Using backspace - CHR(8) - in Access Query - ms-access

Question

I have a parts management MS Access database. One of the fields is rarely used - it stores whether a part in inventory is actually rare variant of a more common part. Normally the field is used as a suffix to the primary part number and the database generates that in reports while storing the parent part in the database. (One primary database which controls part numbers does not contain any information on the variants, but it's important to store because the storefront database does.)
I've found in some cases the variant is not simply a suffix. In some cases the correct variant part number eliminates a character from the parent part. For example part "3069b" has a variant "3069bpb198". But I found part "30361c" has a variant "30361pb016" which eliminated the "c".
My preferred solution is to encode a backspace character into the field for those variants which require it. Then when i concatenate the parent part number with the variant number, "30361c" & "\bpb016" becomes "30361pb016". However the output I get in my Access query is "30361c□pb016".
The concatenation formulas in the query I've tried are:
PartNum: [pl].[PartID] & [variant] 'returns "30361c\bpb016"
PartNum: Replace([pl].[PartID] & [variant],"\b",Chr(8))
Is what I'm trying to do possible? And if so what am I doing wrong?
I'd really like to avoid having to change the database so the variant contains the full part number instead of a suffix.

Answer 1

How about:
PartNum: left([pl].[PartID],len([pl].[PartID])-1) & [variant]

Answer 2

Well, you might be able to concatenate the backspace, but how and if that will effect the display of the data is a MASSIVE different issue. The use of ctrl-H goes back to the days of green screens, and even the tele-type age. In other words you want a way to optional remove a character, and using ctrl-H with modern GUI and systems that really don't represent a ASCII character steams means that the question is not about how to make ctrl-H work to chop a char, but how can one chop off a character based on some kind of information.
In other words ctr-H is a crazy approach unless you using a ASCII green screen, or say a printer.
I also would not introduce a non printable character into that data, since you can't type that information into a field, and worse yet you thus can't search, sort and deal with that column as data.
It gets even worse. Your business rule is that "some" data in one column is to effect the display of another column!!!! This breaks the relational data model so bad, it is not even funny.
What you need is to add a bit column (true/false). In fact, really what needs to occur is the selection of the first column needs to take into account the 2nd column, and a DIFFERNT choice should have been made here.
Now this trick/idea might have worked 25 years ago when most computers were ASCII, working with green screens, and output to a screen/terminal or even for crazy sakes a teletype machine? Well, then ctrl-H would work.
Modern systems are displaying data in a graphical format, and the data is not really ASCII anymore - but is saved in uni-code. (which allows display in just about any language or region).
Now, assuming that the people who suffered some serious brain damage to consider polluting the data this way?
Well, you could use this function:
Public Function vScrub(ByVal s As Variant) As String
Dim c As Integer
If IsNull(s) Then
vScrub = ""
Exit Function
Else
c = InStr(s, Chr(8))
Do While c <> 0
s = Left(s, c - 2) & Mid(s, c + 1)
c = InStr(s, Chr(8))
Loop
End If
vScrub = s
End Function
So, place the above in a standard code module (not a class module, nor a forms module).
Once done, then any form, any report, and yes even any query can simply wrap the string expression with above
eg:
vScrub([Col1] & [col2])
Edit:
Modify routine to work for multiple chr(8) in the string.