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Paul McCabe

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Text Box Overlays on Combo Boxes in Continuous Subforms

I am stumped on the issue below, and would greatly appreciate any thoughts on a solution:

Background Information
--> I have a main "project" form with a subform that lists project participants.
--> The subform pulls its data off a query based on a participant information table and includes a "participant name" field, which is a combo box.
--> Participant records can be configured to not display in the combo box list. When this is done the participant in question does not display on previously created records. I have previously addressed this sort of issue on forms (not subforms) by adding an additional "name" field to the query underlying the form, and displaying this on the form in a text box overlaying the combo box.

The Problem
--> I have tried the same approach with the subform I am working on. Everything seems to be working, except that when I bring up the main form, the text box that is supposed to be overlaying the combo box on the subform gets hidden underneath the combo box. I have tried everything I can think of but cannot get this to change. As additional information, when I open the subform by itself, the text box appears over the combo box as planned. So it is only in the context of opening the subform within the main form that the text box gets hidden below the combo box.

I hope the above is clear, and sorry if it is a little long-winded, but thank you in advance for any help.
Avatar of Scott McDaniel (EE MVE )
Scott McDaniel (EE MVE )
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How are you hiding the Textbox? And when are you doing this - i.e. which Event are you using?
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Paul McCabe

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By Textbox, I assume you mean the Textbox overlaying the combo box on the subform ? I am not trying to hide the Textbox, on the contrary I am trying to get it to display over the combo box (this is what is not working). I am not using any particular event -the Textbox should display over the combo box all the time when the main form is opened.
I noticed one more thing -the combo box displays over the text box only on the top row of the continuous subform. The rows below that are fine.
If the Textbox should display "over" the combo, then what's the reason for having the combo?

If you must have the combo, could you not make it invisible?
The combo box is needed to enable selections to be made -the Textbox covers only the "window" part of the combo, not the drop down menu button. To try explain in a different way what I am trying to do: Lets assume I created a record in the past using a form with a combo box to input customer names. The customer becomes inactive, so I don't want him on the combo box drop-down menu anymore -too many names decreases usability. So I mark him as "inactive" and he is filtered out of the menu by the query underlying the combo box. This is good for creating new records (less clutter on the drop-down menu) but now that he is not on the combo box menu anymore, the customer's name will not display on old records when viewed using the form (the underlying data is however still present in the record table). To make the customer's name display on the form when viewing old records, I overlay the "window" part of the combo box with a text box bound to a field with the customer name. So now, the inactive customer does not appear in the drop down menu but his name displays on any old records that I may happen to view. This trick works fine with combo boxes on forms but I have run into the aforementioned difficulties with subforms.
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Paul McCabe

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I eventually figured out the solution myself -see posts for details.