Fundamentals of Access 2003
Creating and Using Forms
Understanding forms
Using the Form wizard
Creating a form that includes a subform
Viewing your form
Entering and editing data in a form
Modifying forms
Form design vocabulary
Modifying the size of your form
Setting properties for the entire form
Specifying the data source for a form
Modifying the sort order
Displaying multiple records
Other useful form properties
Getting to know the Toolbox
Creating new controls
Creating an unbound control
Binding controls to a record source
Working with controls
Creating and editing labels
Creating text boxes
Formatting text
Understanding the formatting toolbar
Copying formatting
Conditional formatting
General formatting tips
Adding lines, boxes, and backgrounds
Specifying tab order
Creating dropdown boxes on forms
Modifying properties for a list or combo box
Creating option groups
Creating tabbed forms
Doing calculations in forms
Creating a calculated control
Understanding forms
Forms are the object you use to enter and view your data. While you can enter data into a table using datasheet view, that method may require a lot of horizontal scrolling, and it may not display the fields in an appropriate order.
Forms allow you to set up the screen for easy data entry—you can duplicate the appearance of a paper form, add additional explanatory fields, and also include subforms for related data and calculations, such as total cost of items or services.
Access allows you to create forms by using a form wizard to do some of the work for you, or to start completely from scratch with a blank design page onto which you move all the fields you want to display.
I recommend starting with the built-in form wizard to save some time in the form creation process.
Using the Form wizard
Open the database and click on the Forms button in the Objects list of the database window.
Click on the “Create form by using wizard” link.
In the first step of the form creation process, you must choose the table on which you want to base your form.
Use the selection buttons to move all or some of the fields from the list of Available Fields into the Selected Fields list.
Once you’ve selected all your fields, click on the Next button.
Choose the type of layout you want for your form. Columnar and tabular are the most popular layout types, because they are easy to edit later, if necessary.
Once you have chosen a layout, click on theNext button.
Choose a style from the default list. Note that these styles haven’t changed much for at least 10 years; Access forms are definitely not a place for making fashion statements! We will look later at changing fonts, backgrounds, etc., so don’t waste a lot of time here agonizing over the lack of options.
Once you have chosen a style, click on the Next button.
Give the form a name. Err on the side of more information in the title rather than less, so that you avoid confusion later.
If you want to see what the form looks like, accept the default selection of “Open the form to view or modify the form’s design” and click on the Finish button.
Creating a form that includes a subform
You can create forms that include data from more than one table. You enter data into the secondary table by using a subform.
Click on the “Create form by using wizard” link.
In the first step of the form creation process, you must choose the table on which you want to base your form.
Once you have chosen the main set of fields, select the additional table and add those fields.
Note: if you want to select fields from multiple tables, the tables must already have an established relationship. Otherwise, you must cancel out of the form wizard, establish the relationship between the two tables, and then start again.
Once you’ve selected all of your fields, click on the Next button.
The next step asks you to specify how you want to view your data. Click on the available grouping options to see how it affects the display of your data.
At the bottom of this screen, specify whether you want to display the second table as a subform or a linked form. A subform will display as an embedded form within the main form, while the linked form option creates two separate forms and puts a button on the first form that allows you to open the second form. Most of the time, a subform is the appropriate choice. However, if you won’t be entering data on the secondary form most of the time, then a linked form might make more sense.
Click on the Next button.
If you are creating a subform, specify the type of layout you want for it, and then click on the Next button.
From this point forward, you follow the standard form creation process of choosing a style and giving the form a name.
Viewing your form
There are several different options for viewing your form; you can choose among them by clicking on the View menu and selecting from there, or by using the dropdown arrow beside the View button.
- Form view: the form as you created it.
- Datasheet view: the selected fields displayed as a datasheet, just like datasheet view for a table. Fields display in the order they were added to the form, and any additional fields that might be included in a table are not displayed, because they are not part of the form.
- Design view: similar in function to Design view when creating a table. This is where you work on the form’s structure by moving parts around, adding additional fields, creating calculations, and other operations.
- PivotTable and PivotChart: allow you to use PivotTables or PivotCharts to analyze the data presented in a form.
Entering and editing data in a form
The process of entering and editing data in a form is quite similar to working in datasheet view of a table. A few important keyboard shortcuts are outlined below.
Keystroke / Where it takes youTab, Enter, or right arrow key / Next field
Shift+Tab or Left arrow key / Previous field
Home / First field of current record
End / Last field of current record
Ctrl+Tab / Subform
Ctrl+Shift+Tab / Main form
Ctrl+Plus Sign (+) / New record
Modifying forms
When it comes to making changes to your forms, there are several categories of actions you can take:
- Changing specific properties for the whole form
- Changing properties of individual controls
- Adding new controls
- Deleting existing controls
Form design vocabulary
Control: an object on the form that displays information. Generally speaking, a control is the form’s equivalent to a field in a table. If you have a control displayed, it will most likely have a label associated with it. That label identifies the name of the control (and draws from the field name or caption information you specified in table design view).
Grid: In design view, the background of the window displays a grid of lines and dots to help you line objects up neatly. You’ll always know you’re in design view if you see the grid.
Toolbox: this is a floating toolbar that displays a button that allows you to create each type of object you might need in your form.
Field list: all the fields that you chose to include in your form when you ran the form creation wizard.
Properties sheet: displays the properties of whatever object is currently selected. You can access the Properties sheet by clicking on the View menu and selecting Properties, or by right-clicking after selecting an object and then selecting Properties from the shortcut menu. There are multiple tabs on the Properties sheet, depending on the type of object selected. The All tab contains all the properties for that object or control.
Modifying the size of your form
You can set the size of the form itself, and the size of the window in which it appears.
To change the size of the form, switch to design view and then hover over either the bottom of the form or the right-hand side.
When the cursor changes to a double-sided arrow, click and drag to create more width or height for the form.
Note: when you’ve finalized the design of your form, you can reverse this process so that there is not a lot of unused space.
To change the size of the window in which the form appears, switch to form view.
Click on the Windows menu and select Size to Fit Form.
Save the form; the save operation saves the size of the window as well.
Setting properties for the entire form
If necessary, you can set properties for the entire form. Select the entire form by clicking on the Form Selector button in the upper-left corner of the form, or by clicking on the dropdown arrow at the top of the Properties sheet and selecting Form.
Specifying the data source for a form
The record source property determines the table(s) or query(ies) from which a form draws its data. Generally speaking, it’s not a good idea to change the record source for a form, because if you’re using different data you should just create a different form. However, if you have created a query to filter the set of fields, you would want to change the record source.
In the Properties sheet, select either the Data or All tab. Record Source is the first property.
Click on the dropdown arrow and select a different source.
Modifying the sort order
To modify the sort order for the form, type the field name you want to sort by into the Order By property.
Enter a space and the word DESC after the field name if you want the records to sort in descending order.
Things to know about sort order:
- If your form is drawing from a table, the data displays in primary key order from that table.
- If your form is drawing from a query, the data displays using the sort order set up for that query.
Displaying multiple records
If your form is relatively small, it may be more efficient to display a whole screen’s worth of forms at once, rather than requiring you to flip through the form one record at a time.
On the All tab of the Properties sheet, click into the Default View field to select one of the available options:
- Single Form: displays one record at a time.
- Continuous Form: repeats the form as many times as needed to fill the window.
- Datasheet: displays the form fields in datasheet view.
- PivotTable and PivotChart: displays as a PivotTable or PivotChart
Other useful form properties
Title bar text: modify the text that displays in the blue title bar by clicking into the Caption property (Format tab). The title bar is usually the same as the name of the form, but if you’re using a specific naming protocol, that form name may be confusing for users.
Scroll bars and navigation buttons: specify whether or not scroll bars and navigation buttons should be available by clicking into the Scroll Bars and Navigation Buttons properties (Format tab). The default for Scroll Bars is Both; click on the dropdown arrow to choose Neither, Horizontal Only, or Vertical Only. The default for Navigation Buttons is Yes; click on the dropdown arrow to select No.
Record selectors: the gray bar that functions as the record selector allows you to select an entire record and then cut, copy, or paste it. To avoid the possibility of users doing this, click into the Record Selectors property (Format tab) and select No.
Read-only forms: you can make certain that no one modifies your data by making a form read-only. Click into the Allow Edits property (data tab) and select No.
Getting to know the Toolbox
Button / Name / What it does or creates/ Select Objects / Allows you to select specific objects so that you can edit them
/ Control Wizards / Runs the wizard associated with whatever type of control you want to create.
/ Label / Text that can be placed on the form
/ Text Box / Text box control that can be bound to a specific field
/ Option Group / Group of option buttons (radio buttons), check boxes, or toggle buttons
/ Toggle / On/off button
/ Option Button / Radio button that is part of an option group
/ Check Box / Box that does or doesn’t contain a check mark
/ Combo Box / Dropdown menu where you can choose from existing options or type in your own text
/ List Box / Dropdown menu where you can choose from existing options; no ability to type in your own text
/ Command Button / Button that performs an action when clicked
/ Image / Picture
/ Unbound Object Frame / Embedded object that is not stored in a table field
/ Bound Object Frame / Embedded object that IS stored in a table field
/ Page Break / Break between pages of a form
/ Tab Control / Tab for displaying different controls (like the tabs at the top of many windows)
/ Subform/subreport / Adds a subform
/ Line / Line for separating parts of a form
/ Rectangle / Rectangle for visual effect
Creating new controls
The most important thing to remember about creating new controls is that they must be bound, or connected, to an existing field in your table or query. Otherwise, when you try to enter data into that field, Access doesn’t know where to put it.
The easiest way to create a new bound control is as follows:
Click on the field you want to add in the Field List window, and then drag it onto the form.
Access creates a control for you, usually a text box that comes with an associated label.
If you switch to form view you can see what your form looks like with the new field included.
Creating an unbound control
Because Access defaults to creating text boxes when using the above method, it is sometimes easier to create an unbound control and then specify the appropriate record source.
In design view, click on the appropriate control type in the Toolbox.
Click into the form window where you want the control to appear. Depending on the type of control you selected, a wizard may appear to help you configure the control.
Notes on specifying the properties for different control types appear in the following sections.
Binding controls to a record source
Before you do anything else with your control, be sure to specify the field to which it connects in your table.
Click on the Properties sheet and select the Data or All tab.
In the Control Source field, click on the dropdown arrow and select the correct field.
Note: take this opportunity to make sure that the label name makes sense. It is usually good practice to have the field label be similar to the control source.
Working with controls
You must select a control before doing anything with it. When you click on a control, small black boxes appear on the its corners and in the middle of each side. These boxes are called selection handles.
When you select a control, you also select its label, if it has one. This is very handy for keeping labels and controls together, but it can be irritating if you want to move them separately.
To select only the control and not its label: click the box in the upper-left corner of the control. The cursor turns into a little hand when you hover over the correct box.
To select only the label and not the control: click the box in the upper-left corner of the control. The cursor turns into a little hand when you hover over the correct box.
Common operations when working with controls:
- Moving: Click on the control and drag to a new location.
- Renaming: Click on the control to select it. Click into the Name property (Other tab) and enter a new name.
- Resizing: Hover over a handle in the correct spot and then drag to resize. Note that radio buttons cannot be resized.
- Deleting: Select the control and then hit the Delete key.
- Copying: Select the control and then use the regular copy-paste commands:
- Ctrl+C to copy
- Ctrl+V to paste
- Changing control type: Right-click on the control and select Change To from the shortcut menu
Creating and editing labels
Labels can add useful information to a form, such as directions for use, headers, footers, or additional titles, and, of course, letting you know what information is contained in each field.