Which field type has a limit of 255 characters?

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In earlier versions of Access, we used the Memo data type to store large amounts of text, and the Text data type to store shorter strings (up to 255 characters). In Access 2013 and Access 2016, these two data types have been renamed “Long Text” and “Short Text” respectively, and they have different properties and size limits depending on whether you’re using a desktop database or an Access web app. Here are the details:

Text fields in desktop databases (.accdb)

Long Text    In .accdb files, the Long Text field works the same as the Memo field of old. That is, it can store up to about a gigabyte of text, even though controls on forms and reports can only display the first 64,000 characters. You can set Long Text fields to display Rich Text, which includes formatting like bold and underline.

Short Text    In .accdb files, the Short Text field works the same as the Text field in earlier versions. It stores up to 255 characters.

Learn more about data types for Access desktop databases.

Text fields in Access web apps

Long Text    In Access web apps, the Long Text field can store up to 2^30-1 bytes, and is equivalent to the SQL Server data type of nvarchar(max). If you want, you can set a character limit to prevent your users from using the full capacity of the field. You can’t store Rich Text in Access web apps.

Short Text    In Access web apps the Short Text field is set to store 255 characters by default, but you can adjust the Character Limit property all the way up to 4000 characters. Its SQL Server equivalent is nvarchar, with length from 1 to 4000.

Learn more about data types for Access web apps.

Default controls for Long Text and Short Text fields

In most cases, Access uses Text Box controls to display Short Text or Long Text fields. However, when you add a Long Text field to a view in an Access web app, Access creates a Multiline Textbox. When using a Multiline Textbox in the browser, you can press Enter to move to a new line in the textbox. If you’re in a datasheet, you’ll need to use the scrollbars to see anything below the first line.

In Desktop databases, if a Long Text field is configured to show Rich Text, and you add that field to a form or report, Access automatically applies the Rich Text setting to the text box.

Need more help?

Issue Description

You want to know the difference between a field with the type of string and text area.


Issue Resolution

Both a string and text field will hold information that you can freely write in. The major difference between the two fields is how many characters you can put in these fields. A string field has a limit of 255 characters, whereas a text field has a character limit of 30,000 characters.

  • A string field is a good choice if you wanting to store data like address, names, or simple custom data.
  • A text area field is a good choice when you want to store information from something like a comment box on a form or if you are importing a large block of text.

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Updated 2 years ago by Niall Clifford

The character limit for Alphanumeric Fields is 255 characters. This means, the information that you insert into this field, has a maximum limit of 255 characters. If for example, the value, 20 is inserted in this field during creation, the field will be limited to 20 characters total. Currently fields cannot exceed 255 characters.

Which field type has a limit of 255 characters?

Once a field is created, you CANNOT adjust the character limit. Please ensure you account for the maximum length of the information you will be capturing in this field at the time of setup.


How did we do?


Khuemy Nguyen07-20-2021 07:39

Decoteau Wilkerson07-20-2021 11:45

Khuemy Nguyen07-20-2021 14:33

Decoteau Wilkerson07-20-2021 16:02

Khuemy Nguyen07-21-2021 12:44

Decoteau Wilkerson07-22-2021 09:14

  • 1.  Character limit on a Text Box field

    It appears that the Text Box field is limit to 255 characters.  Where can I increase the limit size for the Text field?  We do not want to use Rich Text.  Thanks,

    Khuemy

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    Khuemy Nguyen
    Soliel
    Vienna VA
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  • 2.  RE: Character limit on a Text Box field

    Hi Khuemy,Thanks for reaching out! A custom Text Field has a 255 character limit. However, the custom Text Box with Text Box controls field should have a much higher character limit. Can you confirm if your field is a Text Field or Text Box?

    Example: 

    Which field type has a limit of 255 characters?

    Note, I've dug in to see if I could find more on the limit for characters in Rich Text and Text Box fields and came across this:

    Suggested Rich Text Character Limit: approx. 2,097,152 characters (2Mb).
    Suggested Text Box Character Limit: 2,097,152 characters (2Mb). 

    2Mb is roughly 500 pages of text, so the limit is quite high. If you do find yourself switching to a Text Box (or Rich Text) Field and find yourself approaching those limits,  we would recommend adding a text file as an attachment or breaking it up into sub-items.

    Please let me know if you have any questions.

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    Decoteau Wilkerson
    Jama Software
    OR
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  • 3.  RE: Character limit on a Text Box field

    Thank you, Decoteau, for your quick response.

    In my custom item type, the data saves in the default Name (text field) happens to be bigger than 255 chars.  Therefore, Jama truncated the data during the import.  In the project Explorer, by default the value of the Name field is displayed there.  Can this be changed to another field?

    1. If yes would be good, I can create a Text Box field to hold my data and configure it to display in the project Explorer.
    2. If no, can the default Name field be calculated?  for example, the value for the default name field is populated with value(s) of one or two other required fields?

    I'm looking for options, any suggestion is greatly appreciated.  Thanks,

    ------------------------------
    Khuemy Nguyen
    Soliel
    Vienna VA
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  • 4.  RE: Character limit on a Text Box field

    Hi Khuemy, 

    That built-in Name Field is a Unique Field that cannot be edited or changed to a different item type.

    However, you can create a new, custom Text Box Field. Then, you could import your larger number of characters to the new custom field (where data won't get cut off.)

    Let me know if you have any questions.

    ------------------------------
    Decoteau Wilkerson
    Jama Software
    OR
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  • 5.  RE: Character limit on a Text Box field

    Yes, Decoteau.  My plan is to create a custom Text Box/Text Box control field for this data.  The reason I chose to store the data the Name field was because it shows up on the project Explorer.  Can I pick another field to display in the project Explorer?  Thanks,

    Which field type has a limit of 255 characters?

    ------------------------------
    Khuemy Nguyen
    Soliel
    Vienna VA
    ------------------------------

  • 6.  RE: Character limit on a Text Box field

    Hi Khuemy, There isn't a way to customize the Project Explorer Tree to display an alternative field. It will automatically display the built-in name field. I'm sharing a link that shows the ways in which you can customer the Explorer Tree: HERE

    I'd like to suggest a workaround for you. If you view your entire Project in List View, you can configure your fields to display your new custom Text Box. Then, you can drag that field/column in whichever order you prefer. Configuring fields is an option for Projects Reading View, List View, or Trace View. You learn more HERE. 

    I hope that helps!

    ------------------------------
    Decoteau Wilkerson
    Jama Software
    OR
    ------------------------------

Which data type holds 255 characters?

Short Text In . accdb files, the Short Text field works the same as the Text field in earlier versions. It stores up to 255 characters. Learn more about data types for Access desktop databases.

What is the character limit on a text field in Salesforce?

Also, consider the following limitations. Salesforce supports up to 131,072 characters for each rich text area field, including the HTML tags.

How many characters a field can have?

Microsoft Excel has a character limit of 32,767 characters in each cell.

What is the maximum length a text field can be?

The maxlength attribute specifies the maximum number of characters that can be entered. By default, the maximum is 524,288 characters.