How To Bind a DataList or DataCombo to a Recordset at Run Time

SUMMARY

When binding a DataList or a DataCombo control to an ADO recordset at run time, follow the steps below:

   DataCombo1.DataField = "DestinationBoundField"
   DataCombo1.BoundColumn = "SourceBoundField"
   DataCombo1.ListField = "SourceDisplayField"
   Set DataCombo1.RowSource = rsSourceRecordset
   Set DataCombo1.DataSource = rsDestinationRecordset
				

For example, you may want to maintain an EmployeeID field in an Orders table; however, you would want to allow the user to select the appropriate employee information by the employee's name, rather than by the EmployeeID field.

In this case, the destination for the selection from the combo box is the EmployeeID field in the Orders recordset. But the source for this information is the recordset containing information from the Employees table.

The ListField property should be set to the field whose information you want to display; while the BoundColumn property should be set to the field whose information you want to bind to the destination recordset. In this case, the ListField would be EmployeeName and the BoundColumn would be EmployeeID.