Help System

If it's for the Developer why not add it in code comments?

Control Tip Text

Alex, my app that I'm porting has over 500 fields to keep track of. Of course I put code comments in code, but I'm not going to put field comments into VBA. Which brings up a good point. I used to cut-and-paste, I mean literally, with paper scissors and glue all the table and field definitions on sheets of paper for a quick reference to get names correct when coding. Is there a simple documentation available in Access to just print out this info and nothing more? Or maybe a report can do that from the DB objects?

I'll check out the other links, thanks.

Database Tools -- Database Documenter

Status Bar:
Follow the steps to disable the status bar in Access:

    Click the File tab on the menu bar.
    On the backstage view, click Options.
    An Access Options dialog box will open.
    Click Current Database on the left pane.
    Under the Application Options section, uncheck the Display Status check box.
    Then click OK.

Field documentation:
In addition to the Documenter that Kevin mentioned you could do like Richard does and just screenshot the fields while in design mode and drop it into paint if you just need a 'quick and dirty' reference.

As to the documentation, I'm thinking a simple report that shows the table object name and maybe a few other tidbits on one row, and then a for for each field a row or two that shows the name, type description, caption, field size, default value, required, indexed, text align.
It could print landscape. How hard would this be to do?

Could you not just look at the design view of your Table?
Seems a lot of extra effort to make something that already exists

Alex, I guess I'm just not as multi-tasking oriented thanks to my age. If I'm deep in code, and then have to jump out, open a table, get lost in the fields, write it down (maybe incorrectly) then go back to the code and add (how was that abbreviated again, I must have written it down wrong or somewhere in this mess of notes, or maybe there were five fields to try and remember), I think you're getting the idea why it would be invaluable.

I must have flipped through those cut-and-paste pages a million times over the years. I don't usually need a lot of documentation, just a quick view of name and size 90% of the time.

But won't you have to jump out to get to your report?

Nope, unlike the Bible, it will be sitting right there next to me when I code. Like Richard, I tend to put names in a kind of reverse Polish notation. Or like how some spoken languages that put the adjective after the noun. Unlike Richard in the training videos (I don't know what he does in real production apps) I also abbreviate field names, sometimes to the point where I can't remember exactly which vowels I removed. And while it's easy to jump from window to window (we couldn't do that with dumb terminals and mainframes) it causes loss of focus (in the brain) not to mention the eternal question when returning to a window, "now where was I and where did that dang cursor go?" At least for me.

Sample abbreviated field name and how it is referenced in a form by name:
tbxm_NmFmtS = text box modifiable control for the field of salutation manner to format all names of an entity with the type of person, legal entity, government, NGO or animal (I haven't got to plants yet and Richard is working on the various alien life forms in Star Trek fiction).

There is a reason that Richard teaches meaningful field names.  When you leave and someone takes over your code they don't have to figure out what the heck your naming scheme is / was. PLUS while you are here, you don't have to remember what the heck YOU named it!

I'm afraid the closest you are going to get with out cycling through the TableDefs and properties is the Database Documenter.  (Way more advanced than I am right now and way more time than I want to spend on documentation)

Just choose the detail you want and save to file.  Edit to your hearts desire.  Easier than starting from scratch.

Everytime you make a change you'll have to redo all that too

Holy cow Scott! I'm still making my way through the beginning classes. So I haven't seen how the documenter has advanced since whatever early version of Access I was last on. Based on your guidance, I went and tried it and it does exactly what I want! Thanks, tip on the way.