AllowZeroLength Property

Applies To

Table field.

Description

You can use the AllowZeroLength property to specify whether a zero-length string (" ") is a valid entry in a table field.

Note The AllowZeroLength property applies only to Text, Memo, and Hyperlink table fields.

Setting

The AllowZeroLength property uses the following settings.

Setting	Description	Visual Basic

Yes	A zero-length string is a valid entry.	True (–1)
No	(Default) A zero-length string is an invalid entry.	False (0)

You can set this property by using the table's property sheet or Visual Basic.

Note To access a field's AllowZeroLength property by using Visual Basic, use the DAO AllowZeroLength property.

Remarks

If you want Microsoft Access to store a zero-length string instead of a Null value when you leave a field blank, set both the AllowZeroLength and Required properties to Yes.

The following table shows the results of combining the settings of the AllowZeroLength and Required properties.

AllowZeroLength	Required	User's action	Value stored

No	No	Presses ENTER Presses SPACEBAR Enters a zero-length string	Null Null (not allowed)
Yes	No	Presses ENTER Presses SPACEBAR Enters a zero-length string	Null Null Zero-length string

(continued)

No	Yes	Presses ENTER Presses SPACEBAR Enters a zero-length string	(not allowed) (not allowed) (not allowed)
Yes	Yes	Presses ENTER Presses SPACEBAR Enters a zero-length string	(not allowed) Zero-length string Zero-length string

Tip You can use the Format property to distinguish between the display of a Null value and a zero-length string. For example, the string "None" can be displayed when a zero-length string is entered.

The AllowZeroLength property works independently of the Required property. The Required property determines only whether a Null value is valid for the field. If the AllowZeroLength property is set to Yes, a zero-length string will be a valid value for the field regardless of the setting of the Required property.