ACC2000: Format Property of "**$#,##0.00" Is Changed to "**" in Access 2000

After you type a Format property of **$#,##0.00 for a control in a report or a form, or for a field in Design view of a table, Microsoft Access 2000 resets the Format property to **. This causes all asterisks to be displayed in the control or in the field. For example, when you preview a report that has a Format property setting of **$#,##0.00 for a control, both print preview and a hard-copy printout display all asterisks for that control. In a form or a table in Datasheet view, a control or a field that has a Format property setting of **$#,##0.00 appears as all asterisks.

NOTE: The resetting of the Format property does not occur in Microsoft Access 97. If you convert a Microsoft Access 97 database that has a report, a form, or a table that contains a Format property setting of **$#,##0.00 to Microsoft Access 2000, the Format property is changed to ** during the conversion.

To resolve this problem, obtain Microsoft Office 2000 Service Release 1/1a (SR-1/SR-1a).

To obtain SR-1/SR-1a, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: To temporarily work around this problem, change the Format property setting so that the asterisks are at the end of the format string. For example instead of using the format of **$#,##0.00, use the format of $#,##0.00**. By using this format, you ensure that the value appears at the beginning of the field and that the remaining space is filled with asterisks.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in Access. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Office 2000 SR-1/SR-1a.

The $#,##0.00** format is most commonly used for printing checks.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Create a new report or form that is based on the Order Details table of the sample database Northwind.mdb or the sample project NorthwindCS.adp.
2. Add the UnitPrice field to the form or report as a text box.
3. Set the Format property of the UnitPrice text box to **$#,##0.00.
4. Press ENTER. Note the change in the Format property to **. View the form in Form view or preview the report. Note that the value in UnitPrice text box contains all asterisks.