MS Access default number format

Question

In MS Access can you establish a default format for numbers within a given database or globally for all databases?

Answer 1

If you only display data on forms and reports, you can probably (haven't tried it) set the Format property of the default text box, either in the current database, or (by modifying the blank database template) for all new databases.  I haven't tried this, so I can't say for sure if this is a property you can set in the defaults, but it would be a something to check.

Unfortunately, I hardly ever use either.  My desire is to have a global default of 'standard' for numbers with two decimals everytime I select 'double' as the format.

I guess you're running up against the design philosphy of Access.  Access is designed to give you a lot of control of format and appearance on forms and reports; datasheets not so much.

How about this:  you could have a VBA procedure that goes through all the TableDefs in a database and sets the Format and DecimalPlaces properties to your desired settings for all fields of type Number/Double or Number/Single.  Such a procedure would be quite easy to write.  You could then run it any time you want, on any database you want.

That's not quite as good as setting a default, but you could change a lot of tables & fields in one go.

Answer 2

You can manipulate the way  data (date, Currency) is display with  your computer "Regional and Language Options"

:)

Bre-x

My settings are already set to display commas and 2 decimals, but in Access I still have to select 'standard' an two decimals.  The regional settings do not seem to reach all the way down into the program.  Thanks for the suggestion.

Answer 3

If you only display data on forms and reports, you can probably (haven't tried it) set the Format property of the default text box, either in the current database, or (by modifying the blank database template) for all new databases.  I haven't tried this, so I can't say for sure if this is a property you can set in the defaults, but it would be a something to check.

Answer 4

You can manipulate the way  data (date, Currency) is display with  your computer "Regional and Language Options"

:)

Bre-x

Answer 5

You can specify the default field size for number fields (Byte, Integer, Long Integer, Single, Double, ...) in the Object Designers section of the Access Options dialog, but as far as I know you can't set a default for the Format property.