005.form

Building a User Interface with Forms

Creating Simple Forms

Creates a readymade form based on a table orquery:

− In the navigation pane, select the table orquery use to generate the form.

− Choose Create ➝ Forms ➝ Form.

Using Forms

Finding and Editing a Record

Adding a Record

Deleting a Record

Printing Records

Sorting and Filtering in a Form

− Quick filter

− Filter by selection

− Filter by condition

− Advanced filters

More Useful Form Properties

The Property Sheet to change the view of yourform, letting an ordinary form show multipleitems or a split view.

However, the Property Sheet is packed withmany more settings.

(reference to Table 12-2, Page 396)

The Form Wizard

The Form wizard asks you a series of questionsand then builds a form to match.

− Choose Create ➝ Forms ➝ Form Wizard.

− From the drop-down list, choose the table youwant to use.

− Add the fields you want to include, click Next.

− Choosea layout option for your form.

The Form Wizard

Layout options include:

− Columnar similar to clicking Create ➝ Forms➝ Form on the ribbon.

− Tabular similar to clicking Create ➝ Forms ➝More Forms ➝ Multiple Items in the ribbon.

− Datasheet creates a datasheet form. It’ssimilar to selecting Create ➝ Forms ➝ MoreForms ➝ Datasheet in the ribbon.

Designing Advanced Forms

Customizing Forms in Design View:

− Create a form in Layout view: Choose CreateForms Blank Form.

− Drag the fields from the Field List pane intoform.

− Create a form in Design view. Choose Create Forms Form Design. Start with a blankform in the design window.

− Drag fields from the Field List pane into form.

Form Sections

Newly created forms start with only onesection: the Details section, which defines thecontent for each record.

Form Sections

To add a title or logo at the top of form, or somesort of summary information or message at thebottom, must include a header and footersection.

To add these elements to form, right-clickanywhere on the form’s surface, and thenchoose Page Header/Footer.

Adding Controls to Your Form

To add a control, follow these steps:

− Head to the ribbon’s Form Design ToolsDesignControls section.

− Optionally, switch on the Use Control Wizardsbutton.

− Click the icon for the control you want.

− To place your control on the form, drag themouse cursor to draw the control on the form.

− If control has a Control wizard and useControl Wizards, the wizard appears now.

Adding Controls to Your Form

− If you’re adding a label, supply some text forthe control.

− Change the appropriate settings in theProperty Sheet.

− Give control a better name by setting theName property.

− Format your control.

Form controls (reference Table 13-1. Page 407)

Arranging Controls on Form

Working with controls in Design view:

− Create a control: Select the control youwant, and then draw it in the right place.

− Move a control: Just click and drag it. You canalso move several controls at Once.

− Resize a control: Drag the edges of therectangle that surrounds it.

− Modify a control: Select control and setproperty in the Property Sheet.

− Delete a control: Select it press Delete

Arranging Controls on Form

Aligning controls:

− Select the control, right-click

− Choose an option in the Align submenu

− Or select Arrange Align

Arranging Controls on Form

Sizing controls:

− Select the controls, right-click theselection, choose an option from the Sizemenu.

− Use To Widest to make all the controls as wideas the widest one of the bunch.

Spacing controls:

− To modify the space appears between thecontrols:

Arranging Controls on Form

− Select all the controls Form Design Tools |Arrange ➝ Sizing & Ordering ➝Size /Spacemenu.

− Select the commands to adjust the spacingbetween controls:

Equal Horizontal.

Equal Vertical.

Increase Horizontal and Increase Vertical.

Decrease Horizontal and Decrease Vertical.

Anchoring: Automatically Resizing Controls

Normally, the controls have a fixed, unchangingsize. Fixed size controls make for easydesign, but they’re inflexible.

Anchoring lets you create controls that cangrow to fill extra space when the Accesswindow is resized.

Anchoring: Automatically Resizing Controls

Making controls as wide as the form

− In Design view, shrink the width of the Detailssection so it’s just wide enough to fit controls.

− Choose the controls that you want to expandalong with the window’s size.

− Choose Form Design Tools Arrange

Position Anchoring Stretch Across Top.

Taking Control of Controls

Locking Down Fields: Every bound controlprovides the following two properties that youcan use to control editing by using the PropertySheet in Design view.

− Locked determines whether you can makechanges in a field.

− Enabled lets you deactivate a controlaltogether.

Taking Control of Controls

Prevent Errors with Validation:

− Validation Rule sets an expression that thevalue must meet to be considered valid.

− Validation Text.

− Input Mask.

− Default Value

Performing Calculations with Expressions

To create an expression on form:

− Add a text box control to your form

− In the Property Sheet, choose the Data tab.Place expression in the Control Source setting.

− Optionally, set Enabled to No to hammer homethe point that this value can’t be edited.

− Optionally, apply formatting.

Organizing with Tab Controls

Tab control is used:

− Present large amounts of content in a limitedspace. Organize this content into separatepages. At a time, can see only one page.

− In forms that are primarily designed forediting or reviewing data, data can besubdivided into logical groups, and editingtasks often involve just one group.

Organizing with Tab Controls

To use a tab control, follow these steps:

In the ribbon’s Form Design Tools DesignControls section , click the Tab Control.

Draw the tab control onto form

Every new tab control starts with two pages.

− To create a new page, right-click any tab andchoose Insert Page.

− To remove an existing page, right-click it andchoose Delete Page.

Place controls on the different pages.

Navigating with Lists

There are two list controls in Access forms: thelist box and the combo box.

There are two ways to use list controls:

− Use to edit a field. Access automaticallycreates a combo box control when there’s alookup defined for the field

− Use to navigate to the record, the list showsthe field value for every record in the table.When choose one of the values, Access jumpsto the corresponding record.

Navigating with Lists

Create List control:

− Make sure the Control Wizard feature isturned on.

− In Form Design Tools Design Controlssection, click List Box or Combo Box.

− Draw the control on the form.

− Choose “Find a record on my form”Next.

− Choose the field you want to use for thelookup Next.

− Enter a caption for list Finish

Command Buttons

Command buttons let you trigger just about anyaction, like opening a new form, printing areport…

Crate Button by using wizard:

− In the ribbon’s Form Design Tools Design Controls section, click the Button.

− Draw the button into form.

Command Buttons

− Choose one of the actions:

Record Navigation

Record Operations

Form Operations

Report Operations

Application

Miscellaneous

− Click Next

− Enter some text and choose a picture Next

− Supply a name for the button Finish

The Sub form Control

The sub form control shows linked records

Three properties determine what the sub formcontrol shows:

− The Source Object property identifies theobject in the database that has the relatedrecords.

− Link Master Fields: is the field in the form.

− Link Child Fields: is the field in the sourceobject.

Navigation Forms

Creating a Single-Level Navigation Form:

− To create navigation form, pick one of the topthree options from the Create ➝ Forms ➝Navigation menu.

− To add a navigation button for one offorms, click the form in navigation pane, anddrag it into the navigation control.

− If want to change the navigation buttoncaption, double-click the caption and type thenew name.

Navigation Forms

Creating a Two-Level Navigation Form:

− To create navigation form, pick one of thebottom three options from the Create ➝Forms ➝ Navigation menu.

Navigation Forms

− Add a heading for your top-level menu by click“[Add New]” and type in a new caption.

− To add the submenu for this heading, drag aform from the navigation pane into thesubmenu.

Linking to Related Data

Showing Linked Records in Separate Forms: Byadding a button to form that pops open anotherform with the linked records

− Open the parent form in Design view.

− Click the Button icon, and draw the buttononto form.

− Choose the Form Operations OpenForm, Next.

− Choose the child form that has the relatedrecords , Next.

Linking to Related Data

− Choose “Open the form and find specific data todisplay”Next.

− In the list on the left, choose the uniqueidentifying field from the first table.

− In the list on the right, choose the matchingfield from the second table.

− Click the two-way arrow button Next

− Finish.