Access reports, unexpected parameter

[stacyahill]

While running a report (one which has several groups, and several subreports) I get one parameter I expect ("Enter ID number you wish to report on") as well as a parameter I did not expect to see. It just says "Catalogue". Which is the name of a table which the main report is based on and the subreports link to using catalogue.mkey.

I have searched through the report for something that might be making this appear and it seems that it appears as long as there is still a subreport linked to the main report. I went through the report and deleted everything one by one until the parameter went away. It only went away once all of the subreports were gone. And when I added back ANY of them the unexpected parameter comes back up. Any ideas??!!??

 

[boblarson]

It is usually either a misspelling or it is a field that something wants to use (like in a control source or sorting or grouping) but it isn't within the record source of the form so it is trying to ask you where is it?

 

[stacyahill]

yea, this is so strange. Normally if I mis-spell something I get the little error triangle. In any case this is what I did this morning:

I removed every subreport. Ran the report. It only asked for the one parameter that I expected to see. I added only one subreport back in. Linked Catalogue.MKey to the mkey in the table that the subreport uses. Ran the report and it asks for "Catalogue" again. Tried with a different subreport and had the same outcome.

The subreports have nothing to do with catalogue, and only depend on it for linking. I also noticed that unless I added catalogue.mkey as a hidden field to the main report it also prompts for that as well. Do I need to add another field to the report?

 

[boblarson]

1. if you have this in the link: Catalogue.MKey then it should be changed to just MKey.

2. The subreports and main form have to have Mkey in their record sources for it to link. If the subreports have nothing to do with catalogue then you can't link on something that isn't there. I don't understand when you say "The subreports have nothing to do with catalogue, and only depend on it for linking" - how can that be? How can it have nothing to do with it yet it depend on it for linking?

 

[stacyahill]

1. I tried to change it to just mkey, but then I get an error that says it could refer to more than one field (I have multiple tables in the main report that all have mkeys).

2. your right I didn't make much since there. I just meant that I didn't have the catalogue table in the subreport or anything like that, the mkey is there and that's what links it to the main report but that's it...

I think you're on the right path with just putting mkey for the link. I will try putting the other tables in their own subreport.

 

[stacyahill]

That was it, I just stuck those other 2 tables in separate subreports and changed catalogue.mkey to just mkey for all of the links to the subreports and that worked! Thank you so much!!! I think I can officially call myself somewhat of a access subreport expert now... 9 subreports in one container report... BLECK!!! Oh and lets not forget the image that is being brought in using files paths from the database... I'm so glad that's over!!!