Is there a way to format a data field to accept Lastname, then when hitting the spacebar a comma is inserted and the next word starts which is the Firstname when the user is entering it in so that it displays in the following format “Smith, John” (>L<??????, >L<??????) within the one data field? If so what is the approach and what control do you insert it under?

The problem that you might have with this approach is that some people have Last Names that have more than one name, like Van Dusen or something.

What about the following approach... (I believe it is possible)
Have 3 fields, First name, Last Name and Name
First Name and Last Name are Unbound, but bind the Name field to the field in your database and set the Text to =[txtLastName] & ", " & [txtFirstName].
If that doesn't work have the user enter the Last Name first, on the lost focus event, set the Name field to the Last Name, and then on Lost Focus for the First name, set the Name field equal to Name & ", " & FirstName

Hope that helps,

Mike

Mike
EchoVue.com

Thank you for the suggestion the data field I am trying to apply this to is an Emergency Contact name which I would like to leave as a one entry field however you did bring up a good point that I haven't considered regarding the last name that I will have to incorporate into my database. Is there a way to apply the above mentioned formatting into one field or maybe if anyone knows where I may get additional information regarding the issue please let me know?

You can do LastName and FirstName fields, then when you want to display the name, just use the regular expression in a query for your report, like Name:([LastName] & ", " & [FirstName])

You shouldn't have to do this kind of kludge for data entry. It is not normalized anyway.

TM2C


mmcdonal

MMcDonal is correct, aRtware. Never store full names in one field. Always separate them into first and last names in tables. If you need that "Last, First" structure for a report, then create an unbound textbox that does that and hide the first and last name textboxes.

Greg Serrano
Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality, Air Quality Division

Thank you for the suggestions I will update my database to follow suit.