Change a Controls Data Source

There are three types of controls that you can add to your forms: Bound, Unbound, and Calculated.

• Bound controls are bound or connected to an underlying field in a table or query. You use bound controls to display, enter, and update field values in your database. The fields that you can add to a form using the Field List are all examples of bound controls.
• Unbound controls are not bound to an underlying field in a table or query. You use unbound controls to display information. Labels, text boxes, and buttons can all be inserted on a form as unbound controls.
• Calculated controls are bound or connected to an underlying field in a table or query. Technically, calculated controls are unbound controls because they do not update any table field.

A control's Control Source property determines what is displayed in a control.

• A bound control's Control Source property contains the name of the underlying database field to which it is bound.
• An unbound control's Control Source property does not contain the name of an underlying database field.
• A calculated control's Control Source property contains an expression that calculates the values displayed in the control.