MS Access Question- Homework related -tearing my hair out!

[nekulturny]

Working on a chapter assignment, I submitted last week. I couldn't make the formula work, professor gave it back to me with an extension as well as a formula to try and resubmit. Well using the formulas she gave me, I still can't make it work.

Trying to get a simple record count from a sub forum to a main form. BTW, I absolutely hate MS Access, and I could never see myself using it as a database if I were to own a company. At least Excel tries to help you when you have an error in your formula, access just sits off at the sideline mocking you with no offer to help whatsoever. I have literally been working for hours trying to make what in Excel would be a simple Cell reference work on this miserable access program.

Here is a couple screenshots of what I'm trying to make work:

Form View

Design View

 

[Ijack]

Is there a field called FirstNameCount on the form? If not, think about what you have to do to get that value. I notice that the footer includes the formula

Count([FirstName])

 

[nekulturny]

Is there a field called FirstNameCount on the form? If not, think about what you have to do to get that value. I notice that the footer includes the formula

Count([FirstName])

Here is the email I received from my professor about what to do to make it work:

1. =[frmProgramMemberSubform].[Form]![txtFirstNameCount] Use this code for the Total Members field in the main form.

2. In the subform create a calculated field in the footer of the subform. Please try this and resubmit Case 2.

I know that the professor said to use [txt,, in front of the FirstNameCount]. that gives me a #ERROR message, not having txt in the beginning gives me a blank field entirely.

Unless I'm not understanding her. Yes, there is a formula in the footer. It does indeed show that there are 4 records in the subform. I guess Ultimately what I'm asking is to be able to use that in the footer to display that value in the box of the main form.

There is a field named FirstNameCount in the sub-form, maybe my syntax is wrong? I'm not sure, the FirstNameCount is the name of the field in the subform footer. I just don't understand why Access can't be simple like Excel, if I wanted a 2 cells to reciprocate the same information it would be a simple syntax "=A38".. and every cell I put that in would show what was in A38....