Create or delete a values list field

Use a values list field when you have a limited set of values that do not change often, such as rating scales or expense categories.

Note    Access has other types of list fields: a lookup field that looks up matching data in a table (such as an ID field that looks up a Full Name), and a multivalued field that can store up to 100 values in one field, separated by a comma (,). For more information, see Create or delete a lookup field and Create or delete a multivalued field.

In this article

• Create a values list field

• Update the properties of a values list field

• Delete a value list field

• Lookup field properties

Create a values list field

1. Open the table in Design View.

2. Click the cell in the Data Type column that corresponds to the column that you want to define as a lookup field, click the down arrow, and then click Lookup Wizard.

   Note   The Lookup Wizard creates three types of lists depending on the choices you make in the wizard: a lookup field, a values list field, and a multivalued field.

3. Carefully follow these steps in the wizard:

   1. On the first page, select I will type in the values that I want, and then click Next.

   2. On the second page, keep 1 column selected, enter several values, one in each row under the column header, and then click Next.

   3. On the third page, under Do you want to limit entries to the choices?, select Limit to List, and then click Finish.

4. Save your changes.

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Update the properties of a values list field

When you use the Lookup Wizard to create a values list field, the Lookup field properties are set for you. To change the design of the values list field, set it's Lookup properties.

1. Open a table in Design View.

2. Click the lookup field's name in the Field Name column.

3. Under Field Properties, click the Lookup tab.

4. Set the Display Control property to Combo Box to see all available properties changes to reflect your choice. For more information, see Lookup field properties.

5. You can edit the value list directly in the Row Source property.

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Delete a value list field

Important    When you delete a value list field that contains data, you lose that data permanently — you cannot undo the deletion. For that reason, you should back up your database before you delete any table fields or other database components.

Delete from Datasheet view

1. Open the table in Datasheet View.

2. Locate the value list field, right-click the header row , and then click Delete Field.

3. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Delete from Design view

1. Open the table in Design View.

2. Click the row selector next to the value list field, and then press DELETE, or right-click the row selector and then click Delete Rows.

3. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

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Lookup field properties

Set this property	To
Display Control	Set this property to control what properties are displayed: Combo Box lists all available properties. List Box lists all available properties except List Rows, List Width, and Limit to List. Text Box displays no properties and converts the field to read-only.
Row Source Type	Choose whether to fill the lookup field with values from another table or query, or from a list of values that you specify. You can also choose to fill the list with the names of the fields in a table or query.
Row Source	Specify the table, query, or list of values that provides the values for the lookup field. When the Row Source Type property is set to Table/Query or Field List, this property should be set to a table or query name or to a SQL statement that represents the query. When the Row Source Type property is set to Value List, this property should contain a list of values separated by semicolons.
Bound Column	Specify the column in the row source that supplies the value stored by the lookup field. This value can range from 1 to the number of columns in the row source. The column that supplies the value to store does not have to be the same column as the display column.
Column Count	Specify the number of columns in the row source that can be displayed in the lookup field. To select which columns to display, you provide a column width in the Column Widths property.
Column Heads	Specify whether to display column headings.
Column Widths	Enter the column width for each column. The display value in a lookup field is the column or columns that are represented in the Column Widths property as having a non-zero width. If you don't want to display a column, such as an ID column, specify 0 for the width.
List Rows	Specify the number of rows that appear when you display the lookup field.
List Width	Specify the width of the control that appears when you display the lookup field.
Limit To List	Choose whether you can enter a value that isn't in the list.
Allow Multiple Values	Indicates whether the lookup field allows multiple values to be selected. You cannot change the value this property from Yes to No.
Allow Value List Edits	Specify whether you can edit the items in a lookup field that is based on a value list. When this property is set to Yes and you right-click a Lookup field that is based on a single column value list, you will see the Edit List Items menu option. If the lookup field has more than one column, this property is ignored.
List Items Edit Form	Name an existing form to use to edit the list items in a lookup field that is based on a table or query.
Show Only Row Source Values	Show only values that match the current row source when Allow Multiples Values is set to Yes.

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