Access Denied.

August 19, 2009 1:20 PM

Access 2003 transfer text method oddity: Why is the character "#" being replaced with "." in my column heading?

I am finishing a data-export widget which takes a set of records and writes them out to a date-and-time-stamped filenamed text file. I am using Access 2003. Everything is working swimmingly except one thing.

I am using the TransferText method within a VBA routine to export the output of a query.

The third-party-provided export schema specifies that the first column name is to be "Foo #", where 'Foo' is not the actual word in the column name.

On export, the file writes as I wish it to with one exception. The "Foo #" header has automagically transformed into "Foo ."

Searching MSDN for instances of "#" or "." is a hopeless endeavor as I am sure you will appreciate. Any insights?

I have tried escaping the "#" in various ways. I have not yet tried entering it via code. I am off to research using character codes and escaping data in and out of Access and will check back here near the end of my workday, about three hours from now.

posted by mwhybark to computers & internet (3 comments total)

Looks like an extensive discussion of this - behind a paywall:

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Microsoft/Development/MS_Access/Q_23500679.html
posted by mwhybark at 1:57 PM on August 19

Some info on the # character in Access. As suspected, it is a reserved character for certain things:

http://tech.kateva.org/2008/06/access-2003-and-bugs-with-special.html
posted by mwhybark at 2:03 PM on August 19

The point is moot: client just okayed using "Number" instead of "#" in colhead. Thankfully.
posted by mwhybark at 2:39 PM on August 19