How do you comment an MS-access Query

Question

How does one add a comment to an MS Access Query  to provide a description of what it does   Once added  how can one retrieve such comments programmatically

User · Answer

I decided to add a condition to the Where Clause that always evaluates true but allows the coder to find your comment   Select        From        Where            And  Comment  FYI  Access doesn t support normal comments   lt  gt      The last line always evaluates to true so it doesn t affect the data returned but allows you to leave a comment for the next guy

User · Answer

In the query design     add a column enter your comment  in quotes  in the field uncheck Show sort in assending    Note   If you don t sort  the field will be removed by access  So  make sure you ve unchecked show and sorted the column

User · Answer

It is not possible to add comments to  normal  Access queries  that is  a QueryDef in an mdb  which is why a number of people recommend storing the sql for queries in a table

User · Answer

The first answer mentioned how to get the description property programatically  If you re going to bother with program anyway  since the comments in the query are so kludgy  instead of trying to put the comments in the query  maybe it s better to put them in a program and use the program to make all your queries  Dim dbs As DAO Database Dim qry As DAO QueryDef  Set dbs   CurrentDb  put your comments wherever in your program makes the most sense dbs QueryDefs  qryName   SQL    SELECT whatever fields FROM whatever table   DoCmd OpenQuery  qryname

User · Answer

I know this question is very old  but I would like to add a few points  strangely omitted     you can right-click the query in the container  and click properties  and fill that with your description  The text you input that way is also accessible in design view  in the Descrption property Each field can be documented as well  Just make sure the properties window is open  then click the query field you want to document  and fill the Description  just above the too little known Format property      It s a bit sad that no product  I know of  documents these query fields descriptions and expressions

User · Answer

If you have a query with a lot of criteria  it can be tricky to remember what each one does   I add a text field into the original table - call it  comments  or  documentation   Then I include it in the query with a comment for each criteria   Comments need to be written like like this so that all relevant rows are returned  Unfortunately  as I m a new poster  I can t add a screenshot   So here goes without  Field      Comment               ContractStatus       ProblemDealtWith             Table      ElecContracts         ElecContracts        ElecContracts                Sort     Show     Criteria    lt  gt   all problems are    objection  Or               picked up with this     rejected  Or                criteria  OR Is Null    rolled                      OR       lt  gt  tells the query to choose rows that are not equal to the text you entered  otherwise it will only pick up fields that have text equal to your comment i e  none       enclose your comment in quotes  OR Is Null OR    tells your query to include any rows that have no data in the comments field   otherwise it won t return anything

User · Answer

In the query design     add a column enter your comment  in quotes  in the field uncheck Show sort in assending    Note   If you don t sort  the field will be removed by access  So  make sure you ve unchecked show and sorted the column

User · Answer

NOTE  Confirmed with Access 2003  don t know about earlier versions   For a query in an MDB you can right-click in the query designer  anywhere in the empty space where the tables are   select Properties from the context menu  and enter text in the Description property    You re limited to 256 characters  but it s better than nothing   You can get at the description programatically with something like this   Dim db As Database Dim qry As QueryDef  Set db   Application CurrentDb Set qry   db QueryDefs  myQuery    Debug Print qry Properties  Description

User · Answer

It is not possible to add comments to  normal  Access queries  that is  a QueryDef in an mdb  which is why a number of people recommend storing the sql for queries in a table

User · Answer

I know this question is very old  but I would like to add a few points  strangely omitted     you can right-click the query in the container  and click properties  and fill that with your description  The text you input that way is also accessible in design view  in the Descrption property Each field can be documented as well  Just make sure the properties window is open  then click the query field you want to document  and fill the Description  just above the too little known Format property      It s a bit sad that no product  I know of  documents these query fields descriptions and expressions

User · Answer

You can add a comment to an MSAccess query as follows  Create a dummy field in the query   Not elegant but is self-documentating and contained in the query  which makes cheking it into source code control alot more feasible   Jere s an example   Go into SQL view and add the dummy field  you can do from design view too    SELECT   2011-01-21 JTR Added FIELD02  2011-01-20 JTR Added qryHISTORY    as qryHISTORY      rest of query here      Run the query   qryHISTORY                           FIELD01 FIELD02     2011-01-21 JTR Added FIELD02  2011-01-20 JTR Added qryHISTORY     0000001  ABCDEF       Note the use of     as field delimiter in qryHISTORY field  and      as an end of comment  and use of ISO date format and intials  as well as comment   Have tested this with up to 646 characters in the qryHISTORY field

User · Answer

if you are trying to add a general note to the overall object  query or table etc     Access 2016 go to navigation pane  highlight object  right click  select object   table properties  add a note in the description window i e  inventory  table last last updated 05 31 17

User · Answer

NOTE  Confirmed with Access 2003  don t know about earlier versions   For a query in an MDB you can right-click in the query designer  anywhere in the empty space where the tables are   select Properties from the context menu  and enter text in the Description property    You re limited to 256 characters  but it s better than nothing   You can get at the description programatically with something like this   Dim db As Database Dim qry As QueryDef  Set db   Application CurrentDb Set qry   db QueryDefs  myQuery    Debug Print qry Properties  Description

User · Answer

It is not possible to add comments to  normal  Access queries  that is  a QueryDef in an mdb  which is why a number of people recommend storing the sql for queries in a table

User · Answer

if you are trying to add a general note to the overall object  query or table etc     Access 2016 go to navigation pane  highlight object  right click  select object   table properties  add a note in the description window i e  inventory  table last last updated 05 31 17

User · Answer

I decided to add a condition to the Where Clause that always evaluates true but allows the coder to find your comment   Select        From        Where            And  Comment  FYI  Access doesn t support normal comments   lt  gt      The last line always evaluates to true so it doesn t affect the data returned but allows you to leave a comment for the next guy

User · Answer

NOTE  Confirmed with Access 2003  don t know about earlier versions   For a query in an MDB you can right-click in the query designer  anywhere in the empty space where the tables are   select Properties from the context menu  and enter text in the Description property    You re limited to 256 characters  but it s better than nothing   You can get at the description programatically with something like this   Dim db As Database Dim qry As QueryDef  Set db   Application CurrentDb Set qry   db QueryDefs  myQuery    Debug Print qry Properties  Description

User · Answer

NOTE  Confirmed with Access 2003  don t know about earlier versions   For a query in an MDB you can right-click in the query designer  anywhere in the empty space where the tables are   select Properties from the context menu  and enter text in the Description property    You re limited to 256 characters  but it s better than nothing   You can get at the description programatically with something like this   Dim db As Database Dim qry As QueryDef  Set db   Application CurrentDb Set qry   db QueryDefs  myQuery    Debug Print qry Properties  Description

User · Answer

If you have a query with a lot of criteria  it can be tricky to remember what each one does   I add a text field into the original table - call it  comments  or  documentation   Then I include it in the query with a comment for each criteria   Comments need to be written like like this so that all relevant rows are returned  Unfortunately  as I m a new poster  I can t add a screenshot   So here goes without  Field      Comment               ContractStatus       ProblemDealtWith             Table      ElecContracts         ElecContracts        ElecContracts                Sort     Show     Criteria    lt  gt   all problems are    objection  Or               picked up with this     rejected  Or                criteria  OR Is Null    rolled                      OR       lt  gt  tells the query to choose rows that are not equal to the text you entered  otherwise it will only pick up fields that have text equal to your comment i e  none       enclose your comment in quotes  OR Is Null OR    tells your query to include any rows that have no data in the comments field   otherwise it won t return anything

User · Answer

You can add a comment to an MSAccess query as follows  Create a dummy field in the query   Not elegant but is self-documentating and contained in the query  which makes cheking it into source code control alot more feasible   Jere s an example   Go into SQL view and add the dummy field  you can do from design view too    SELECT   2011-01-21 JTR Added FIELD02  2011-01-20 JTR Added qryHISTORY    as qryHISTORY      rest of query here      Run the query   qryHISTORY                           FIELD01 FIELD02     2011-01-21 JTR Added FIELD02  2011-01-20 JTR Added qryHISTORY     0000001  ABCDEF       Note the use of     as field delimiter in qryHISTORY field  and      as an end of comment  and use of ISO date format and intials  as well as comment   Have tested this with up to 646 characters in the qryHISTORY field

User · Answer

The first answer mentioned how to get the description property programatically  If you re going to bother with program anyway  since the comments in the query are so kludgy  instead of trying to put the comments in the query  maybe it s better to put them in a program and use the program to make all your queries  Dim dbs As DAO Database Dim qry As DAO QueryDef  Set dbs   CurrentDb  put your comments wherever in your program makes the most sense dbs QueryDefs  qryName   SQL    SELECT whatever fields FROM whatever table   DoCmd OpenQuery  qryname

User · Answer

It is not possible to add comments to  normal  Access queries  that is  a QueryDef in an mdb  which is why a number of people recommend storing the sql for queries in a table

[ms-access] How do you comment an MS-access Query?

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