I think) you are trying to do, you have to have the combo box bound to a field. If you got an error, then you bound it to the wrong field. The RowSource should be getting values from a table that just lists the possible values that can be stored in the subform's recordsource. So you need to have the control source be the field in the "main" table, and not the field in the "list" table. Does that make sense? In other words, the foreign key field would be the field that the combo box needs as its control source.