how do I change the backgound color of a single column or row?
In a table or query, you can't. On datasheet Form, you still can't.
On a continuous Form (which can be made to look very much like a datasheet),
you can set the BackColor property of a textbox or other control; if you have
the controls lined up side by side in a single row, and snug the bottom of the
form's Detail section to the bottom of the controls, you'll get the appearance
of a column.
To color a row based on its content, you need A2000 or later, and you need to
use "Conditional Formatting". Select a control (or a whole row of controls)
and select Format... Conditional Formatting. Set a criterion based on some
value or expression within the record.
John W. Vinson [MVP]
