Simple MS Access question (Selective label printing.)

Factual Questions
1

Hi, folks.

I’m trying to create a report with MS Access to automatically print labels from a db Query. Problem is, I have no experience with Access. I know this is a simple tast, and what I’m missing is probably forehead slapping.

This is how far I’ve got:

Using the Label wizard with a query that contains information on all the properties my employers manage.

I selected the three fields I want on the labels (Building name, Unit #, and Strata Lot #) and sorted them as I would like my labels to appear. Hunky-dory.

Of course, this gets me a report that contains labels for every unit in every property we’ve got.

How do I narrow this down? I want to the report to ask the user for a property ID to print labels for, (eg “LSD2323”) and then just spit out labels for that building.

Do I have to create a new query? Am I approaching this the wrong way around?

I know this is a spectacularly stupid question, but you’d really help my productivity out a lot of you’ve got an answer for me. I’ve been putzing around for over an hour. Thank you.

2

[QUOTE=Larry Mudd]
Hi, folks.

I’m trying to create a report with MS Access to automatically print labels from a db Query. Problem is, I have no experience with Access. I know this is a simple tast, and what I’m missing is probably forehead slapping.

This is how far I’ve got:

Using the Label wizard with a query that contains information on all the properties my employers manage.

I selected the three fields I want on the labels (Building name, Unit #, and Strata Lot #) and sorted them as I would like my labels to appear. Hunky-dory.

Of course, this gets me a report that contains labels for every unit in every property we’ve got.

How do I narrow this down? I want to the report to ask the user for a property ID to print labels for, (eg “LSD2323”) and then just spit out labels for that building.

Do I have to create a new query? Am I approaching this the wrong way around?

I know this is a spectacularly stupid question, but you’d really help my productivity out a lot of you’ve got an answer for me. I’ve been putzing around for over an hour. Thank you.
[/QUOTE]

Okay, you want your query to have a variable criterion… which is usually as easy as typing in something like [Enter property ID:] in the ‘where’ or ‘criteria’ line of the query, under the right field.

Every time access tries to run that query, (including displaying any form or report bound to it,) it will ask the user for the proper value of that ‘undefined token’, thus providing the kind of interactive prompt you want to use.

I hope that that helps.

Oh, and the square brackets are so that access understands that ‘enter property id’ is one thing, and not to use it as a literal string value.

3

Thanks. I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to make a new query. (Total newbie.)

Can’t for the life of me figure out how to do it. I’ll have to spend some time at home puzzling it out. (This is supposed to be a time-saver – Can’t spend too long on it.)