Forms & Reports:
Form Wizard

Title: Jan's Illustrated Computer Literacy 101
Did you want: Working with Databases: Access 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016


Most of your forms will be used for entering and editing records. In Access Basics you learned how to use AutoForm to quickly create a form which got the job done, but it was boring and put all controls into a single column. This is an acceptable design only for short forms!

Methods to Create a Form:

  • AutoForm
  • Form Wizard
  • Form Design View by manually adding parts

You already used an AutoForm in Project 2: Access Basics. An AutoForm can use only one table or query.

In this lesson you will learn how to create a form using the Form Wizard, which walks you through a set of choices. The Form Wizard lets you choose fields from more than one table or query. Then you will customize the form. You can even save your changes as a new AutoFormat style. Sweet!


Where you are:
JegsWorks > Lessons > Databases

Before you start...

Project 1: Intro

Project 2: Access Basics

Project 3: Tables & Queries

Project 4: Forms & Reports Arrow: subtopic open
    Import/Export/LinkTo subtopics
    Designing Forms Arrow: subtopic open
    Icon: StepForm Wizard
    Icon: StepControls
    Icon: StepCreate Form Manually
    Icon: StepFormat Form
    Icon: StepTab Control
    Icon: StepForm View
        Images in Forms & Reports
    Icon: StepForm Images
    Icon: StepRecord Images
    Icon: StepPrintable Form
    Designing ReportsTo subtopics
    Special Forms & ReportsTo subtopics
    Summary
    Quiz
    ExercisesTo subtopics


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Glossary
  
Appendix



Form By Wizard

The Form Wizard walks you through the choices you need to make to create a simple form.

Methods to start the Form Wizard:

  • Link in the Database Window, in the Forms list Link: Create Form by using Wizard
     
  • Dialog: New Form - Form WizardButton: New Object - list opened and Form selectedToolbar button: New Object | Form | Form Wizard  
     

Steps in the Form Wizard:

Form WizardIcon: Mouse clickClick each step below to see the wizard's page at the right.

  • Step 1: Source for the data - one or more tables or queries and which fields to include
  • Step 2: Layout, one of 6 layouts (shown below) 
  • Step 3: AutoFormat style, one of 10 pre-installed styles plus any previously saved custom AutoFormats (choices shown below)
  • Step 4: Title for the form
     

Form Wizard: Layouts

In the Form Wizard you are offered 6 different layouts. Some are useful only for special situations. You cannot create your own layouts to add to this list.

Example of Form Layout: Columnar

Columnar is the standard layout,
with fields in a vertical column.

Example of Form Layout: Tabular

Tabular puts the fields in a single row,
and adjusts the widths and heights.

Example of Form Layout: Datasheet

Datasheet looks just like a regular datasheet.
This layout is useful when you are pulling just a few
 fields from different tables.

Example of Form Layout: Justified

Justified packs the fields tightly together.
The fields for one record can be in several rows

Form Layout: Pivot Table

 

Form Layout: Pivot Chart

 

Pivot Table and Pivot Chart show calculations like a crosstab query.


Form Wizard: AutoFormat Styles

Access comes with 10 pre-designed formatting styles. These can be applied from the Form Wizard or later from the AutoFormat dialog. (Format | AutoFormat...) After applying a style you can, of course, modify the form as you wish. You can even use the AutoFormat dialog to save your new style with a new name (a GOOD idea) or overwrite an existing name (NOT recommended!!)

An AutoFormat style includes formatting for the Form header/footer, Page header/footer, Detail section, controls and labels. You can customize the background, font size, font color, borders, shadows or other special effects, and you can add decorative images (which will appear with every record). AutoFormat will squeeze all of the fields into a small space. You may have to do a LOT of resizing and rearranging to make your controls comfortable to work with.

Example of AutoFormat: Blends Example of AutoFormat: Blueprint Example of AutoFormat: Expedition Example of AutoFormat: Industrial Example of AutoFormat: International Example of AutoFormat: Rice Paper Example of AutoFormat: Sandstone Example of AutoFormat: Standard  Example of AutoFormat: Stone  Example of AutoFormat: Sumi Painting

If you delete or overwrite a standard AutoFormat style, it is not obvious how to get it back.
Icon: TroubleProblem: Missing or Changed AutoFormat


Icon: Step-by-Step 

Step-by-Step: Form Wizard

 Icon: Step-by-Step

What you will learn:

to use the Form Wizard to create a form

Start with:  Class diskresource files, worldtravel.mdb

  1. If necessary, open the World Travel database that you have been creating in this project.
     
  2. Select a table and open the New Objects button to Form.In the Database Window, select the table Staff.
     
  3. Click on the arrow beside the New Object button to open the list of objects.
     
  4. Click on Form. The New Form dialog opens.
     
  5. Dialog: New Form - Form Wizard and Staff tableClick on Form Wizard and then on OK.
    The Form Wizard appears.
     
  6. Form Wizard: Select fieldsClick on the button >> to move all fields to the list of fields to include in the form.

    TipAdditional tables/queries: You could select another table or query from the list and add some or all of its fields to the Selected Fields list.
     
  7. Click on Next.
     
  8. Form Wizard: Step 2 - LayoutSelect Columnar as the layout and click on Next.
     
  9. Form Wizard - Step 3 Pick a styleSelect the AutoFormat named International and click on Next.
     
  10. Form Wizard : Step 4 - titleKeep the default choices, title for the form is Staff and "Open the form to view or enter information."
     
  11. Click on Finish.
    The new form opens in its own window.
     

Form View: Staff Form

Icon: QuestionEvaluate: How useable is this form?

It's small and cramped. Many of the fields are not wide enough to show the data in them. Many of the labels are cutoff, too. There is no title. This is a start, but it needs a LOT of work! (And thus we see why we need the next lesson!)