MS Access 2003 - Lesson 8: Change information in the table

In the previous section, you learned how to use the Datasheet view mode to enter information for the table. The Datasheet view mode also allows you to edit available information quickly and easily. You can follow these steps:

1. Select the field you want to change.

2. Press F2 key.

3. Use the arrow keys to move through the field content, make changes as required.

4. Press one of the navigation keys to Access saves the change and move to another field.

You can use the mouse to edit faster. In this case, if you want to change in a field, click your mouse on that field. Then perform steps 3 and 4 above.

Find information

If there are multiple records in the table, you will find it difficult to find a specific record with the keyboard. To help you quickly find that record, Access allows you to find and identify data such as names or phone numbers. To search the table for specific data, select Find from the Edit menu. Access displays the Find and Replace dialog box as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: The Find tab of the Find and Replace dialog box.

In the Find What box, you enter the data you want to search into. You can enter many words in this box like name, phone number or city name. You can also use wildcards to expand your search. For example, you search for the first phone number that has an area code of 212, or the city whose name starts with A. Access provides a large number of wildcards for you to use in search. Table 1 lists the available wildcards.

Characters

Meaning

*

Corresponding to a string of characters

?

Corresponding to a single character

#

Corresponding to some applications.

[]

Match single characters inside brackets

!

Match single characters excluding the specified characters (Use with brackets)

-

Match multiple single characters in a region (Use with brackets)

Table 1 : Wildcards can be used while searching.

You may be familiar with the concept of aggregation marks. Most people are familiar with wildcards such as asterisks (*) and a sign (?). The (?) Sign is used instead of any single character. The asterisk (*) is used to mark numbers for characters, and it is used everywhere in the search specification. Therefore, to search for words that begin with br and end with ed , use the following: br * ed

In this case, your search may result in matches for the breed, branded or bruised. If you use parentheses, exclamation points (!), And minus signs (-) in the specification, you can expand the search more. Parentheses allow you to expand a list of accepted characters. For example, the specification searches for bold and bond: bo [ln] d

You cannot find it from Boyd because it is an unacceptable character.

You can use the coal mark to reverse the process. For example, if you want to find many words without the letter l and n in the 3rd position, use the following method: bo [! Ln] d

At this point, Access will find out from Boyd , but not the words bold or bond

Use the minus sign (-) to determine the range to include words. To illustrate this case, the following specification will search multiple words with the letter c to n at the 4th position: hea [cn] *

If you use the Look In box , drag the drop down list, you can specify where to search for directions. There are 2 options available, either in the current field or in the entire table. Obviously, limiting the search in the current field results in faster results.

You can use the Find dialog box to specify the table you want to search. If you click your mouse on the arrow to the right of the Match box, you can choose to search in the following areas:

1. Any part belonging to any school
2. All schools
3. Start the school

You can define more searches by clicking your mouse on the More button. This result is an extension of the Find and Replace dialog box shown in Figure 2

Figure 2: Expand the Find tab of the Find and Replace dialog box

The available area of ​​the dialog box allows you to specify the purpose in which the search must be guided. Using the Search pull-down list, you can specify Up (up to the top), Down (down) (at the bottom of the table), and All. You can also limit the search by checking the 2 boxes next to it. They work to allow Access to search for uppercase - lowercase letters or search by format.

After specifying the search criteria, click your mouse on the Find Next button to display the first search result. If the first search does not contain the data you are looking for, continue searching by clicking your mouse on the Find Next button.

Note : It is sometimes difficult to edit a field while the Find dialog box is visible. When you really want to fix, turn off the dialog and make changes. When you want to search for the next result that matches the search instructions, press SHIFT + F4 . This is faster than pressing the Find button and using the Find Next button

Replace information

When working with data, there will be times when you need to find a star field and then change its content. For example, if a phone number changes, you will need to find and update the new phone number.

The Replace option from the Edit menu is related to the Find button, which allows you to not only search for information but also replace it with other information. To start with the Replace button, select Replace from the Edit menu or press CTRL + H. You will see the Find and Replace dialog box displayed as shown in Figure 3

Figure 3: The Replace tab of the Find and Replace dialog box.

Note that the Replace dialog box is quite similar to the Find image dialog box. In the Replace With box, enter new data to replace the information in the Find What box. You cannot use wildcards in the Replace With box

Use the Look In section in the drop-down list, showing Access where you search (the current field or the entire table). The Match item in the drop-down list performs the same function as when performing a simple search. Clicking on the More button displays the control buttons as shown in Figure 2.

After filling in the complete replacement information, click your mouse on Find Next to search for the first result in the Find What string. When Access locates a result, it displays that result on the screen. Then if you want to replace the result, click your mouse on the Replace button. If you do not want to change the result, click on the Find Next button to skip and continue searching for the next result. If you are sure you want to change all the data to search in the table without clicking Replace many times, you can click Replace All. Then Access automatically replaces it all in one step.