create forms

Task: create forms		No	E4
No	Steps	Yes	No
01	Open the software Package
02	Open the exiting database
03	Create new form using design view or wizard
04	Add field to the form
05	Apply header and footer
06	Create suitable command button
07	Apply suitable color
08	Save the form required name

Making Forms More Usable

You already know that forms can help you increase the integrity of your data by limiting what your user can see and how they can enter data. You saw that using a drop down list can make data entry easy. Now it is time to think about the design of your forms from your form user's perspective. Let's look at the Orders form in our bookstore scenario. The basic form, which was created with the Form

command, looks like this:

You have already seen how a Combo Box control can make a form more userfriendly. In Access 2007, there are several other ways you can modify forms to make them easier to use and, at the same time, increase the integrity of the database. This lesson will explain how to use form properties to limit the actions your form user can take. It will also walk you through hiding fields on a form and adding command buttons to the form.This form is where we would want our user, the store employee, to pair a customer with a book to complete an order. Let's look at this form from our user's point of view: l Our employee would be adding new orders, not editing existing ones. We will set form properties  to limit this action. l The user will also never need to enter the Order ID number, as this is the number that the database assigns each order record to differentiate it from other orders. We will hide this field. l The Customer ID field and the Book ID field are not very useful as they are, because our employee would have to know each customer's ID number and every Book ID number to be able to enter the data in the format we need. We will make these fields more usable by creating Combo Boxes that help our user select the correct customer and book.

l Our user will not need to enter the Order Date, because we want the database to auto-populate this field in the database using today's date. We will set field properties to make this happen.

Setting Form Properties

Access 2007 allows you to set many form properties. Form properties are options that are set in Design View on the Property Sheet, like the one shown below. These options control how the form looks, works, and interacts with the rest of the database.

To Set Form Properties

To set properties for your form:

1.       View the form in Design View.

2.       Select the Property Sheet command from the Tools group on the Ribbon, as seen above.

Note: The form Property Sheet is also accessible by right clicking anywhere on the form in Design View and selecting Properties from the menu.

1.       When the property sheet opens:

2.       Make sure Form is selected in the Selection type drop down list

3.       Set the desired form properties.

Setting Field Properties with the Property Sheet

Tip: Use the tabs to find the specific property you wish to set. Use the help that Microsoft Access 2007 offers you in the bottom left corner of the Access window to know what each property setting

Creating Command Buttons

Another way to make a form more user-friendly is by adding command buttons to the form. Command buttons are a quick way for your form user to take a specific action. These command buttons are grouped into categories of actions, including:

1.       Record Navigation command buttons -- easily allow your user move among the records in your database.

2.       Record Operation command buttons -- let your user do things like save or print a record.

3.       Form Operation command buttons -- give your user the ability to quickly open or close a form, print the current form, and other actions

4.       Report Operation command buttons -- offer the user a quick way to do things such as preview or mail a report

5.       To Add a Command Button to a Form

6.       To add a command button to a form:

7.       Click the Button command in the Controls group on the Ribbon.

Button Command in Controls Group

1.       When the Command Button Wizard opens:

2.       Select the type of command you want from the Categories list.

3.       Select the specific action you want the command button to perform from the Actions list.

4.       Click Next.

Command Button Wizard - Step 1

1.       In the next Wizard step:

2.       If you want text to appear on the button, enter it in the Text box.

3.       If you want a picture to appear on the button, select one using the Browse button.

4.       Click Next.

Command Button Wizard - Step 2

1.       In the next Wizard step:

2.       Give the button a meaningful name.

3.       Access will give your button a default name. Renaming it with a more useful name may help later if you have several buttons on a form and wish to change the properties of one.

4.       Click Finish.

The command button should be operational and appear on the form in Form View does.