Concat ComboBox choices into textbox - ms-access

Question

I have 3 tables:
tbl1Artist:
ID - (PK),
ArtistName,
ArtistSKU
tbl1Medium:
ID - (PK),
MediumType,
MediumSKU
tbl1Artwork:
ID - (PK),
Artist_ID - (FK),
Medium_ID - (FK),
PieceName,
DateCompleted,
ArtWorkSKU,
Thumbnail
I want to create a form that has a ComboBox for choosing an Artist and a separate ComboBox for choosing the medium type. There will be a TextBox for inputting the name of the piece and a date picker (ComboBox). I need to concatenate the ArtistSKU based on the choice from the Artist with the MediumSKU based on the choice from the Medium ComboBox, and the first 5 letters of the PieceName from the TextBox.
I have done some research to try and figure out how to achieve this but with no luck. Can this be achieved inside of Access with queries or is VBA required to achieve the intended outcome?
I am not that familiar with Access and appreciate all the assistance and guidance.
Let me know if you need further information about this request.

Answer 1

This can be accomplished with expression in query or textbox. Use Left() function to extract first 5 characters.
Example in textbox:
=[cbxArtist] & [cbxMedium] & Left([tbxPiece],5)
If the value you want is actually in another column of combobox list, reference that column by its index. Index begins with 0.
=[cbxArtist] & [cbxMedium].Column(1) & Left([tbxPiece],5)
If you want to save calculated value to table, that would require code (macro or VBA), however, advise not to save. Saved calculated values can become 'out of sync' with raw data. This value can be calculated when needed. But if you must, then code would be like:
Me!ArtWorkSKU = Me.tbxArt
The real trick is figuring out what event to put this code into. Try the form BeforeUpdate event.