Microsoft® Access® 2010 Programmer's Reference

Chapter 17. Customizing the Office Backstage

WHAT'S IN THIS CHAPTER?

• Types of controls and layouts for controls

• How to customize the Office Backstage in your applications

• Custom scenarios designed for the Office Backstage for Access applications

The File menu has been replaced in Office 2010 with a new user interface called the Backstage, which is intended to provide document-centric functionality for an application. For example, the Backstage view for Access 2010 includes commands that allow you to compact a database, add a database password, create a new database, save objects, or print. The Backstage also contains commands that apply to the application as a whole such as Help, Options, and Exit. The Backstage takes up the entire screen, making it a good place to draw attention to information that is important to an application.

The Ribbon was first introduced as a part of Office 2007, and with it, a new technique for user-interface development using XML. Office 2010 extends this capability by allowing you to customize the Backstage view as well. Similar to the Ribbon, you can hide and show built-in commands as well as add your own functionality.

In this chapter, we take a look at creating customizations for the Office Backstage view, including controls and callbacks that are specific to the Backstage and designing column layouts. You'll also see some specific scenarios for customizing the Backstage for use in an Access application to provide rich experiences for users.

INTRODUCING THE ...