Ch04 cmpt110

Succeeding in Business with Microsoft Access 2013
Collecting Data with
Well-Designed Forms
Chapter 4

Chapter Introduction
• Automate process of acquiring data needed
for day-to-day operation of business
• Forms can show only one record at time
– Provide many advantages to database users
– Flexibility for users and designers
• Consist of one or many pages
• Design all forms in a database to create
consistent look and feel
– Include buttons that facilitate navigation
2

Tools Covered in this Chapter
• Themes
• Calculated field
• Combo box (for locating a record)
• Command button
• Control Wizards
3

Tools Covered in this Chapter (cont’d.)
• Find tool
• Form properties
• Form Wizard
• Subform control
• Tab control
• Tab order
4

Level 1 Objectives:
Developing Simple Forms to Facilitate Data Entry
• Design forms for efficient data entry
• Create simple forms for data entry and editing
• Develop a consistent user interface
5

Designing Forms for Efficient Data Entry
• Electronic form
– Object used to enter, update, and print records
– Present records in format that makes data easy to
enter and retrieve
• Guidelines for designing electronic forms:
– Provide meaningful title
– Organize fields logically
– Use appealing form layout
– Include familiar field labels
6

Designing Forms for Efficient Data Entry
(cont’d.)
• Guidelines for designing electronic forms:
– Be consistent with terminology and abbreviations
– Allow for convenient cursor movement
– Prevent and correct errors
– Include explanatory messages for fields
• Before creating form in Access
– Sketch on paper
– Verify database integrity
– Test tables and relationships
– Examine and enter sample data
7

Succeeding in Business with Microsoft Access 2013 8
Figure 4.1: Comparing a well-designed form with a poorly designed form

Verifying Database Integrity
• Accurate data
– Major goal in every database
• Errors can be prevented by the design of database
– Prevent manual entry of fields
• Examine each table in Design view
– Verify that field properties in place
• Test
– Formats and input masks
– Validation rules
– Relational integrity
9

Examining and Entering Data
• Enter data into records using:
– Table’s Datasheet view
– Form that includes fields from one or more tables
• Most Access database applications use forms
for data entry
– After database released for regular business use
10

Creating Simple Forms for Data Entry and
Editing
• Access provides many ways to create forms
– Options for creating simple forms
• Form tools
• Form wizard
11

Creating a Form Using the Form Tool
• Click the CREATE tab, then click the Form tool
in the Forms group
• Access creates form by:
– Arranging all fields in table in columnar format
– Displays first record in form window
– Converts subdatasheet into subform
12

Creating a Form Using the Form Tool (cont’d.)
• Move from one field to next
– Switch to Form view and press the Tab key
• Move from one record to another
– Click buttons on record navigation bar at bottom
of main form
– Data in subform changes
13

Using the Form Wizard
• Specify field order
• Specify particular layout and style for form
• Click the Forms Wizard button in the Forms
group on the CREATE tab
14

Figure 4.6: Starting the Form Wizard

Figure 4.7: Select the fields you want to show on the form

Figure 4.8: Form for the tblDoctor table

Using the Form Wizard (cont’d.)
• Record source
– Underlying object
– Provides fields and data in form
• Bound form
– Displays data from fields in its record source
• Unbound form
– Do not have record source
– Usually used to help users navigate
18

• Using design elements called controls
– Small objects such as text boxes, buttons, and
labels
19

Figure 4.10: Form for the tblCustomer in Design view

• Form header
– Displays information that always appears on form
even when records change
– Top of screen
• Form footer
– Displays information that always appears on form
– Bottom of screen
– Often contains
• Instructions for using form
• Buttons to perform actions
23

• Page headers and footers
– Display information at top or bottom of every page
– Appear only when printing form by default
– Headers
• Useful for column headings dates, and page numbers
– Footers
• Display summaries and page numbers
• Grid
– Form background
24

Examining a Form in Design view
• Design view Detail section
– Fields have two parts
• Label
• Text box
– Move and sizing handles
• Adjust to where data fits
25

Developing a Consistent User Interface
• Forms in database share same design
– Present consistent user interface
– Users learn how to use forms once
• Apply what they learn to all forms in database
• Access Themes are simple way to make forms
and reports appear more professional
– Borders, background colors, shading and graphic
effects applied to entire form
26

Developing a Consistent User Interface (cont’d.)
• Click Design Tab on the Ribbon and click
Themes button in Themes group
– Scroll down gallery and select theme
• Click in Form header, click Format tab, Shape
Fill
– Change colors using the Shape Fill menu of colors
27

Changing Label Properties in a Form
• Select label box to change
– Right click label and click Form Properties
• Property sheet opens
– Select property to modify the appearance and
behavior of the label
28

Adding an Unbound Graphic
• Resize form header in Design view so image
will fit
• To add a logo
– Click the FORM DESIGN TOOLS DESIGN tab
– Click Logo button in Header/Footer group
• Insert desired graphic
• Use size mode property Clip option for best fill of image
29

Level 1 Summary
• Forms provide easy to use interface
– Normally used in production databases to
access/edit data
• Create using
– Form tool
– Form Wizard
30

Level 2 Objectives: Creating Forms
that Use Fields From More than One Table
• Create multitable forms
• Improve navigation on forms
• Add controls to forms
31

Adding a Subform to an Existing Form
• Subform
– Form embedded in another form
• Primary form
– Called main form
– Underlying table usually has one-to-many
relationship with table underlying subform
• Main form and subform linked
– Subform displays only records that related to
current record in main form
32

Adding a Subform to an Existing Form (cont’d.)
• Use Wizard to create subform
– Access automatically synchronizes main form with
subform
– Only if tables containing fields for form related
– Subform must also have field with same name or
compatible data type and field size as primary key
in table underlying main form
• Main form can have more than one subform
• Subform can also contain another subform
33

Modifying the Form Layout
• Can move and resize controls, including
subform
– Click right edge of form to get two headed arrow
• Drag to make form wider
– To widen the subform
• Click border
– Sizing handles appear
– Point to the middle-right handle
– Pointer changes to a double-sided arrow
– Then drag the subform border
34

Modifying the Form Layout (cont’d.)
• Select other controls to move text box and
attached label together
• Labels
– Move with text field or independently
– Edit text
– Resize
35

Creating a Form from a Query
• User view
– Custom form that shows only fields particular user
wants
– Might or might not be used for data entry
– In some cases fields may be locked so all user can
only view them and not edit them
• Use Form Wizard to create form based on
query
– Access asks which table to view results by
36

Creating a Form from a Query (cont’d.)
• Prevent editing
– Set form properties to No
• Allow edits
• Allow deletions
• Allow additions
• Data entry
37

Adding Command Buttons to a Form
• Command buttons
– Users click to perform common tasks
• Access provides collection of command
buttons
– Associated with actions
– Can contain
• Text
• Standard icons available from Access
• Graphics
38

Adding Command Buttons to a Form (cont’d.)
• Create in Design view
– Using Command Button Wizard
– By adding button to form then setting properties
• Be consistent when creating command
buttons
– Location on form
– Order
39

Table 4.5: Command button options

Exploring Other Form Properties
• Open property sheet for form
– Right-click the item you wish to modify the
properties for
– Click Properties on shortcut menu
• Common reason to use form properties
– Decide to base form on different record source
from one used to create form
41

Controlling Form Printing
• Control form’s vertical spacing on printed page
• Include date and page number
– Using Access-provided functions
44

Printing a Selected Record in Form view
• Print Preview button
– Preview form
– See how it will print
45

Level 2 Summary
• Add subform to existing form
• Modify form layout
• Create form from query
• Create command buttons
• Modify form properties
• Print form
– Use print preview
46

Level 3 Objectives: Creating Forms
for Completing Daily Business Tasks
• Improve usability of forms
• Place calculations on forms
• Develop advanced forms
47

Improving the Usability of Forms
• Use form controls
– Speed up process of locating particular record
• Include calculated control in form
• Create multiple-page forms
• Create forms with multiple subforms
• Learn about tab order
• Control focus in form to skip unbound controls
48

Locating a Record Quickly
• Find tool
– Open Find and Replace dialog box
– Click field to search for particular value
– Enter value to match
– Access searches for records that contain same
value in selected field
• Combo box
– Displays list of values
– Users select one from list
49

Table 4.9: Ways to locate a record

Locating a Record Quickly (cont’d.)
• Use Control Wizard to add combo box to form
• Combo Box Wizard
– Provides three options for listing values in combo
box
• Look up values in table or query
• Let users type value
• Let users select value that Access matches to find
record
51

Adding a Calculation to a Form
• Include calculated field on form
– Create field in query
– Use query as record source for form
– Or add an unbound control that contains
calculation directly to form
• Create unbound control
– Text box button
– Enter calculation
52

Streamlining the Main Pharmacy Processes in a
Complex Form
• Process analysis
– List steps and substeps employees perform
– Indicate which database objects used to complete
each task
53

Step 1: Registering New Customers or
Confirming Customer Identity
• Usually completed by technician
• Uses Command Button Wizard to add two
command buttons to open associated forms
54

Step 2: Filling and Refilling Prescriptions
• Started by technicians
• Pharmacist must check for
– Drug interactions
– Confirm instructions and dosages
55

Creating Forms with Many Subforms
• Arrange fields in logical groups
– According to how employees most often use them
• Click Subform/Subreport button
– Start Subform Wizard
• Prevent data errors
– Change properties of subform so it does not allow
edits, deletions, or additions
56

Figure 4.41: Completed frmPrimaryActivity form with three subforms

Creating Multipage Forms Using Page Break
• Too many fields to fit on one screen
– Continue a form onto an additional page (or
pages) by placing a page break
– Page Up or Page Down key moves you from page
to page
58

Creating Forms Using Tab Controls for Multiple
Subforms
• Tab control
– Add multiple subforms to form in compact way
– Each subform has tab at top
• Layered one on top of other
– Add first tab by clicking Tab Control button
– Add additional tabs by
• Right-clicking blank spot in tab control
• Clicking insert page
59

Figure 4.42: Form with tab controls

Changing Tab Order and Tab Stop
• Form created with form tool or Form Wizard
– Places fields in order they appear in table design
• After fields rearranged for more logical data entry
– Form needs modification to arrange order of
movement through fields
– Called tab order
• Test each form by
– Opening form
– Pressing Tab key to see if cursor stops in each field in
appropriate order
61

Level 3 Summary
• Locate records using
– Find tool
– Combo box
• Add calculations to forms
• Create forms with multiple subforms
• Set tab order
– After modifying field order on form
62

Chapter Summary
• Forms provide easy to use interface
• Create using Wizards
• Use subforms to display related data
• Create form from query
• Create command buttons
• Create forms that display large amount of data
– Multiple subforms
– Multiple pages
63

Ch04 cmpt110

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (12)

Similar to Ch04 cmpt110

Similar to Ch04 cmpt110 (20)

Ch04 cmpt110