Troubleshoot data access pages

Sorting data

I get the message "The DefaultSort property is invalid."

In the DefaultSort property box, type the name of the field or fields you want to sort on. Separate multiple field names with a comma. If you want to sort in ascending or descending order, you can follow each name with a space and the keyword ASC or DESC, respectively. For example, type OrderDate DESC, OrderID ASC. If you don't specify the order, Microsoft Access sorts in ascending order.

If the control you want to sort on is bound to an expression, you must type the alias of the control as displayed in its ControlSource property. For example, if the ControlSource property of the control you want to sort on is set to GroupOfExtendedPrice: ExtendedPrice, type GroupOfExtendedPrice in the DefaultSort property box.

Calculating data

I get the message "The expression is not valid."

You attempted to type an expression that includes the name of a field that is not in the data definition of the page. Any field that you reference in an expression on a data access page must be in that page's data definition. To add a field to the page's data definition, drag the field from the field list to the data access page. If you don't want to show the values in the field on the page, you can hide or delete the control bound to the field. However, even if you delete the control, a field referenced in an expression remains part of the page's data definition.

I get the message "Undefined function in an expression."

You've bound a control on a data access page to a calculated field that uses a function that isn't supported on data access pages.

Functions supported on a data access page

A control in a data access page or a form that is open in PivotTable view or PivotChart view can contain an expression that uses a Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) function. However, the expression will generate an error unless it appears on the following list.

Note This limitation doesn't apply to expressions in tables, queries, views, stored procedures, or user-defined functions that you have opened in PivotTable or PivotChart view.

A - C

ABS	ARRAY
ASC	ASCB
ASCW	ATN
CBOOL	CBYTE
CCUR	CDATE
CDBL	CHOOSE
CHR	CHR$
CHRB	CHRB$
CHRW	CHRW$
CINT	CLNG
COS	CSNG
CSTR	CVAR
CVDATE	CVERR

D - H

DATE	DATE$
DATEADD	DATEDIFF
DATEPART	DATESERIAL
DATEVALUE	DAY
DDDB	ERROR
ERROR$	EXP
FIX	FORMAT
FORMAT$	FV
HEX	HEX$
HOUR

I - L

IIF	IMESTATUS
INSTR	INT
IPMT	IRR
ISDATE	ISEMPTY
ISERROR	ISNULL
ISNUMERIC	ISOBJECT
ICASE	ICASE$
LEFT	LEFT$
LEFTB	LEFTB$
LEN	LENB
LOG	LTRIM
LTRIM$

M - Q

MID	MID$
MIDB	MIDB$
MINUTE	MIRR
MONTH	NOW
NPER	NPV
OCT	OCT$
PARTITION	PMT
PPMT	PV
QBCOLOR

R- S

RATE	RGB
RIGHT	RIGHT$
RIGHTB	RIGHTB$
RND	ROUND
RTRIM	RTRIM$
SECOND	SGN
SIN	SLN
SPACE	SPACE$
SQR	STR
STR$	STRCOMP
STRCONV	STRING
STRING$	SWITCH
SYD

T - Z

TAN	TIME
TIME$	TIMER
TIMESERIAL	TIMEVALUE
TRIM	TRIM$
TYPENAME	UCASE
UCASE$	VAL
VARTYPE	WEEKDAY
YEAR

Designing a page

I can't select multiple controls

To select multiple controls, you must have Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 installed on your computer.

I have the same version of Microsoft Access as the rest of my team, but my design environment seems different from that of the rest of my team.

Check the version of Microsoft Internet Explorer that is installed on your computer. If you don't have Internet Explorer version 5.5, you will not be able to select and work with multiple controls, or see some properties and toolbars.

I get the message "Invalid argument."

In the regional settings of Microsoft Windows Control Panel, your location is set to a region that uses a character other than a period (.) as a decimal separator. The settings for properties in data access pages require that the decimal separator be a period for all languages. Either change the region or set the decimal symbol to a period in Windows Control Panel regional settings.
The value you typed in the property sheet does not match the data type of the property. For example, the Width property of a section can be set to any number, but if you type a string such as Narrow, you will get the "Invalid argument" message.

Some wizards are not available

The Command Button Wizard is not available on a stand-alone data access page ù a page that you open without having a database open. This wizard also is not available if the page isn't bound to a table or query.
The List Box Wizard and the Combo Box Wizard aren't available on stand-alone data access pages. The wizards also are not available when the page is connected to a database other than the one that's currently open.

I get the message "The setting you entered isn't valid for this property."

If you are entering a value in a property that has a drop-down list, select a value from the list. For information about valid values for properties that don't have drop-down lists, press F1 in the property box.

If you are entering an expression in the ControlSource property box, make sure:

You precede the expression with an equal sign (=) or an alias for the expression. For example, both of the following are valid settings:
```
=Quantity*UnitPrice
```
```
ExtendedPrice: Quantity*UnitPrice
```
The data access page is bound to a table, query, or other record source before you attempt to enter the expression. You can't use expressions on a data access page that isn't bound to data.
The ID property of a calculated control is set to a unique name. Don't use the name of one of the fields you used in the expression or the ID of another control on the data access page.

Working with files and links

I don't want to keep my supporting data access page files in a folder.

When you save a data access page in Design view, all supporting files ù such as bullets, background textures, and graphics ù are by default stored in a separate folder. If you do not want to use a separate folder, do the following:

Open the data access page in Design view.
On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General tab.
Click Web Options, and then click the Files tab.
Under File names and locations, clear the Organize supporting files in a folder check box.

I moved my data access page to another location and now some of the links are broken.

When you save your file as a data access page in Design view, all supporting files ù such as bullets, background textures, and graphics ù are by default organized in a supporting folder. If you move or copy your data access page to another location, you must also move the supporting folder so that you maintain all links to your page.

I can't automatically create a backup copy of my data access page.

When you save a data access page in Design view, a backup copy is not automatically created. To save a copy of a data access page, click Save As on the File menu. In the Save Data Access Page <object name> To box, type a new name for the data access page, and then click OK.

The name of a supporting folder for a data access page is in another language.

When you save your data access page in Design view, all supporting files ù such as bullets, background textures, and graphics ù are by default organized in a supporting folder. By default, the name of the supporting folder is the name of the data access page plus an underscore (_), a period (.), or a hyphen (-) and the word "files." The word "files" will appear in the language of the version of Microsoft Office that was used to save the file as a data access page. For example, suppose you use the Dutch language version of Office to save a file called Page1 as a data access page. The default name of the supporting folder would be Page1_bestanden.

Note If you save your data access page with a short file name (a maximum of eight characters, plus a three-character file extension) by clearing the Use long file names whenever possible check box in the Web Options dialog box, the supporting folder is the name of the data access page without the word "files."

I can't locate the HTML file corresponding to a data access page.

The HTML file associated with the data access page has been renamed, moved, or deleted.

Although a data access page is a database object, most of the information about a page is stored in a corresponding HTML file. You specify the name and location of this HTML file the first time you create a data access page. Microsoft Access keeps a shortcut in the Database window to the corresponding HTML file's location in your file system. You can see the HTML file's location in the Database window by resting the pointer on the name of the page.

If the HTML file has been renamed or moved, you can restore the HTML file's original name, move the HTML file back to its original location, or change the shortcut maintained by Access to the new name or location. (Click Locate in the message box that appears when Access cannot locate the HTML file.)

Notes

It's possible to have two or more pages in the same or different Microsoft Access databases or Microsoft Access projects pointing to the same HTML file. For example, you might have copied or imported the page. Although you might want to do this, it's a good idea to modify the page in Design view in only one Access database or Access project at a time to avoid problems with sharing and to avoid possibly losing design changes.
If the HTML file is deleted, you cannot recover the page unless you can retrieve the HTML file from a backup copy.

Using graphics

I see a red X, a blank image, or no image at all on my data access page.

You might have the wrong browser settings Although all browsers support the same language (HTML), there are some differences among browsers. Some support different versions of HTML and different HTML extensions. Custom options can be set in browsers, such as the default text and background colors, and whether or not graphics are displayed. Consider testing your data access page in different browsers ù some of which are available for downloading on the Web ù and with different monitor settings, to see if all of your page elements appear.

You might have used the wrong picture format If you link a graphic to a data access page, and the graphic format isn't supported by your browser, your graphics won't be visible. Make sure that the linked picture is in a graphic format that is compatible with your browser. The JPEG and GIF graphic formats are compatible with most browsers.

The graphics and text on my data access page look different on another computer.

If your data access page looks different from what you expect, check the browser settings. Although all Web browsers support the same language (HTML), there are some differences among browsers. Some support different versions of HTML and different HTML extensions. Custom options can be set in browsers, such as the default text and background colors, and whether or not graphics are displayed. Consider testing your page in different browsers ù some of which are available for downloading on the Web ù and with different monitor settings, to see whether all of your page elements appear.

I chose the Active Graphics option when I applied the theme, but none of the graphics are animated.

Theme graphics are animated only when you view the data access page in a Web browser, not in Microsoft Access.

Specifying a language

My data access page is displaying the wrong characters for a language.

If a data access page is encoded for a different language, Microsoft Access tries to determine the language. If Access displays the wrong characters for that language when you open the page in a browser, you can select the language that you think the page is encoded in. Some languages have more than one encoding, so try each encoding until you can read the text.

Open the data access page in Design view.
On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General tab.
Click Web Options, and then click the Encoding tab.
Under Save this document as, select the language that you think the page is encoded in.

The name of a supporting folder for a data access page is in another language.

Open and viewing

I'm having problems viewing a data access page.

You might not have the correct Web browser.
To view or interact with a data access page, you must have Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or later installed on your computer. A page can also contain additional controls, including spreadsheets, PivotTable lists, and charts.
Another user might have exclusive access to the Microsoft Access database or Microsoft SQL Server database that the page is connected to.
This situation can occur when a database administrator is maintaining an Access database or SQL Server database and needs to temporarily prevent users from accessing the database, or when someone is designing objects in a shared Access database. Wait a few minutes and try to view the page again, or contact your database administrator.
The page, or a PivotTable list on the page, is connected to an unsupported OLE DB data source.
An Access database or Microsoft SQL Server database is the only OLE DB data source you can connect to from a page. Either you or the author of the page needs to change the OLE DB connection to the page. To do so, in Design view, right-click the database icon in the field list, and then click Connection.

I want to open an HTML file in Access, but it opens in another Office program.

In the Open dialog box (File menu), when you select an Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) file (also called a Web page) and click Open or double-click the file, the file opens in the program that created the file. For example, if you attempt to open an HTML format file that was created in Microsoft Word, the file opens in Word ù not in Microsoft Access as a data access page.

To open an HTML file that was created in another Office program as a data access page in Access, do one of the following:

In Windows 2000 and Windows Millennium Edition:

Right-click the file in the Open dialog box, point to Open with, and then click Microsoft Access on the shortcut menu.
Note If the file type that you are trying to open hasn't previously been associated with another program, instead of pointing to the Open with dialog, click the Open with dialog, and select Microsoft Access from the list of programs.

In Windows 98:

Right-click the file in the Open dialog box, and then click Open in Microsoft Access on the shortcut menu.

Working in Page view

Buttons are missing from the record navigation toolbar.

The designer of the data access page removed the buttons for that page or group.

The fields on the data access page are blank.

Possible reasons include:

The data access page you are displaying might be a data-entry form. You can enter your data in the blank fields.
The data access page contains a drop-down list that determines which records to display. From the drop-down list, select a group whose records you want to see on the page.

I'm having problems editing data in a field in Page view.

There are several kinds of fields that you can't edit in Page view. The following fields might display values just as regular fields do, but if you try to enter data into them, nothing happens:

AutoNumber fields If a field has an AutoNumber data type in a Microsoft Access database or a numeric data type with the Identity property set in a Microsoft Access project, Access automatically assigns a number to this field for each record you add. This type of field is often used as a record ID number or primary key. Access automatically fills in the field's value for you.
Calculated fields In an Access database, a calculated field displays values that Access calculates. They are usually based on other fields in your tables, but calculated fields are not stored in tables.
Read-only or disabled controls If a control on a form has the ReadOnly property set to True or the Disabled property set to True, it is locked or disabled for data entry.
Fields in a locked record If you use an Access database in a multiuser environment and a record is locked by another user, you can't edit the data in the record until the other user is finished editing the record.
Fields in a read-only form or a locked database If the form you're using has the AllowEdits property set to No or if the underlying data is read-only or locked, you can't edit the data.
Fields in a read-only group level on a data access page A read-only group level on a page is intended only to display data.
A read-only PivotTable list A PivotTable list might be intended only to display data, not to edit data.
Fields in a table that doesn't support edits If the underlying table does not have a primary key, or if the UniqueTable property of the corresponding group header section is not set to the name of the table, you can't edit data.

You might be having problems entering dates in a field with the Date/Time data type. If you are entering dates by using the slash mark (/) format, don't enter a trailing slash mark. For example, 1/3 is valid, but 1/3/ is not valid.

I sent a data access page as an e-mail message but the recipient can't read it.

To view a data access page sent as an e-mail message, the mail recipient must read the e-mail message by using one of the following:

Microsoft Outlook 2000 or later
Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0 or later
The combination of Microsoft Outlook 98 or later and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or later
The combination of Outlook Express 5.0 or later and Internet Explorer 5 or later

In addition to using the correct software, the recipient should do the following:

In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
Click the Security tab, and then click Custom Level.
Under Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe, select Enable.

Mail recipients can contact their system administrator for more information about installing or upgrading this software.

I get a message when I attempt to enter data in Page view.

When you try to move out of a field after changing data, Microsoft Access validates the data, making sure that the value you entered is allowed in that field. If the value isn't allowed, Access alerts you. In order to move off the field, you must either change the data to an acceptable value or undo your changes.

A value might not be allowed in a field for the following reasons:

The value isn't compatible with the field's data type. If you enter a value that doesn't match the data type, Access attempts to convert the entry to the correct data type. However, some data can't be converted to other data types. For example, you can't store a name in a field with the Number data type in a Microsoft Access database or the smallint data type in a Microsoft Access project.
The data breaks a rule set in the ValidationRule property for the field.
Data is required in the field, and you've tried to leave it blank.
The validation macro specified for the BeforeUpdate property canceled the update.

Access also validates data when you move out of a record. Before it saves a record, Access makes sure that your changes don't break any validation rules set in the ValidationRule property for the record. Additionally, if the table you are editing has a primary key or unique index, Access makes sure that the record you are editing doesn't have the same value for the fields as another record in the table. If the record can't be saved, you must either make any necessary corrections, or cancel your changes by clicking Undo or pressing ESC.

Note The data access page might contain a PivotTable Component, Spreadsheet Component, or Chart Component, which has its own troubleshooting information. For more information, click Help on the toolbar for the PivotTable list, spreadsheet, or chart, and then search for "troubleshooting."