INLS261 Tools for Information Literacy

Why use forms?

they give you a way to enter data into your database, display the data for review, and print it out
- they are designed to make on-screen data entry and retrieval easier, as well as simplifying movement around your database application
- you can present information in just the way that you want by combining text, pictures, lines, boxes, and color to create a fully customized display
each of the objects in Access has certain specific advantages for viewing data
- use a table to look at records stored only in that table
- use a query to look at records in multiple tables or to see only portions of your data
- use a report to group your data and present it in an attractive printed format
- but to make your data easy to see, enter, retrieve, and edit, use a form
a form provides an efficient way to enter data because rather than typing values into each field in a table, you can create drop-down lists to select the value you want
forms do not store the data they present - they keep only your design parameters, allowing you to tinker with it without affecting your data
- once you save the form design, it will stay the same until you modify it
  - however, you will retrieve into the form the current data from the underlying table or query
- forms can be used to retrieve information from more than one table but they must be based on a single underlying table or query
  - so, if you want to pull data stored in other tables or queries you will need to use subforms

the Form tool creates a form tied to the table selected in the object window. Select Form and you get a form to work with, though it may not necessarily meet all your needs

but it is powerful. If your table is related to one or more other objects, the Form tool will create a form that displays that relationship

If you wish to create a form that looks at data in several tables, use the wizard
It will ask you to select all of the fields that you want to include on the form, and then prompt you to choose the layout you think will work best. Unlike the Form options, it requires you to make decisions. However, it is also the only option that allows you to work with fields stored in multiple tables to create a main form and a subform. Note that "You can choose from more than one table or query."
to find it, you'll need to look at the options under More Forms

note that the wizard allows you to choose fields from more than one table or query

a Main/Subform form shows a one-to-many relationship between the data in the main form and the data in the subform

use a subform, a form within a form, to include information from more than one table in a form
the primary form is the main form while the form within the form is the subform
- the main form and the subform in this type of form are linked
- the subform displays only records related to those displayed in the main form
Subforms are most effective when you want to show data from tables or queries with a one-to-many relationship, like one author with many books

the easiest way to link a main form with a subform is to choose the Form Wizard when you create a new form
- by following the instructions on-screen, you can add all the fields to the form and get your desired layout
- you have to go back into the form's design view and tweak the design to match your needs
when you create these forms without this wizard, you must design the main form and the subform separately
- design your subform and save it just as you would any other form, and then you add it to the main form
- you must insert the subform into the main form

the main form is in a single-column format, and the subform is either in a datasheet or tabular layout

Text boxes display names and numbers stored in your underlying table or query
Frames show pictures and graphs
Labels display text as titles or other markers that describe data, but are not linked to information in the underlying table or query
Other kinds of controls, like lines and rectangles, visually organize the information and group data on-screen.

Unbound controls allow you to display information that is not stored in the database
- the title of the form or a descriptive label
- does not have a data source
- adding titles or descriptive labels, lines, and pictures
Bound controls link information stored in the form's underlying table or query
Calculated controls are a subset of bound controls, but operate on data taken from the table or query by using an expression