ACC2000: Tables Are Automatically Populated with Values As You Move Through Fields or Records (271607)

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Microsoft Access 2000 includes a new feature that is named AutoFill. This feature is built into Access, and it is always enabled. You cannot disable it.

AutoFill applies only to Access tables that have fields with certain data types and works only if you enter certain multiples of numbers. The following two lists indicate which field types are affected by AutoFill, based on the type of Access table (MDB or ADP tables) that you are using.

Access MDB Fields:

Access ADP Fields:

To see how AutoFill functions, follow these steps:

1. Open a new Access 2000 database or a new Access project.
2. Create a new table, and add the following four fields:

   Fld1
   Fld2
   Fld3
   Fld4

3. If you are using an Access database (.mdb), assign a data type of Text to each of these four fields. If you are using an Access project (.adp), assign a data type of Binary to each of these four fields. Also set Fld1 of the .adp table as the Primary Key.
4. Open the table in Datasheet view.
5. Enter a value of 1 into Fld1. Press the TAB key to move to Fld2, and then enter a value of 2. Press the TAB key to move to Fld3, and note that a value of 3 is automatically entered. If you press TAB to move to Fld4, a value of 4 is automatically entered.
6. If you press the TAB key again, the pointer moves to a new record. In the new record, enter a value of 2 into Fld1.
7. Press the DOWN ARROW key to move down to a new record, and note that a value of 3 is automatically entered into Fld1 on the next record. As you continue to press the DOWN ARROW key, Fld1 is automatically populated with a new value.

AutoFill works only in a limited number of multiples. For example, if you enter 2 into Fld1 and enter 4 into Fld2, AutoFill inserts a 6 into Fld3, and so on. However, there are other multiples that AutoFill does not work with. Two examples of this would be multiples of 3, and days of the week.

If any of the supported field types are contiguous, AutoFill applies. In other words, within an Access table, if Fld1 were Text, and Fld2 were Number (without a default value), and Fld3 were Text, AutoFill would still apply when you press the TAB key to move from field to field. However, if the field types that support AutoFill are separated by other field types that do not support AutoFill, AutoFill is not applied. If the Text fields were separated by Currency fields, AutoFill would not be applied when you press the TAB key to move from one field to the next. In this case, however, AutoFill still applies if you press the DOWN ARROW key to move down to new records.