Automatic control names

[Dennis Snelgrove]

I feel stupid asking this question, but I can't find any previous
posts about it.

Is it possibe to set Access 2007 so that the forms wizard will name
the controls properly? The default is to name the control with the
field name of the data source, but it ignores the proper naming
conventions (or at least what I was taught was the convention). A
textbox should be named "txtFirstName", but instead it just names it
"FirstName", which then requires us to have to go through and manually
rename all the controls.

I suppose that a VBA routine can be written, but after this many
versions of Access it should be at least an option under "Tools,
Options".

 

[John W. Vinson]

I feel stupid asking this question, but I can't find any previous
posts about it.

Is it possibe to set Access 2007 so that the forms wizard will name
the controls properly? The default is to name the control with the
field name of the data source, but it ignores the proper naming
conventions (or at least what I was taught was the convention). A
textbox should be named "txtFirstName", but instead it just names it
"FirstName", which then requires us to have to go through and manually
rename all the controls.

I suppose that a VBA routine can be written, but after this many
versions of Access it should be at least an option under "Tools,
Options".

This actually brings up a pretty contentious issue. Not everyone uses that
naming convention (or any naming convention at all). Some people I respect a
lot use the same-name default and have no problems with it. I do prefer to
rename controls (txtFirstName, cboEmployeeID, etc.) but generally do it
manually.

I'd be very interested in a wider discussion of the topic!

 

[Dennis Snelgrove]

This actually brings up a pretty contentious issue. Not everyone uses that
naming convention (or any naming convention at all). Some people I respect a
lot use the same-name default and have no problems with it. I do prefer to
rename controls (txtFirstName, cboEmployeeID, etc.) but generally do it
manually.

I'd be very interested in a wider discussion of the topic!

I know that some people use different conventions. I use qry for a
Select query, aqry, uqry, dqry, etc. as is appropriate. frm and sfrm,
chk for checkbox, cbo for combobox. And on it goes. My point is that
if Microsoft made it a checkbox option in the Options menu, they could
adopt any given naming convention that makes sense. If it's an option,
the user can leave it unchosen and get the current set-up. Speaking
for myself, I don't mind adopting to a slightly different convention
if it's a logical one. Or if they wanted to get technical, set up a
table in the Options menu where the user can enter the desired
prefixes for any/all controls (by type) and as the wizard makes the
form, it can prepend (is that a word?) the prefix, if there is one.

I also would be interested in a discussion...

 

[BruceM via AccessMonster.com]

That's what I would want: a way to specify a naming convention. I too use
prefix plus field name, and would like to automate the control names.

BTW, as I understand "prepend" is used sometimes in computer jargon, but its
invention seems to have been based on a misunderstanding of "append", which
by definition is an addition, but not necessarily at the end.

This actually brings up a pretty contentious issue. Not everyone uses that
naming convention (or any naming convention at all). Some people I respect a

[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]

I'd be very interested in a wider discussion of the topic!

I know that some people use different conventions. I use qry for a
Select query, aqry, uqry, dqry, etc. as is appropriate. frm and sfrm,
chk for checkbox, cbo for combobox. And on it goes. My point is that
if Microsoft made it a checkbox option in the Options menu, they could
adopt any given naming convention that makes sense. If it's an option,
the user can leave it unchosen and get the current set-up. Speaking
for myself, I don't mind adopting to a slightly different convention
if it's a logical one. Or if they wanted to get technical, set up a
table in the Options menu where the user can enter the desired
prefixes for any/all controls (by type) and as the wizard makes the
form, it can prepend (is that a word?) the prefix, if there is one.

I also would be interested in a discussion...

 

[David W. Fenton]

This actually brings up a pretty contentious issue. Not everyone
uses that naming convention (or any naming convention at all).
Some people I respect a lot use the same-name default and have no
problems with it. I do prefer to rename controls (txtFirstName,
cboEmployeeID, etc.) but generally do it manually.

I use the default name until the point that:

1. the control is referenced in VBA code, OR

2. the code gets one of its own events defined in VBA code.

In other words, I don't rename until the point at which it's needed.

I'd be very interested in a wider discussion of the topic!

I find it very annoying that the Fields collection on forms has been
made almost useless by Access's inability to properly resolve
references to members of that collection if they are not duplicated
in a control's ControlSource. That started to be a problem in A2000
and has gotten worse since.