How do I enter unlimited amounts of text in a memo field?

[Getting Very Cranky]

I've set up several fields as memo fields with drop down arrows and need to
be able to add notes, but I can't get past the 255 character thing. I thought
if it was formatted as a memo field you could store like 65,000 characters or
some really high number of text, but it just stops at a certain point. UGH!

 

[Rick Brandt]

I've set up several fields as memo fields with drop down arrows and need to
be able to add notes, but I can't get past the 255 character thing. I thought
if it was formatted as a memo field you could store like 65,000 characters or
some really high number of text, but it just stops at a certain point. UGH!

Memo fields can have up to 64K characters, but not when displayed in a ComboBox.
You have to use a TextBox.

 

[Getting Very Cranky]

That's what I did. I created a text box and then formatted it as 'memo'. I'm
so frustrated with it!

 

[Rick Brandt]

That's what I did. I created a text box and then formatted it as 'memo'. I'm
so frustrated with it!

But you claim in your OP (below) that the fields have "drop down arrows". That
suggests ComboBoxes, not TextBoxes.

in
message news:[email protected]...

I've set up several fields as memo fields with drop down arrows...[snip]

 

[Dirk Goldgar]

"Getting Very Cranky" <[email protected]>
wrote in message

That's what I did. I created a text box and then formatted it as
'memo'. I'm so frustrated with it!

What do you mean, "formatted it as 'memo'"? I don't know of any "memo"
format, only a Memo field type, and that would apply to the field in the
table, not to the text box on the form.

 

[Getting Very Cranky]

Oh. Well, I think what I did was to create a text box and then I went to
properties and added the vertical scroll bars. So, can I not have both?

That's what I did. I created a text box and then formatted it as 'memo'. I'm
so frustrated with it!

But you claim in your OP (below) that the fields have "drop down arrows". That
suggests ComboBoxes, not TextBoxes.

in
message I've set up several fields as memo fields with drop down arrows...[snip]

 

[Rick Brandt]

Oh. Well, I think what I did was to create a text box and then I went to
properties and added the vertical scroll bars. So, can I not have both?

Okay, vertical scrollbars are completely different from "drop down arrows" and
should not be a problem.

So...are you saying that records in the table with more than 255 characters are
being truncated on your form or are you saying that you cannot enter more than
255 characters in the form? The former can be caused by several things. The
latter would indicate that the fields in the table are Text and not Memo.

 

[Van T. Dinh]

A Memo Field value can have up to 2 G characters but an Access TextBox can
only handle up to 64 K characters. OTOH, you don't want 2 G as this is the
size limit of the database / MDB file.

I an not sure how you *formatted* as a Memo Field since there is no "Memo
format".

If you want to use a Memo Field, you need to open the Table in the Design
View and change the Data Type of the Field to Memo.

Beware of the problem (and similar) as described in the Microsoft Knowledge
Base article:

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=259893

 

[TC]

The problem is probably not the box on the form. The problem is
probably the field in the table. You need to check, in Table Design
view (not Form Design view), that the type of the actual field in the
table, is Memo. My bet is, that it's still Text (which is limited to
255 characters, as you already know).

HTH,
TC

 

[Getting Very Cranky]

Hmmm, I'll have to go back and see what I must have done wrong because I did
as you all said. I opened my table in design view, chose 'memo' for my field,
saved it and exited the table. I then opened my form in design view, created
my text box, went to properties to adjust the font, size, etc., gave it the
vertical scroll bars. However, when I am back in form view and entering my
information, it stops after three or four sentences. It lets me type it in
and even save the document, but as soon as I tab to another field, part of my
information disappears. EVERY time I try it. I am assuming then, that I've
done something incorrectly along the way since what I've done SHOULD have
worked, correct?

 

[Rick Brandt]

Hmmm, I'll have to go back and see what I must have done wrong because I did
as you all said. I opened my table in design view, chose 'memo' for my field,
saved it and exited the table. I then opened my form in design view, created
my text box, went to properties to adjust the font, size, etc., gave it the
vertical scroll bars. However, when I am back in form view and entering my
information, it stops after three or four sentences. It lets me type it in
and even save the document, but as soon as I tab to another field, part of my
information disappears. EVERY time I try it. I am assuming then, that I've
done something incorrectly along the way since what I've done SHOULD have
worked, correct?

Sounds like a problem with formatting or your query then. You cannot have any
format property on the TextBox or on the field in the underlying query. You
cannot use an InputMask. You cannot use GroupBy on that field in the underlying
query. All of these will truncate a memo field to 255 characters.

 

[Getting Very Cranky]

I'm going to start over on those two text boxes and go back to the beginning

 

[TC]

Open Access, open the table in Design view (before you do anything
else), and check that the type of the field is actually displayed as
"Memo".

HTH,
TC

 

[Getting Very Cranky]

It WORKED!! Yeayyy! Thank you all for your help!!!