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Uses of Forms
Developers often think that forms exist solely for the purpose of data entry. To the contrary, forms serve many different purposes in Access 2003:
- Data entry
Displaying and editing data - Application flow
Navigating through your application - Custom dialog boxes
Providing messages to your users - Printing information
Providing hard copies of data-entry information
Probably the most common use of an Access form is as a vehicle for displaying and editing existing data or for adding new data. Fortunately, Access offers many features that allow you to build forms that ease data entry for your users. Access also makes it easy for you to design forms that let your users view and modify data, view data but not modify it, or add new records only.Although not everyone immediately thinks of an Access form as a means of navigating through an application, forms are quite strong in this area. Chapter 9, "Advanced Form Techniques."
Figure 5.1. A form created with the Switchboard Manager.
Figure 5.2. A custom switchboard with ToolTips and bitmaps.
You can also use Access to create custom dialog boxes used to display information or retrieve information from your users. The custom dialog box shown in Figure 5.3 gets the information needed to run a report. The user must fill in the required information before he can proceed.
Figure 5.3. A custom dialog box that lets the user specify a date range for a report.
Another strength of Access is its capability to produce professional-looking printed forms. With many other products, it's difficult to print a data-entry form; sometimes the entire form needs to be re-created as a report. In Access, printing a form is simply a matter of clicking a button that has a little code written behind it. You have the option of creating a report that displays the information your user is entering or of printing the form itself.Chapter 9, and throughout the book. As you read this chapter, remember that your forms are limited only by your imagination.
