Access 2010: The Missing Manual

The Form Wizard

By now, you’ve learned how to create a number of common forms. Access gives you one other way to build a form: using the Form wizard. The Form wizard has an uncanny similarity to the Report wizard you used in Chapter 11. It asks you a series of questions and then builds a form to match. However, the questions are fairly rudimentary, and the form it builds is little more than a good starting point for further customization.

Here’s how to put the Form wizard through its paces:

1. Choose Create→Forms→Form Wizard.

   The first step of the Form wizard appears.

2. From the drop-down list, choose the table you want to use.

   In the Available Fields list, the wizard shows all the fields that are in your table.

3. Add the fields you want to include, as shown in Figure 12-20. When you’re finished, click Next.

   You can choose fields from more than one table, provided these tables are related.

   Up To Speed: The Access Form Family

   Access forms manage to please just about everyone. If you’re in a hurry, then you can create a readymade form with a basic layout and add a dash of formatting. Or, if you’re feeling a creative buzz coming on, you can pull your fields out of the standard layouts and place them absolutely anywhere. In other words, forms are flexible—time-pressed business types get the convenience they need, while serious artistes get the creative control they demand.

   Here’s a roundup of all your form choices:

   • A simple form shows one record at a time in a basic stacked layout. ...