what does this symbol mean?

[TotallyConfused]

Need to know what "@" in the "Format" of a combo box means? What is it used
for? This is also referenced in a query. Thank you.

 

[Douglas J. Steele]

From the Help file:

"Character placeholder. Display a character or a space. If the string has a
character in the position where the at symbol (@) appears in the format
string, display it; otherwise, display a space in that position.
Placeholders are filled from right to left unless there is an exclamation
point character (!) in the format string."

 

[Dorian]

Do you know how to use Help? Below taken from Access Help:

Format Property - Text and Memo Data Types
See AlsoApplies ToExampleSpecificsYou can use special symbols in the setting
for the Format property to create custom formats for Text and Memo fields.

Setting
You can create custom text and memo formats by using the following symbols.

Symbol Description
@ Text character (either a character or a space) is required.
& Text character is not required.
< Force all characters to lowercase.

Force all characters to uppercase.

Custom formats for Text and Memo fields can have up to two sections. Each
section contains the format specification for different data in a field.

Section Description
First Format for fields with text.
Second Format for fields with zero-length strings and Null values.


For example, if you have a text box control in which you want the word
"None" to appear when there is no string in the field, you could type the
custom format @;"None" as the control's Format property setting. The @ symbol
causes the text from the field to be displayed; the second section causes the
word "None" to appear when there is a zero-length string or Null value in the
field.

Note You can use the Format function to return one value for a zero-length
string and another for a Null value, and you can similarly use the Format
property to automatically format fields in table Datasheet view or controls
on a form or report.

Example
The following are examples of text and memo custom formats.

Setting Data Display
@@@-@@-@@@@ 465043799 465-04-3799
@@@@@@@@@ 465-04-3799
465043799 465-04-3799
465043799

davolio

DAVOLIO
Davolio DAVOLIO
DAVOLIO
DAVOLIO
< davolio
DAVOLIO
Davolio davolio
davolio
davolio
@;"Unknown" Null value Unknown
Zero-length string Unknown
Any text Same text as entered is displayed


-- Dorian
"Give someone a fish and they eat for a day; teach someone to fish and they
eat for a lifetime".

 

[JH]

technically, it does not mean anything by itself.

It is a text placeholder.

so... if you put "bwar"@"bwar" in the format for a text field, the datasheet
view for all records will be "bwar______bwar" with the "_____" being whatever
the actual field data is.

But, when by itself (like Access 2007 defaults it to), it does nothing.

 

[TotallyConfused]

Thank you very much. This is very helpful. I do know how to use Help.
Which I initially tried to look up this information to find this out but it
did not return anything. Thank you and this forum.