Auto Zip Code Entry

[Bob]

Is there an example one can forward that can show what the
properties should look like in microsoft access for the
town field, zip code field, and the state field. So that
when one choices the town the state and zip code will
appear in your form.

 

[Jeff Boyce]

Bob

A recent post in this newsgroup (tablesdbdesign) was trying to achieve
something similar -- given a form with a choice of a city/town, have the zip
code auto-fill.

The short answer is NO! Not only does my rather small town have at least
six different zip codes (just the zip5 portion), I've noticed that the city
of Portland happens in Oregon and in Maine (just to mention two states).

Now, if you were entering or selecting a zip code, those are tied,
one-for-one, with a city and state. I believe there are several commercial
operations selling just such a zip directory. And you can visit the Post
Office website to get that info on a one-by-one basis.

 

[John Vinson]

Is there an example one can forward that can show what the
properties should look like in microsoft access for the
town field, zip code field, and the state field. So that
when one choices the town the state and zip code will
appear in your form.

This is impossible.

There are towns named Springfield in at least forty states.

Which state and zipcode do you want inserted in your table when you
pick Springfield?

The town of Springfield, Illinois has 36 zipcodes. Which one do you
want inserted in your table when you select Springfield, Illinois?

The properties of the fields are easy: State should be a two-character
Text; City a 24-character Text; and Zip either a 5-character Text
field if you just want the five-digit zip, or a 9-character Text if
you will (at least sometimes) have Zip+4.

Note (reading your other messages) that there *IS NO SUCH THING* as a
"combo box field". Fields are Number, Text, Currency, Date/Time,
Yes/No, Memo... but a combo box is JUST A TOOL, a device to enter and
edit data into a table (preferably using a Form).