Access 2013 For Dummies

Chapter 7

A Form for All Reasons

In This Chapter

Creating forms the easy way with Form tools

Building a form with the Form Wizard

Adding the finishing touches

Access forms are similar to paper forms in their function — they’re used in part to collect data — but Access forms go beyond paper forms by having a direct connection to the database tables that store the collected information. In the “old days,” after you completed a paper form, some poor soul had to manually organize and file each form in a file cabinet or tabulate results by hand. With the advent of electronic databases such as Access, the data typed into an electronic form is simultaneously placed in the file cabinet (the table) connected to that form.

Like reports and queries, forms are named and stored in the database file. Forms are full-fledged Access objects, so you can customize them easily to meet the needs of your business.

This chapter shows what forms can do for you, shows you how to make forms, and provides tips for customizing forms so they’re exactly what you need.

Generating Forms

Depending on your needs, you can create forms in three ways:

The Form tools make attractive forms with a click of the mouse. ...