Form Text Box

[PatAccess]

Good day all,

I've created a login form for my access database and I was wondering, How can I place the instruction in to a Text Box accompanied by an icon

For example: In my userID text box, I would like it show "UserID" or "Enter your UserID" where it's grayed out on the white background.
Any ideas?

Thank you,

 

[isladogs]

Set that as the default value for the textbox

 

[PatAccess]

I entered "Please enter User ID" in the Default Value property under the data tab with I still don't see it when I go to form view?

 

[PatAccess]

I found a way to do it in VBA but is there a way to remove the paint color behind the text?
When I go back to Form view, the word is showing white behind its own background. I guess this is where I have an issue.

By the way, this is an unbound text field

Thank you,

 

[isladogs]

You can use the property sheet or VBA. Its the same outcome
Doesn't matter whether its bound or unbound.

Why are you using white text?
Just use different colours for the default text and background
Set the forecolor to e.g. grey and the backcolor to white (or vice versa)
Or set the back style to transparent with dark text forecolor

 

[MarkK]

Here's a little trick I do to 'embed' a label in a textbox, and have that label go away automatically after the user enters actual data in the field. This way you don't need actual label controls, which can tidy up the design of your forms.
See what you think,
Mark

 

[isladogs]

Mark
That's neat.
I've always highlighted the control with focus using VBA. I'd never thought of using CF to do so.

 

[MarkK]

Mark
That's neat.
I've always highlighted the control with focus using VBA. I'd never thought of using CF to do so.

Lol, that's not what I was trying to demonstrate with that, but glad you liked it.
I think the cool part is how the CF test-for-null works with the Format property--which specifies replacement text for null values--and the fore color, to show a gray-ghosted prompt in a null textbox, but a full-black ForeColor in textboxes that contain data.
Mark

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

I thought it might be an idea if you (both/either) specified what you meant by CF? I suspect you mean conditional formatting?

I've also done a quick video Display a Message for the User - Nifty Access demonstrating this excellent technique from Mark!

 

[isladogs]

MarkK
I'm sure i would have been equally impressed with the conditional text formatting for null/not null ... but I already use that idea!

Tony
I tried to think of some plausible alternative spoof answer for CF but I can't think of one now so it will have to carry forward to my next reply

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

Tony
I tried to think of some plausible alternative spoof answer for CF but I can't think of one now so it will have to carry forward to my next reply

I think the acronym FC instead of CF is more appropriate for this thread.

 

[Mike Krailo]

I see this is an old thread but wondered why no one mentioned that the date/time field in the example database is formatted as a number to the user? What's up with that? How can the entered date time be displayed as a date/time if the format property is already being used for swapping out the label for the data?