You can use a wizard to create a multiple-column list box or combo box. When you use a wizard, you can drag the columns in the list box or combo box to make them look just the way you want. If you want to customize a list box or combo box that was created with a wizard, however, or if you want to create a multiple-column list box or combo box on your own, you can set the following properties. For more information on any of these properties, click the property in the property sheet and press F1.
Note If you're planning to use the bound list box or combo box on more than one form, you can set these properties in table Design view instead of using the control's property sheet. This way, you can specify the properties once. When you add the field to a form, Microsoft Access automatically creates the control based on the properties you specified.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| BoundColumn | Specifies which column is bound to the underlying field specified in the ControlSource property. Data in that column will be stored in the field when you select that item in the list. This data may be different from the data displayed in the list if you hide the column. |
| ColumnCount | Specifies the number of columns. You can include a column but not display it in a list by setting the ColumnWidths property. You might want to do this if you have a list that looks up values from a table or query. You could include an ID field but hide it in the list. In a combo box, the first visible column in the list is displayed in the text box portion of the combo box. |
| ColumnWidths | Specifies the width of each column, separated by semicolons. Enter 0 to hide a column. Enter a semicolon without a measurement to use the default (about 1 in. or 2.5 cm, depending on the unit of measurement set in Windows Control Panel). |
| ColumnHeads | Determines whether the list box or combo box has column headings. If the combo box or list box is based on a record source, Microsoft Access uses the field or column names from the record source as the column headings. If the combo box or list box is based on a fixed value list, Microsoft Access uses the first x items of data from the value list (RowSource property) as the column headings, where x = the number set in the ColumnCount property. Headings appear in combo boxes only when the list is dropped down. |
Note If you want to display all the columns in a multiple-column list box (instead of scrolling horizontally to view them), size the control to fit the column widths.