Alison Balteramp;#039;s Mastering Microsoft Office Access 1002003 [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Access Forms and the Internet

Microsoft has made it easier to develop Internet-aware applications by adding hyperlinks to forms and allowing you to save an Access form as HTML, XML, a Microsoft Active Server Page (.asp), or in the Microsoft IIS 1-2 format. These features are covered in the following sections.

Adding a Hyperlink to a Form

Hyperlinks can be added to unattached labels (labels not attached to a text box or other object), command buttons, and image controls. Once added, they let the user jump to a document (UNC) or Web page (URL) simply by clicking the control containing the hyperlink. To add a hyperlink to a label, command button, or image control, follow these steps:

TIP

Using a hyperlink address to open an object in an Access database, rather than using the Click event of the command button and VBA code, allows you to remove the class module associated with the form (if that is the only procedure you need for the form), thereby optimizing the form's performance.

Saving a Form as HTML

You can save forms as HTML documents in one of two ways. The first method is to save a form as HTML by choosing File, Export (you can also right-click the form in the database container [Database window] and select Export). The Export Form dialog appears. Select HTML Documents (*l*) from the Save as Type drop-down. Enter a filename for the HTML document. If you want the system's default browser to load after the HTML document is saved, click Autostart. Click Export. The HTML Output Options dialog box appears. If desired, click Browse to locate an HTML template file. Click OK to close the dialog box. Only the datasheet associated with the form is saved as HTML; the format of the form itself isn't saved.Chapter 26, "An Introduction to Access and the Internet/Intranet," and in

Alison Balter's Mastering Access 2002 Enterprise Development .

Saving a Form as XML

You can also save forms as XML by selecting the form within the database window (or by having the form open and in focus) and clicking File, Export from the menu bar. Choose XML Documents (*.xml) from the Save As type drop-down. Accept the default filename or specify a different filename and click Export All. Access generates three files:

filename ,

filename .xsl, and

filename .xml. The .xsl file is the stylesheet for displaying the XML data. When you open the file within a browser, the form is displayed with the data. If you open the .xml file within a browser, you are viewing the actual XML code.Chapter 26 and in

Alison Balter's Mastering Access 2002 Enterprise Development .

Saving a Form as Microsoft Active Server Pages or Microsoft IIS 1-2

You also can save forms as Active Server Pages or in the Microsoft IIS 1-2 format. Both of these options create dynamic forms. With Microsoft IIS 1-2, Microsoft Information Server uses the .htx and .idc files to build an file with the current data. The .idc file contains data source information, including the data source name, username, password, and the query that returns the record source of the form being created. The .htx file is an HTML file that includes merge codes indicating where the data being returned should be inserted. With Active Server Pages, Microsoft Internet Information Server also builds an file with the current data.