ACC2002: Filter By Selection Help Text Includes Misleading Instructions (287431)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Access 2002
This article was previously published under Q287431
Novice: Requires knowledge of the user interface on single-user computers.

This article applies to a Microsoft Access database (.mdb) and to a Microsoft Access project (.adp).

SYMPTOMS

In the Microsoft Access Help topic "Create a filter," step 4 of the subtopic "Filter records by selecting values in a form or datasheet (Filter By Selection)" may be confusing.

This step instructs you to "Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have the set of records you want." Repeating these steps will indeed further filter the recordset, but the new recordset will include a subset of only those records that were contained in the first filtered recordset.

NOTE: To locate this Help topic, click Microsoft Access Help on the Help menu, type Create a filter in the What would you like to do box, click Create a filter in the Select topic to display box, and then click the Filter records by selecting values in a form or datasheet (Filter By Selection) topic in the right pane under Create a filter

RESOLUTION

If you want to use the Filter by Selection feature on all of the records again, reset the filter. To reset the filter, do either of the following:
  • Click the Remove Filter button on the toolbar.
  • On the Records Menu, point to Filter, and then click Remove Filter/Sort.
You can then proceed to rebuild the filter(s) as desired.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce the Behavior

  1. Open the Northwind sample database.
  2. Open the Customers form in Form view.
  3. Move to a record that has the letters UK or USA in the Country field.
  4. Select the letter U in the Country field.
  5. On the Records Menu, point to Filter, and then click Filter By Selection. Note that the recordset is filtered to contain the 20 records that have the letter "U" in them. These records are both the UK and USA records.
  6. Move to a record that has the letters USA in the Country field.
  7. Select the letters US in the Country field.
  8. On the Records Menu, point to Filter and click Filter By Selection. Note that the records are filtered again, this time showing just the 13 Records for USA.
  9. Select the letter U in the Country field.
  10. On the Records Menu, point to Filter, and then click Filter By Selection. Note that the same 13 records for the USA are returned whereas when you filtered on U before, 20 records were returned. Note also that, at this point, you cannot move to a record that has the letters UK in it, so you cannot change the filter to show only UK records.

REFERENCES

For more information about alternative ways to build a filter that is more dynamic in nature, click Microsoft Access Help on the Help menu, click the Answer Wizard tab, type Create a filter, and then click Search. Click the Create a filter topic. Note that the following subtopics are listed on this page:
  • "Filter records by selecting values in a form or datasheet (Filter By Selection)"
  • "Filter records by entering values in a blank view of your form or datasheet (Filter By Form)"
  • "Filter records by entering criteria in place in a form or datasheet (Filter For Input)"
  • "Filter records by using the Advanced Filter/Sort window"
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:9/25/2003
Keywords:kbprb KB287431
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