If you've ever tried to drop a new line into a rich text box with VBA, only to have your carefully crafted message stubbornly display as a single continuous line, you're not alone. This little annoyance - and several other quirky Microsoft Access tips - are what we're diving into today. Whether you're confused about barcode scanning data, the elusive two-gigabyte database cap, or when to use refresh versus repaint, let's settle the score and keep your Access projects running smoothly.
Let's get straight to the problem that's tripped up many Access users: why do those VB new line codes (like CHR(10), CHR(13), or VBCRLF) work perfectly in plain text boxes, but not in rich text? If you're inserting text into a rich text (formatted) control, you probably expect line breaks where you put them. Instead, your masterpiece looks like a run-on sentence. This happens because, while plain text understands a carriage return or line feed, rich text expects HTML-style formatting. In other words, Access is really expecting a "<br>" tag instead of the old-school new line codes.
So here's what you need to remember: if you want your rich text box to respect line breaks, construct your string with "<br>" where you want those breaks to appear. For example, instead of sending:
(For the VBA code needed, check out the video above!)
access status box = "Hi" & [VB New Line] & "Richard" simply won't cut it. In rich text, swap in "Hi<br>Richard" and your text will finally display the way you want. Bonus - you can even toss in a little color or bold with other HTML tags, since Access supports a decent subset of HTML formatting. Want to get fancier? Time to brush up on your basics; I've got a free HTML 101 class on my website if you're curious (fair warning: the audio is vintage 2002, but the HTML info is still solid!).
This lesson about barcodes and new line characters is just one real-world scenario. If you're scanning barcodes into Access (like driver's licenses), don't try to parse information by fixed character positions. Standards change and data fields may shift. Instead, always search for the field identifiers within the scanned data. That way, you can reliably extract data - like birth dates - no matter what state or barcode format you're dealing with. For specifics and examples, you'll want to check the video or relevant forum threads linked on my site; my community has some sharp folks who've hashed out great solutions there.
While we're on little-known tricks, here's a gem for navigating your forms: the SelTop property. Instead of always using DoCmd.GoToRecord (those commas can get unwieldy), SelTop lets you directly set which row sits at the top of your form or datasheet view. Pair it with SelHeight to select multiple rows at once. It's a bit of an old-school feature, but every tool has its place, and sometimes the classics still deliver.
If you're wrestling with modern chart controls in Access, you've likely noticed that keeping month names sorted in calendar order (rather than alphabetically) can be a challenge. Including a numeric month field in your data source keeps them in line - but unfortunately, you can't easily hide that number from your chart labels. Workarounds involve sometimes messy data reshaping, or you can set up your data and use queries to sort months by number while only displaying the names. But let's be honest: for serious charting, exporting to Excel still offers a lot more power and flexibility than Access' native tools.
If your use case is pushing the two-gigabyte database file size, here's the real deal: the limit applies to each .accdb file, not your whole application. You can easily split data into multiple backend files - customers, orders, and contacts, for example - each getting their own allotted space. Hitting the cap almost always happens when inserting huge binary objects or attachments (think images or music), not from regular data. Don't jam your database full of MP3s; keep binary blobs in the file system where they belong!
On the topic of refreshing and repainting: hitting Me.Refresh in VBA is great for reloading data from the table, but won't update how your form looks (like special effects or border changes). For that, Me.Repaint is the go-to. Always place your appearance-changing code in the right form event (usually AfterUpdate or OnCurrent), then call Repaint to force Access to redraw those updates instantly. If you try to force data and display changes with the same command, you'll be left wondering why your form is lagging behind your expectations.
Another flexible tip: list boxes versus subforms for filtering records. Subforms are perfect for letting users manipulate and view related data, but don't overlook list boxes - especially with Multi-Select enabled - for letting your users pick multiple filter criteria at once. This does require a little VBA magic; you'll need to loop through selections and dynamically filter your data, but I cover exactly how to do that in some of my advanced lessons.
If you're still running a 32-bit version of Access because you depend on an old ActiveX control (maybe for serial devices or barcode input), I feel your pain. Sometimes legacy equipment or software just won't make the jump to 64-bit, and that's OK for a transition period. Eventually, it's best to switch to modern alternatives, but in the meantime, back up everything religiously and keep good notes for your future self - or the next developer who inherits your system.
Finally, let's not forget many-to-many relationships, filtering strategies, and other data design questions. In practice, the true "magic" of database design happens in your queries and forms. While showing a concept in a quick video, I'll often skip the deep-dive on building all the queries and relationships - that's where my full courses come in. I prefer building logic right in queries or front-end code, enforcing only the system relationships that are truly necessary for data integrity. Sometimes giving your design a little breathing room (instead of rigid system relationships) pays off, especially for complex or evolving projects.
We covered a lot today, but here are the big takeaways: use "<br>" tags for line breaks in rich text; remember SelTop and SelHeight for fast record navigation in forms; modern charts might need numeric keys to sort months properly; use repaint, not refresh, to immediately update visual effects; split backend files to beat the 2GB limit; and don't be afraid of using some light VBA to give your users richer interaction with their data.
There's always more to learn, and if you want the step-by-step walk-through (or the nitty-gritty VBA code), just watch the video embedded above. If you have a question or a trick for Access you'd like to see covered in future Quick Queries, post a comment below. Don't forget to subscribe for more free tips, and check out my site for a deeper dive on any of these topics. See you next time - and don't forget to enjoy your weekend!
Live long and prosper,RR
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