Yes/No default (2003)

[robm]

I have numerous Yes/No controls on a form, which I though I had set to blank on opening. When I click on one of them to change it, all the blank ones default to No. Why?

[charlotte]

You probably have a default value of 0 in those fields in the underlying table. When you click into one of the checkboxes, assuming it's bound, you start a new record and the defaults apply.

[johnhutchison]

It sounds like you have put all the yes/no fields into an option group. How did you add them to the form?

An option group works like a collection of radio buttons - if one is true the others have to be false.

Are the controls bound to fields in a table?

[robm]

No they're not in an option group. They are all bound to seperate fields in a table.

[robm]

All the default values in the fields of the table are empty, as I want them to appear

[robm]

Perhaps if I creat a choice of " ",Yes,No - that might work.

[johnhutchison]

I think it would be useful if you could post a cut down version of the your database.

Just the table with a few records and the form is all that is needed.

[robm]

Here's the database. There are no records in it at the moment, but you will see the problem when you open Form1. When you click on any of the Yes/No fields, they all fill in. I want them to be empty until a choice is made.

[HansV]

Can you tell us which Yes/No fields you mean - on which tab do they reside, and what are their names?

[robm]

Any tab, any field.

[HansV]

A Yes/No field in an existing record in a table is either Yes or No, never blank.
When you go to a new record in the form, the record is still blank, and since you haven't specified a default value for the Yes/No fields, the combo boxes are blank.
As soon as you start entering data in the new record, for example by selecting Yes or No in one of the combo boxes, the record is not blank any more, and hence the combo boxes show No. They *can't* be blank any more since that is not valid for Yes/No fields.

[johnhutchison]

A way around this is to change your yes/no fields into number fields where (say) 1 means "yes", 2 means "No" and 3 means not "entered yet" and perhaps 4 means "missing data". In this the default value ccould be set to 3 for each field. Create a lookup table with these values and get the combo boxes to draw their values from this table.

Whenever you query the database later you need to remember what the numbers mean, or use the lookup table again.

[robm]

Thanks Hans, John. I'll look into changing it. Thanks. On the same database I have to create a report that looks like the form. Will Access allow me to pull all the fields from the query into one report, and automatically split the pages?

[HansV]

> Will Access allow me to pull all the fields from the query into one report, and automatically split the pages?

I'm not sure what you mean. You could copy the controls from each page of the tab control to the report. You'll have to do this for each tab page separately.

[robm]

That's what I meant, I just wanted to clarify that Access will allow me to have one 'long' report which will split into pages when printed.