Expert Access™ 2007 Programming

Chapter 8. Using Code to Add Advanced Functionality to Forms

Aside from the data itself, forms are another key part of an application. Many Access developers tend to prevent users interacting with the tables directly, which makes forms the primary mechanism for presentation for data in the application. Unlike reports, forms also provide users with the ability to update data, making them the primary means for interacting with the data as well.

Because forms represent the user interface of the application, what you can do with them is virtually unlimited (or at least within the amount of hours you can bill if you're a consultant). Regardless of the layout and presentation, however, the ultimate goal for creating forms is to create something for the user that is both useful and enjoyable. Because the requirements for users and the application itself can greatly vary from one application to the next, this is an open statement. Keeping issues of style aside, however, there are several form-related features found throughout database applications and this chapter focuses on those. More specifically, in this chapter you will:

• Work with events on forms to perform tasks such as validating data and moving a borderless form

• Work with events on controls to perform tasks such as working with list boxes to present usable interfaces, creating custom progress bars, and to validate data

• Learn how to create common types of forms such as menus for navigation, splash screens, and dashboards

• See different ...