Hi all,
I am wondering if anyone out there knows why the wild card (*) will not work 
in an MS Access 2010 query.

I tried, as I have for years, to enter a criteria in a query as follows:
Like "*" & [Forms]![FormName]![FieldName] & "*"
And it creates this
ALike "*" & [Forms]![FormName]![FieldName] & "*" and then won't work
Please help someone as I am at my wits end.
Thanks in advance

JayTee 

Depending on how you're using it, you may need to use % as the wildcard, not 
*.

-- 
Doug Steele, Microsoft Access MVP
http://www.AccessMVP.com/djsteele
Co-author: Access 2010 Solutions, published by Wiley
(no e-mails, please!)



"JayTee" <jtennyen@bigpond.net.au> wrote in message 
news:0miLn.27375$pv.13213@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> Hi all,
> I am wondering if anyone out there knows why the wild card (*) will not 
> work in an MS Access 2010 query.
>
> I tried, as I have for years, to enter a criteria in a query as follows:
> Like "*" & [Forms]![FormName]![FieldName] & "*"
> And it creates this
> ALike "*" & [Forms]![FormName]![FieldName] & "*" and then won't work
> Please help someone as I am at my wits end.
> Thanks in advance
>
> JayTee
> 

On Wed, 26 May 2010 23:42:52 GMT, "JayTee" <jtennyen@bigpond.net.au> wrote:

>Hi all,
>I am wondering if anyone out there knows why the wild card (*) will not work 
>in an MS Access 2010 query.
>
>I tried, as I have for years, to enter a criteria in a query as follows:
>Like "*" & [Forms]![FormName]![FieldName] & "*"
>And it creates this
>ALike "*" & [Forms]![FormName]![FieldName] & "*" and then won't work
>Please help someone as I am at my wits end.
>Thanks in advance
>
>JayTee 
>

Sounds like you've set the database's properties to use SQL/92 format queries
(not sure just how it phrases it). The ALike is the clue. ALike is equivalent
to the SQL/Server syntax of LIKE, and uses % rather than * as the "match any
string" wildcared (also it uses _ rather than ? as the match a single
character). See the online Help for "ALIKE".
-- 

             John W. Vinson [MVP]

"JayTee" <jtennyen@bigpond.net.au> wrote in
news:0miLn.27375$pv.13213@news-server.bigpond.net.au: 

> I am wondering if anyone out there knows why the wild card (*)
> will not work in an MS Access 2010 query.
> 
> I tried, as I have for years, to enter a criteria in a query as
> follows: Like "*" & [Forms]![FormName]![FieldName] & "*"
> And it creates this
> ALike "*" & [Forms]![FormName]![FieldName] & "*" and then won't
> work Please help someone as I am at my wits end.
> Thanks in advance

Because you're using ALIKE instead of LIKE. ALIKE exists to allow
you to use SQL Server compatible wildcards, in which case you'd use
% in place of * and _ in place of ?. 

-- 
David W. Fenton                  http://www.dfenton.com/ 
usenet at dfenton dot com    http://www.dfenton.com/DFA/

John W. Vinson <jvinson@STOP_SPAM.WysardOfInfo.com> wrote in
news:bdjrv5101refd18d63uk2d39otdt7d4k1d@4ax.com: 

> On Wed, 26 May 2010 23:42:52 GMT, "JayTee"
> <jtennyen@bigpond.net.au> wrote: 
> 
>>Hi all,
>>I am wondering if anyone out there knows why the wild card (*)
>>will not work in an MS Access 2010 query.
>>
>>I tried, as I have for years, to enter a criteria in a query as
>>follows: Like "*" & [Forms]![FormName]![FieldName] & "*"
>>And it creates this
>>ALike "*" & [Forms]![FormName]![FieldName] & "*" and then won't
>>work Please help someone as I am at my wits end.
> 
> Sounds like you've set the database's properties to use SQL/92
> format queries (not sure just how it phrases it). The ALike is the
> clue. ALike is equivalent to the SQL/Server syntax of LIKE, and
> uses % rather than * as the "match any string" wildcared (also it
> uses _ rather than ? as the match a single character). See the
> online Help for "ALIKE". 

ALIKE works even when you don't have SQL 92 mode turned on.

I've never quite figured out what purpose it serves, to be honest,
as all it does is allow you to use the SQL Server-compatible
wildcards. I don't know if it's compatible with other SQL dialects. 

-- 
David W. Fenton                  http://www.dfenton.com/ 
usenet at dfenton dot com    http://www.dfenton.com/DFA/