Editing Drop-Down Menus in Access
Drop-down menus are extremely useful because they save not only time but also increase the accuracy and consistency of the data entered. A drop-down menu is called a “combo box” in Access, and is modified on a “Form”. The following two methods are the primary ways to choose what is included in the drop down menu:
- Create a table – In this method we create a table, and then have the form reference that table for the combo box. It is useful when we have to change the information frequently because all we have to do is edit the table. We use this method for our intern and staff names.
- Create/edit a list – In this method, we edit a list within the form, and it is best used when we do not have to change the information very frequently. For example, the “Stage” (Passage, Concurrence, etc.) or the Veto type (Line Item, Amendatory, etc.). The data for both of these examples will rarely change, therefore we do not need to have a table.
The beginning steps will be the same regardless if if our data is based on a table or manually entered. To begin open the Access form in "Design" view and follow these steps:
1) Right-click the field you would like to transfer into a drop down menu. In this example, we will be editing the “Summary Staff Check” field.
Note: You want to right click the text box (white background) not the label (transparent box).
2) Once you right-click the textbox, scroll over “Change To” then click “Combo Box”
3) Click the “Property Sheet” on the top right side of the page. Make sure that you have the property sheet for the correct item by looking at what is selected (red arrow). Now you will choose whether you would like the data for your list to be pulled from a table or manual enter the data. The green arrow shows the following three options:
- Table/Query
- Value List
- Field List
