Access 2019 Bible

CHAPTER 30Customizing the Ribbon

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Working with the default Ribbon
• Examining Ribbon architecture
• Studying Ribbon controls
• Learning the XML necessary to construct Ribbons
• Adding VBA callbacks

The Ribbon is the primary way that users interact with Office applications. All Office applications have a Ribbon and support customizing the Ribbon, including Access.

Access is a unique application compared to other Office applications. The main difference is that you use Access to create applications, but you use Word and Excel to create documents. Ribbon customization is different in Access too. While most Office documents are compressed XML documents, Access files don't follow that model. If you've customized the Ribbon in other Office applications, you'll have a head start in Access because you'll already be familiar with the XML. Don't worry if you're new to Ribbon customization. We'll show you everything you need to know.

ON THE WEB

In the Chapter30.accdb database, there is a table named Complete_USysRibbons that contains all the data you'd get from following the examples in this chapter. You'll create the USysRibbons table, but because it starts with USys, you won't be able to see it or any other system table until you right‐click the Navigation pane, select Navigation Options, and select the Show System Objects check box in the Navigation Options dialog box. Included with the database are several XML files that are used in this chapter.

The Ribbon ...