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enter data in specific fields to help maintain consistency and to make your database easier to manage. For example, you can set an input mask for a form so that users can only enter telephone numbers in the Swedish format or addresses in the French format. You can set a specific format for the input mask, and select another format so that the same data is displayed differently. This article will help you learn more about input masks, when to use them, and how to create them.
The second part is optional and refers to the embedded mask characters and how they are stored within the field. If the second part is set to 0, the characters are stored with the data, and if it is set to 1, the characters are only displayed and not stored. Setting the second part to 1 can save database storage space.
The third part of the input mask is also optional and indicates a single character or space that is used as a placeholder. By default, Access uses the underscore (_). If you want to use another character, enter it in the third part of your mask. For example, this is an input mask for a telephone numbers in the U.S. format:(999) 000-000;0;-: The mask uses two placeholder characters, 9 and 0. The 9 indicates an optional digit (which makes it optional to enter an area code), and each 0 indicates a mandatory digit.
y y y
The 0 in the second part of the input mask indicates that the mask characters will be stored along with the data. The third part of the input mask specifies that a hyphen (-) instead of the underscore (_) is to be used as the placeholder character.
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CHARACTER EXPLANATION
0 9 # L ? A a & C .,:;-/ > < ! \ "" User must enter a digit (0 to 9). User can enter a digit (0 to 9). User can enter a digit, space, plus or minus sign. If skipped, Access enters a blank space. User must enter a letter. User can enter a letter. User must enter a letter or a digit. User can enter a letter or a digit. User must enter either a character or a space. User can enter characters or spaces. Decimal and thousands placeholders, date and time separators. The character you select depends on your Microsoft Windows regional settings. Coverts all characters that follow to uppercase. Converts all characters that follow to lowercase. Causes the input mask to fill from left to right instead of from right to left. Characters immediately following will be displayed literally. Characters enclosed in double quotation marks will be displayed literally.
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y y y
Add an input mask to a table field Add an input mask to a query Add an input mask to a form or report control
If you use an input mask for a Date/Time field, the Date Picker control becomes unavailable for that field.
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In the Navigation Pane, right-click the table and click Design View on the shortcut menu. Click the field where you want to add the input mask. Under Field Properties, on the General tab, click the Input Mask property box. Click the Build button to start the Input Mask Wizard.
In the Input Mask list, select the type of mask that you want to add.
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Click Try it and enter data to test how the mask displays.
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To keep the input mask without any changes, click Next. Select an option for how you want the data to be stored. Click Finish and save your changes. Top of section
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Does the mask interfere with the display format settings? For example, switch to Design view and, in the Format property of the field that contains your input mask, type this format string: (&&&) @@@-@@@@. When you view the field in Datasheet view, you see something like this: (425() 5) 55--1212.
Do you plan on using the Date Picker on a Date/Time field? If you do, then you cannot apply an input mask to that field.
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NOTES
In this case, you must must enter an area code because that section of the mask (000, enclosed in parentheses) uses the 0 placeholder. In this case, the area code section uses the 9 placeholder, so area codes are optional. Also, the exclamation point (!) causes the mask to fill in from left to right. Allows you to substitute the last four digits of a U.S. style phone number with letters. Note the use of the 0 placeholder in the area code section, which makes the area code mandatory.
(999) 000-0000!
(000) AAA-AAAA
(206) 555-TELE
#999
Any positive or negative number, no more than four characters, and with no thousands separator or decimal places. A combination of mandatory (L) and optional (?) letters and mandatory numbers (0). The greaterthan sign forces users to enter all letters in uppercase. To use an input mask of this type, you must set the data type for the table field to Text or Memo. A mandatory postal code and an optional plusfour section. A first or last name with the first letter automatically capitalized. A book number with the literal text, mandatory first and last digits, and any combination of letters and characters between those digits. A combination of mandatory letters and characters, all uppercase. Use this type of input mask, for example, to help users enter part numbers or other forms of inventory correctly.
>L????L?000L0
DB51392-0493
Microsoft Access interprets characters in the InputMaskproperty definition as shown in the following table. To define a literal character, enter any character other than those shown in the table, including spaces and symbols. To define one of the following characters as a literal character, precede that character with a backslash (\).
CHARACTER DESCRIPTION
0 9 # L ? A a & C .,:;-/ Digit (0 through 9, entry required; plus [+] and minus [-] signs not allowed). Digit or space (entry not required; plus and minus signs not allowed). Digit or space (entry not required; blank positions converted to spaces, plus and minus signs allowed). Letter (A through Z, entry required). Letter (A through Z, entry optional). Letter or digit (entry required). Letter or digit (entry optional). Any character or a space (entry required). Any character or a space (entry optional). Decimal placeholder and thousands, date, and time separators. (The actual character used depends on the regional settings specified in Microsoft Windows Control Panel.) Causes all characters that follow to be converted to lowercase. Causes all characters that follow to be converted to uppercase. Causes the input mask to display from right to left, rather than from left to
< > !
right. Characters typed into the mask always fill it from left to right. You can include the exclamation point anywhere in the input mask. \ Causes the character that follows to be displayed as a literal character. Used to display any of the characters listed in this table as literal characters (for example, \A is displayed as just A). Setting the InputMask property to the word Password creates a password entry text box. Any character typed in the text box is stored as the character but is displayed as an asterisk (*).
Password
Input mask examples The following table shows some useful input mask definitions and examples of values you can enter into them.