Simplifying Data Entry with Forms

Core Training for Microsoft Office Access 2003

Creating and Exploring Forms

1	To start creating a form using the Form Wizard, on the Objects bar, click Forms.
2	In the Database window, double-click Create form by using wizard.
3	To base the form on the table or query listed in the Tables/Queries box, in this case, the Customers table, and select all the available fields in the Customers table, click the >> button, and then click Next.
4	To apply the default Columnar field layout for the new form, click Next.
5	To select a style for the form and controls, click the Sumi Painting style in the list, and then click Next.
6	To accept the suggested name, Customers, and create the form, make sure that the Open the form to view or enter information option is selected, and then click Finish.
7	To move sequentially through the fields in the Address field, press the TAB key three times.
8	To move to the next record, on the Navigation bar, click the Next Record button, as indicated.
9	To view the last record, on the Navigation bar, click the Last Record button, as indicated.
10	To view the same record in Datasheet view, on the Form View toolbar, click the View arrow, and then click Datasheet View.
11	To scroll to see previous records, click once above the scroll box in the scroll bar.
12	To move to the previous record, press the UP ARROW key.
13	To move to the Customer ID field for the current record, press the HOME key.
14	To move to record 50 in the form, double-click the indicated Active record box, and then, for the purposes of this exercise, press SPACEBAR to have the number 50 entered for you, and then press ENTER.
15	To set the width of the FirstName column to the width of its widest entry, double-click the column separator between the FirstName and LastName column headers.
16	To set the width of the LastName column to the width of its widest entry, double-click the column separator between the LastName and the Address column headers.

Creating a Form Using AutoForm

1	To create a new form by using AutoForm, on the Database window toolbar, click New, and then click AutoForm: Columnar.
2	To specify a table on which to base the form, click the list arrow, click Employees, and then click OK.
3	To save the form, click the File menu, click Save, in the Save As dialog box, accept the default name Employees, and then click OK.
4	To switch to Design view, click the View menu, and then click Design View.
5	To select a field, in the Detail section of the Employees: Form window, click the EmployeeID text box.
6	To edit the field properties, click the View menu, and then click Properties.
7	To set a field property value, in the Text Box: EmployeeID window, click the Data tab.
8	To disable the EmployeeID field, click the Enabled text box, click the Enabled arrow, and then, in the list, click No.
9	To close the Text Box: EmployeeID window, on the title bar, click the Close button.
10	To select the Employees form, click the form selector, as indicated.
11	To switch to Form view, click the View menu, and then click Form View.
12	To switch to Design view, click the View menu, and then click Design View.
13	To edit the form properties, click the View menu, and then click Properties.
14	To remove the form scroll bars, in the Form properties window, click the Format tab, click the Scroll Bars box, click the list arrow, and then in the list, click Neither.
15	To remove the form record selector, click the Record Selectors box, click the list arrow, and then click No.
16	To close the Form properties window, on the title bar, click the Close button.
17	To switch to Form view, click the View menu, and then click Form View.
18	To close the Employees form, click the File menu, and then click Close.
19	To save the changes made to the form, in the Microsoft Office Access message box, click Yes.
20	To delete the Employees form, click Employees, press DELETE, and then in the Microsoft Office Access message box, click Yes.

Refining Form Properties

1	To open the Customers form in Design view and begin refining its properties, in the GardenCo: Database window, click Customers, and then click the Design button on the Form Design toolbar.
2	To expand the form, click the Maximize button on the title bar of the form.
3	To change the font of a label, click the CustomerID label, click the Font arrow, as indicated, on the Formatting toolbar, and then click Microsoft Sans Serif in the Font list.
4	To make the font slightly smaller, click the Font Size arrow, as indicated, on the Formatting toolbar, and then click 8 in the Font Size list.
5	To change the properties assigned to the text box, click the CustomerID text box, click the View menu, and then click Properties.
6	To change the font used in the text box, in the Text Box: CustomerID Properties dialog box, on the Format tab, click the Font Name box, click the Font name arrow, and then click Microsoft Sans Serif in the Font Name list.
7	To make the font smaller, click the Font Size box, click the Font Size arrow, and then click 8.
8	To select all of the controls in the form at the same time so you can change the font for all of them at once, click the Edit menu, and then click Select All.
9	To change the font for all of the selected controls, on the Formatting toolbar, click the Font arrow, and then click Microsoft Sans Serif in the Font list.
10	To change the background color of the controls, in the Multiple selection Properties dialog box, click the Back Style box, click the Back Style arrow, and then click Normal.
11	To change the background color of the selected controls, click Back Color, click the … button, and then, in the Color dialog box, click the indicated square, click OK, and then press ENTER.
12	To add a shadow effect to the selected controls, click the Special Effect arrow, and then click Shadowed in the list.
13	To change the color of the border, click Border Color, click the … button, and then, in the Color dialog box, click the indicated green square, click OK, and then press ENTER.
14	To cancel the selection of the controls and select the entire form, click the Form selector, as indicated.
15	To remove the background color that was set when you created the form, in the Form Properties dialog box, in the Picture box, click to the right of the word (bitmap), drag left to select the text, and then press the DELETE key.
16	To confirm the deletion, press ENTER, and then click Yes.
17	To cancel the selection of the Form section and select the Detail section, click the Detail selector, as indicated.
18	To set the background color for the Detail section, in the Section: Detail Properties dialog box, click the Back Color box, click the … button, and then, in the Color dialog box, click the indicated color, and click OK.
19	To change the caption for the FirstName label, click the FirstName label, and in the Label: FirstName_Label Properties dialog box, in the Caption box, drag from left to right to select First, and then press DELETE.
20	To remove the LastName label, click the LastName label control, and then press DELETE.
21	To select two of the existing form labels, click the CustomerID label, press and hold down the SHIFT key, and then click the Name label.
22	To right-align the selected labels, in the Multiple selection Properties dialog box, click once below the scroll box on the scroll bar, click the Text Align box, click the Text Align arrow, and then click Right in the list.
23	To resize the selected labels to fit their contents, click the Format menu, point to Size, and then click To Fit.
24	To clear the selection of the label controls, click a blank area of the form below the Address text box control.
25	To select all of the text boxes but not the corresponding labels, click a blank area in the lower right corner of the form, as indicated, and drag up and to the left to the CustomerID text box.
26	To insert space between the selected controls, in the Multiple selection Properties dialog box, click once above the scroll box on the scroll bar, drag from left to right to select the contents of the Left box, press SPACEBAR, to have 1.5 entered for you, and then press ENTER.
27	To change the weight of the font for the selected controls, click once below the scroll box on the scroll bar, click the Font Weight box, click the Font Weight arrow, and then click Normal.
28	To close the Properties dialog box and save your changes, on the Multiple selection Properties dialog box, click the Close button, and then on the Form Design toolbar, click the Save button.
29	To view the new form in Form view, on the Database toolbar, click the View button.

Refining Form Layout

1	To open the Customers form in Design view, on the Database toolbar, click the Design button.
2	To resize the FirstName text box, click it, move the pointer to the right edge of the text box until the pointer shape changes to a horizontal arrow, and then drag the right edge of the control to the indicated location.
3	To reposition a text box, click the LastName text box, move the pointer over it, and when the pointer shape changes to a hand, drag the text box to the right of the FirstName text box, as indicated.
4	To move both a text box and its label control, click the Address text box, move the pointer over the selected controls, and when the pointer shape changes to a hand, drag them to the indicated location.
5	To begin creating and saving a style based on the active form so that you can apply it to other new or existing forms, click the Format menu, and then click AutoFormat.
6	To create an AutoFormat based on the new Customers form, click the Customize button, click Create a new AutoFormat based on the Form 'Customers' option, and then click OK.
7	To give the new style a name, for the purposes of this exercise, press SPACEBAR to have the style name entered for you, and then click OK.
8	Notice that the new style now appears in the Form AutoFormats list, and then click OK to close the AutoFormat dialog box.
9	To remove the grids from the form, click the View menu, and then click Grid.
10	To save the changes you made to the form, click the Save button on the Form Design toolbar.
11	To view the form in Form view, click the View button on the Form Design toolbar.

Adding Controls to a Form

1	To open the Customers form in Design view, on the Database toolbar, click the Design button.
2	To increase the size of the form header, point to the line between the Form Header selector and the Detail selector, and drag the line down one inch, as indicated.
3	To display the Toolbox, click the View menu, and then click Toolbox.
4	To start adding an image to the form header, click the Image control, as indicated.
5	To draw the image control on the form, point to the upper-left corner of the Form Header section, drag to the right three inches and down one inch, as indicated.
6	To insert the Garden Company logo, in the Insert Picture dialog box, double-click Garden Company, double-click Artwork, click tgclogo, and then click OK.
7	To add a label to display a heading, in the Toolbox, click the Label button, and then in the Form Header section, to the right of the logo, drag from the top left corner of the indicated area to the bottom right corner of the indicated area, to draw a label control box.
8	To add a caption to the new label control, for the purposes of this exercise, press SPACEBAR, to have the text Customers entered for you, and then press ENTER.
9	To adjust the size of the font in the label, click the View menu, and then click Properties.
10	On the Format tab of the Label: Label21 dialog box, click the Font Size box, click the Font Size arrow, and then click 18 in the list.
11	To center the text in the label and then close the Label: Label21 dialog box, click the Text Align box, click the Text Align arrow, click Center, and then click the Close button on the title bar of the dialog box.
12	To adjust the size of the label to fit its contents, click the Format menu, point to Size, and then click To Fit.
13	To insert a combo box below the Country text box, in the Toolbox, click the indicated Combo Box control, and then drag from the top left corner of the indicated area to the bottom right corner of the indicated area, to draw a combo box.
14	To copy and apply the formatting of the Country text box to the new combo box, click the Country text box, click the Format Painter button, as indicated, and then click the combo box.
15	To set the source of data for the combo box, click the Unbound combo box, click the View menu, click Properties, and then in the Combo Box: Combo 24 dialog box, click the Data tab.
16	In the Control Source box, click the Control Source arrow, click Country in the list, and then press ENTER.
17	To have the data entered in the combo box for you, click the Row Source box, click the Row Source arrow, press SPACEBAR, and then press ENTER.
18	To start changing the combo box label caption, click the combo box label, and in the Label: Label25 dialog box, click the Format tab.
19	To have the new caption text entered for you, press the SPACEBAR, and then press ENTER.
20	To resize the Country label, click the Format menu, point to Size, and then click To Fit.
21	To delete the original Country text box and its label, in the Detail section, click the original Country text box, and then press the DELETE key.
22	To move the new combo box, drag the Country combo box and its associated label to where the original Country text box was, as indicated.
23	To close the Combo Box: Combo 24 dialog box, click the Close button. Then, to close the Toolbox, in the title bar of the Toolbox window, click the Close button.
24	To save the form and view it in Form view, click the Save button on the Form Design toolbar, and then click the View button on the Form Design toolbar.
25	To use the combo box, on the Navigation bar, click the Next Record button once, click the Country box arrow, and then click USA in the list.
26	To undo the last change, on the Formatting toolbar, click the Undo button.
27	To return to Design view and make a few more adjustments to the form, click the View button, and then double-click the Form selector.
28	To remove the indicated record selector, on the Format tab, double-click in the Record Selectors box.
29	To remove the scroll bars, double-click Scroll Bars box, and then click the Close button on the title bar of the Form dialog box.
30	To save and view the form's new design, click the Save button on the Form Design toolbar, and then click the View button on the Form Design toolbar.

Adding a Subform to a Form

1	To define relationships, click the Tools menu, and then click Relationships.
2	To select the tables, in the Show Table dialog box, notice that the Categories table is selected by default, click Add, click Products, and then click Add.
3	To close the Show Table dialog box, click Close.
4	To relate the common fields, in the Categories table field list, drag the CategoryID field to the CategoryID field in the Products table field list, as indicated.
5	To enforce referential integrity, in the Edit Relationships dialog box, click the Enforce Referential Integrity check box.
6	To enable cascade update and cascade delete, click the Cascade Update Related Fields check box, click the Cascade Delete Related Records check box, and then click Create.
7	To close the Relationships window, click the File menu, and then click Close.
8	To save the relationship, in the Microsoft Office Access message box, click Yes.
9	To open the Categories form in Design view, click Categories, and then on the Database window toolbar, click Design.
10	To increase the size of the form Detail section, in the Categories: Form window, drag the indicated Form Footer section selector down to the 3 ½ inch mark on the vertical ruler.
11	To insert a subform control, in the Toolbox, click the indicated Subform/Subreport button, click the indicated left area of the Detail section, and, to draw a rectangle, move the mouse diagonally to the indicated right area.
12	To use existing tables and queries for the subform, in the Subform Wizard, click Next.
13	To specify a table for the subform, click the Tables/Queries list arrow, and then click Tables: Products.
14	To include fields on the subform, under Available Fields, click ProductName, and then click the > button.
15	To confirm the fields on the subform, click Next.
16	To use the CategoryID field to link the form and the subform, click Next.
17	To complete the subform creation process, click Finish.
18	To maximize the Categories form window, on the form window title bar, click the Maximize button.
19	To switch to Form view, click the View menu, and then click Form View.
20	To display the list of categories, in the subform, click in the Category box of the first record, and then click the Category list arrow.
21	To change the category, in the Category list, click Cacti.
22	To close the form window, on the title bar of the form window, click the Close button, and to save the changes, in the Microsoft Office Access message box, click Yes.