Creating Forms

There are two ways to enter information in to the database. There is the Datasheet view in the Table area. With this option, you can see several records at one time, depending on the size of the screen. The other option is using a Form. Forms allow users to enter and view one record at a time. This is usually less confusing for the user as there is not as much clutter on the screen to confuse them. The forms can be customized by changing everything from the type of font to the colors used.

Creating the Form

To create a new form, click the Forms tab in the main window and click the New button.

The New Form window will appear:

We are going to use the Design View. Click the Design View in the list. Click the down arrow and select "Products" from the list. Click the OK button.

Form Screen

Here is the display of the Form Screen:

The gray background area is the work area where objects will be placed. The toolbar below the menu shows list of different options to select from. The Toolbox is a display of the different types of objects that can be placed on the background.

Adding a Label Object

A label object is the equivalent to a title. It a static object, so it does not change as you go from one record to the next. Since we are dealing with Farmer Joe's Market, let's add in a title for it on our form.

1. In the Toolbox, click the button. The mouse pointer will change to .
2. Click once near the top of the form. A blinking cursor will appear.
3. Type in "Farmer Joe's Market"
4. Press the Return key or click once anywhere else on the form.

We now have a label that looks like this:

Adding a Text (Control) Object

A Text Object will be the one that is most commonly used. These types of fields are the ones that change depending on the which record you are on. They can handle data from the table itself or can contain calculations in them. There a two different ways we can use Text Objects.

The Toolbox Button

1. In the Toolbox, click the button. The mouse pointer will change to .
2. Click once below the "Farmer Joe's Title".
3. The following show appear:

   

4. Take the mouse pointer and place it on top of the white 'Unbound' box. When the pointer changes to click the left mouse button once.
5. Type in "ProductName" and press the Enter key on the keyboard.

The white box represents the information that is stored in that field in the table. Later when View this, this field will show us all the different products we have as we go from one record to the next. Using this method, you have to manually modify both the Text Object and the Label Object (this is the one that says "Text1"). You can modify the Label Objects by following steps 4 and 5 above.

The Field List box

1. If the Field List box is not showing, click the Field List box button on the toolbar.
2. The Field List box should be showing and list the fields in the Products table:

   

3. Move the mouse pointer on top of ProductName in the Field List box.
4. Click and hold the mouse button on ProductName. While holding the button down, drag the mouse pointer below the other field that we created.
5. Release the mouse button.

Using this method, the Text Object and Label Object are filled in automatically.

The Label Object is filled in with whatever the field name is unless the Caption option for that field in the Table Design was changed.

Form View

So far we have been working in the Design View, which really does not show a nice impression of the work you have been doing. The Form View shows the actual information that is stored in the tables.

To switch to the form view, click the View button on the far left of the toolbar.

The Form View for the form should be displayed.

Moving in the Form View

Here is a list of the different ways to move around in the Form View.

Item	Description
	First record in the table.
	Previous record in the table.
	Next record in the table.
	Last record in the table.
	First record in the table.
Ctrl - Home	First record in the table.
Ctrl - End	Last record in the table.
Page Up	Previous record in the table.
Page Down	Next record in the table.
Tab	Go to the next field to the right.
Shift - Tab	Go to the next field to the left.
Arrow keys	Goes to the field in which ever direction you press. If you are in the last field on form, by pressing the down or right arrow will go to next record.
Home	First field on the form.
End	Last field on the form.

To return to the Design window, click the Design button or select View, Design View from the menu.

Saving the Form

1. Click the Save button or select File, Save from the menu.
2. The Save As window appears:

   

   Type in "ProductList".

3. Click the OK button.

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