Forum Discussion
Custom Auto-number field data type problems
I really appreciate your reply. I do realize my "auto number" - "ATD"0000 - is not actually a number. I think the problem is that by default, Access labels the datatype of any auto number, regardless of whether it is a custom auto number with alpha characters or not, as a number. My next step, if I am not able to make this work using my custom auto number of "ATD"0000, was going to be just as you recommend and create separate fields for the alpha characters "ATD" and the auto number. My ultimate goal is to, as you also mentioned, have the alpha characters and the auto number display together as a single string in reports. Ultimately, if I am not able to have my custom "auto number" display as a single string in my tables and forms, I will resort to separating them, as you recommend.
Thanks again for your response. Every recommendation is a help at this point.
Again, any value saved into a table with alpha characters in it is "Text", not numbers.
AutoNumbers are a special kind of datatype, used in Access to generate unique numbers of Long Integer datatype.
The difference is that Access automatically generates those new values for the long integer at the time a new record is started in that table. In all other ways, they are Long Integers.
You simply can not create an AutoNumber with letters in it. That's not what is happening.
What you are doing is FORMATTING FOR DISPLAY purposes.
You can format most types of values in Access to display them as you want.
Don't confuse the DISPLAY with the STORED value.
Consider this quick and dirty test, for example. Selecting a value reveals ONLY the actual value without the display only prefix added by the format.