How to View full field information on form with notenough space

[David Bowen]

Sorry I think I posted this in the wrong place the first time. I will try again.

Please excuse my use of (layman) words I am a beginner.

I have limited space on a form.

I have a field on the form.

The field size is sometimes not big enough to show the full contents of the field.

I cannot/do not want to (in design mode) increas the size of this filed.

I was hoping to find a function like the "ControlTip text" being that when the user hovers the mouse over the field he sees the full text in a little "ballon"...

Is this or something like that possible?

 

[scubadiver]

A text field has a maximum of 255 characters, a memo field can have
thousands. You obviously won't save all the information if the field size
isn't large enough.

 

[fredg]

Sorry I think I posted this in the wrong place the first time. I will try again.

Please excuse my use of (layman) words I am a beginner.

I have limited space on a form.

I have a field on the form.

The field size is sometimes not big enough to show the full contents of the field.

I cannot/do not want to (in design mode) increas the size of this filed.

I was hoping to find a function like the "ControlTip text" being that when the user hovers the mouse over the field he sees the full text in a little "ballon"...

Is this or something like that possible?

How much text? You can see your database, we can't.

One method is to use Scroll Bars in the form's control.
The user can then simply scroll down the text.

Another method is to code the control's Double-click event:
DoCmd.RunCommand acCmdZoomBox.

If there is still too much text to display in the Zoom Box, it will
have scroll bars.

If you wish to use the Control Tip then code the control's
MouseMove Event:

If Not IsNull(Me.[ControlName]) Then
Me.[ControlName].ControlTipText = Me.[ControlName]
End If

Note: There is a limit to the text size that can be displayed in the
Control Tip Text. I don't remember how many characters. Use Error
Handling in the event code.

I would use method #1, the Scroll Bars.

 

[David Bowen]

Thanks Fred for your reply. You understood what I wanted to do. Notwithstanding your advice for #1 I would like to stick with the "control tip" method which works.....almost.

What I have is a continuous from, where each form is just high enough to display "a line of information" from a record.

Thus this

If Not IsNull(Me.[ControlName]) Then
Me.[ControlName].ControlTipText = Me.[ControlName]
End If

works but always shows the information from the 1st record (or the recorded selected). As it is a continuous form (each line showing a different record) users can see many records. As a user can see many records they can put their mouse over a the control of a record that is not actually selected, when they do this with the above code they will always only see the information from the field of the selected record. Can we add something so that it first changes the record selection to the one that the mouse if over?

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Linq Adams via AccessMonster.com]

No. That's why using ToolTips like this, or a MouseMove hack doesn't work
for this type of form. You have to select the record you're interested in
first and then mouse over the field. So instead of doing two things, you
really need to use Fred's suggestion of

DoCmd.RunCommand acCmdZoomBox.

in the field's DoubleClick event, which only requires one thing to be done.

 

[fredg]

Thanks Fred for your reply. You understood what I wanted to do. Notwithstanding your advice for #1 I would like to stick with the "control tip" method which works.....almost.

What I have is a continuous from, where each form is just high enough to display "a line of information" from a record.

Thus this

If Not IsNull(Me.[ControlName]) Then
Me.[ControlName].ControlTipText = Me.[ControlName]
End If

works but always shows the information from the 1st record (or the recorded selected). As it is a continuous form (each line showing a different record) users can see many records. As a user can see many records they can put their mouse over a the control of a record that is not actually selected, when they do this with the above code they will always only see the information from the field of the selected record. Can we add something so that it first changes the record selection to the one that the mouse if over?

Thanks again for your help.

I would suggest that when you post regarding anything on a form that
you indicate whether it is in Single, Continuous, or Datasheet view.
It often does matter. Also include your Access Version. It too can
matter.

A continuous form works differently from a form in Single Form View.
Each control on the form is just repeated over and over again. Just
one record can have the focus at any one time, no matter how many are
actually displayed. I know of no method, using a continuous form, to
do what you wish it to do. Sorry. You'll have to select the record
first.

A thought has just occurred to me. If any one has an answer for you it
would be Stephen Lebans. You might want to check his web site:
http:/www.lebans.com
and see if he does. It's a great site anyway. You might find something
else useful as well.

 

[David Bowen]

stop typing - I found a solution