A Value List row source populates a list control (list box or combo box) with items that don’t occur naturally in the data. When creating a Value List list control in Access 2003 and earlier, you must separate the items with a semicolon. That’s not a big deal, but it can be tedious, especially if the list is long. Access 2007 makes the process a bit easier:

  1. After inserting a list control, choose Value List as the control’s Row Source Type.
  2. Click the Builder button in the Row Source field to launch the Edit List Items dialog box.
  3. Type an item and press [Enter]. Continue until you’ve entered all of the list items.
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  4. Click OK.

The new dialog box is easier to work with and you can easily set a default value for the list control, but there’s more. It’s much easier to edit this list while using the control. In Form View, Access 2007 displays a small icon below the list control — simply click it to launch the Edit List Items dialog box (shown above) and add or delete items on the fly!