The specifics mentioned here relate to Microsoft Access 97 but you should find similar items in different database packages. We will look at:
· Using screen menus (by way of command buttons)
· Setting default values
· Using command buttons in consistent ways and locations on your forms
· Setting the tabbing order of a form.
Screen Menus
It is quite feasible to use Windows menuing within Access databases but personally I prefer to use on-screen command buttons. Why? Because it gives a much greater clue to the user what is available rather than them having to scramble through different menus.
There are two ways to create menu screens in Access. The first (and my preferred way - I'll tell you why shortly), is to use straightforward command buttons. That is - a simple button that when clicked will launch another menu screen or a data entry / report screen.
The second is to use what are called "switchboards". A switchboard is a screen that uses small command buttons to launch screens, but the buttons themselves are treated in almost the same way as a record being displayed - not of data, but of the options we want. I find this fiddly, the command buttons do not look like normal windows buttons hence the reason I prefer the more standard (and simpler) method. The simpler method is also easier to port to other database structures as well.
For the command buttons themselves, you can use text or select a graphic for the button and place text alongside to describe what the button is for. If you choose text, make sure that your buttons are the same width as different lengths looks scruffy. It is for this reason that I tend to opt for the graphic on the button, as they are a uniform square.
Default Values
Ever had to type in the same value over and over? If you have, then you will appreciate the use of default values. Any field can have a default value assigned to it. This means that the user has the choice of accepting the value (meaning they don't have to type it in), or they can overwrite it with a value of their choosing.
