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Earlier this week, I wrote about using the pre-defined input masks when defining field properties in Microsoft Access.  While the most common formatting options are included, often there is a need for a custom solution.

There are 3 parts to an input mask:

• The characters, placeholders and actual items (such as dashes) that make up the input mask. This part is required.
• A “0″ or “1″, defining whether or not the added characters are saved with the data. If set to “0″, the additional characters are saved with the data – which can add to the size of your database.
• The third part shows what character is used as a placeholder when the field is waiting for data entry.  The default option is the underscore, but you can use any character — including a space.

You can build your own custom input mask for any Microsoft Access field using placeholders and characters to define your format.

It’s helpful to look at an existing input mask to understand how the characters work. If we use the example of the phone number mask, it looks like this: (999) 000-000;0;-:

The parentheses and dash will appear in the display as parentheses and a dash. The “9″ character represents an optional number, so the area code is not required for this field. The “0″ represents required numbers.

The “0″ after the semi-colon means that the added characters will be saved with the data.  The final dash means that instead of an underscore, a dash will hold the place before data entry occurs.

This table provides you with the available characters so that you can create your own custom masks.  For additional assistance, consider taking one of our many Microsoft Access classes!

When you create a field in Microsoft Access, you have a variety of properties to apply to each field. One of the most useful properties that makes data entry easier is the input mask.

Input masks allow you to type information into a field, and let Microsoft Access format it for you. For instance, you can type the numbers: 5551231234 and an input mask will convert them to (555) 123-1234 for display.

In the Design window, you’ll notice the label “Input Mask”. At the end of the label, you’ll notice a small button with 3 dots. This is the build button. By clicking on it, you will open up the options for the Input Mask. Microsoft has provided a variety of pre-defined input masks, including phone numbers, social security numbers, passwords, ZIP codes and more.

These masks can help users know how to enter data into a field, and also ensure that all the data entered in that field is consistent.

Come back on Thursday to learn how to create your own custom input mask!

You can always visit us and take one of our classes to learn more about how to use Microsoft Access efficiently and properly. We look forward to teaching you!

When creating forms in Microsoft Access, you can make data entry easier by providing populated lists for certain entries.  Things like product codes, states, and other specific information that is consistently repeated throughout your data. You can only select one item in a combo box.

A combo box provides a drop-down box when the field is entered. That drop-down box will hold the data you set up during form creation. When you are not in the box, the list does not show.

A list box provides a similar option, but takes up more space on your form. A list box will show a certain number of entries on the form, which is useful for short lists, since you can see all the possibilities. You also can scroll if all the entries do not fit in the space allocated.  If you need to be able to select multiple items from a list, you need to use a list box.

For more tips on using Access to become more productive, attend one of our many Microsoft Access classes. We look forward to seeing you soon!