Displaying Custom Dialog Boxes for Custom Delete Actions in Access 2007
In Microsoft Office Access 2007, when the user selects and deletes a record on a form, Access displays a dialog box that asks the user to confirm that she wants to delete the record. In some cases, you may want to suppress this dialogue box.

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Display and Use the File Dialog Box
Learn how to use the FileDialog object to display the file dialog box used by Microsoft Access and to determine what files were selected by the user.

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Creating User Prompts in Access 2007
In Microsoft Office Access 2007, by default, users are not prompted to confirm changes after modifying and saving records on a form. But often you might want to prompt users to confirm their changes before the record is saved. You can use a BeforeUpdate event procedure to display a confirmation prompt and handle a user's response to either cancel or continue with the save. This visual how-to topic illustrates how to display a custom dialog box to prompt users to cancel or continue with saving changes to a record.

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Enable users to find a record by selecting a value from a list
When you design a form in Access, you can create a list box (list box: A control that provides a list of choices. A list box consists of a list and an optional label.) or a combo box (combo box: A control used on a form that provides the combined functionality of a list box and a text box. You can type a value in a combo box, or you can click the control to display a list and then select an item from that list.) that can be used to find a record when a value is selected from the list. This makes it easier for users to quickly find existing records without having to type a value into the Find dialog box.

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Input Box
Although most of the user's data entry will be performed on fields positioned on a form, you can display a special form to the user and expect a value. This form (actually a dialog box) is called an input box.

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The Message Box
A message box is a Windows(operating system)-created form used to display some information to the user. As opposed to a regular form, the user cannot type anything on the box. There are usually two ways you can use a message box: you can simply display a message to, or request an answer from, the user.

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Overview of Windows Controls
A command button is a rectangular object that allows the user to dismiss a dialog box or to initiate an action. A combo box is a Windows control made of two parts: a text portion and a list. A text box is used to display a selection made from a list of items. On the right side of the text box, there is a down-pointing arrow that allows the user to know that the control holds a list. A radio button is a Windows control made of a round box O. In practical usage, a radio button is usually (if not always) accompanied by other radio buttons. A check box is a control that allows the user to validate or invalidate an option. A check box appears as a little square box. A toggle button is a type of button that behaves like a check box. It displays like a command button but behaves like a check box.

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Dialog Boxes
A dialog box is a rectangular object that is used to host or carry other controls: A dialog box is primarily characterized by two features: its title bar and its body. The title bar, on top of the dialog box, can have a title and has the system close button.

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Startup options
You can use startup options to control how a Microsoft Access file looks and behaves when it opens. The startup options apply only to the current Access file. The startup properties don't override the property settings for a specific toolbar, menu bar, shortcut menu, form, or report. For example, the Menu Bar and Shortcut Menu Bar options in the Startup dialog box don't override the property settings for specific forms or reports that have a custom menu bar or shortcut menu. Thus, when you open a form or report, Microsoft Access displays the custom menu bar attached to the form or report instead of the global menu bar specified in the Startup dialog box. You can also create an AutoExec macro to carry out an action whenever an Access file opens. You can use the Startup dialog box instead of or in addition to an AutoExec macro. An AutoExec macro runs after the startup options have taken effect; therefore, you should avoid any actions in an AutoExec macro that change the effect of the startup option settings. For example, if you specify a form in the Display Form/Page box in the Startup dialog box, and you also use the OpenForm action in an AutoExec macro, Microsoft Access first displays the form specified in the Startup dialog box, then immediately displays the form specified in the OpenForm action.

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Introduction to Forms and Reports
As done for the tables and queries, Microsoft Access provides a central dialog box you can use to create forms: this is the New Form dialog box. To display the New Form dialog box, if no object is opened, on the main menu, you can click Insert -> Form. Alternatively, in the Database window, you can first click the Forms button. Then, on the toolbar of the Database window, you can click the New button.

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Update a text box to a value when a new record is created
In an Access 2003/XP/2000/97 form, I want to check when the user adds a new record (is there any relevant event?) so that I can load a default date value in a text box. I tried to go to a new record each time the form was loaded, but that resulted in numerous unwanted records. How can I avoid this?

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Use the Find and Replace dialog box to change data
This topic explains how to use the Find and Replace dialog box to find and optionally replace data in an Access database. * Learn about using the Find and Replace dialog box * Find and replace data in a table * Find and replace data in a form * Find data in a query result set * Find wildcard characters * Examples of wildcards in use * Find quotation marks and null or blank values * Find and Replace dialog box control reference

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Creating custom Help
There are several ways to add custom Help to a Microsoft Access form, report, or control: Display tips for controls and toolbar buttons, Display text in the status bar, Display custom Help.

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Intro to Forms and Reports
As done for the tables and queries, Microsoft Access provides a central dialog box you can use to create forms: this is the New Form dialog box.

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Set focus on first text box on first tab page and go to next record
In Access 2003/XP/2000/97, I have a form with a main tab box (created with a tab control) with multiple tab pages. When the user is on the last text box on the last tab page and presses the tab key, how can I set the focus to the first text box on the first tab page and go to the next record in the form?

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Use custom dictionaries to add words to the spelling checker
When you use the spelling checker, it compares the words in your document with those in the tool's main dictionary. The main dictionary contains most common words, but it might not include proper names, technical terms, or acronyms. In addition, some words might be capitalized differently in the main dictionary than in your document. Adding such words or capitalization to a custom dictionary prevents the spelling checker from flagging them as mistakes. What do you want to do? * Enable custom dictionaries * Open the Custom Dictionaries dialog box * Create a custom dictionary * Add an existing custom dictionary * Add, delete, or edit words in a custom dictionary * Change the language associated with a custom dictionary * Change the default custom dictionary to which the spelling checker adds words.

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Filter records based on a combo box selection
I'm using Access 2003/XP/2000/97 and I need to figure out how to display the record details based on a combo box selection. For example, when I select a CustomerID in a combo box, how do I get the related customer name and address information to appear?

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Create custom Help
You can display custom help using WinHelp for a form, report, or a control. Your Help topics will be displayed when a user presses F1. Additionally, you can add a What's This button to a form.

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Combo Box Basics in Access 2003/XP/2000/97 (page 1 of 15)
A combo box is a drop-down list of values that the user can select from. Below is a combo box that has been set up to display a list of categories.

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Microsoft Access Multi-User Application Record Locking
Record locking occurs in two environments, the Microsoft Access Interface and the ADO Recordset Object. We have already established that record locking is in effect mostly in network shares. But what is record locking exactly? Well it is a mechanism that locks records when they are being edited by a particular user so that other users cannot edit them.

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MsgBox Macro Action
You can use the MsgBox action to display a message box containing a warning or an informational message. For example, you can use the MsgBox action with validation macros. When a control or record fails a validation condition in the macro, a message box can display an error message and provide instructions about the kind of data that should be entered.

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Working with Dialog Boxes and Menus
You can create your own dialog boxes and menus. Using the tools presented in this tutorial, you will make your macros behave very much like Access itself--using menus and dialog boxes to improve the user's interface. By the time you finish this tutorial, you will understand the following key concepts: how to use message boxes, how to design dialog boxes, how to create a switchboard menu and how to add custom menus to your forms and reports.

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Using a Combo Box to Find Records
It is possible to use an unbound combo box in the header of a form as a means of record navigation. The idea is to select an entry from the drop-down list, and have Access take you to that record.

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cbo box to subform + add records
I want to have a combo box select a record and display that record's information in the subform. This can be based directly on the table, or from a qry (I already have a query because I use an expression for a concatenated lname & fname & dob elsewhere). I've accomplished this by having the cboSelectedPatient on the main form, and appropriately linking the master & child link properties, and requerying "On Update". ...

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Data Entry and Record Maintenance
When performing data entry, you can expect the user to skip any column whose value is not available and move to the next. In some cases, you may required that the value of a column be specified before the user can move on. If you are creating the table in the Design View, to require that the user enter a value for a particular column, in the lower section of the window, use the Required Boolean property. By default, the value of the Required property is set to No, which means the user doesn't have to provide a value for the column in order to create the record. If you want to require the value, set this property to Yes. Topics: Details on Record Creation, Default Values, Finding a Value, Editing a Value, Record Maintenance.

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Determine Which Subform Records Have Been Selected
Access database developers generally use a list box in order to allow users to easily select items in a list and then programmatically determine which items the user selected. However, there are times when a list box isn't practical, especially when addition of the list box control requires the user to scroll through the form to make all of the controls visible, or when the database developer must add a tab control to display controls on the form that wouldn't otherwise be visible without scrolling.

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Cancel the Deletion of a Record by Using Custom Criteria
This tutorial illustrates how to prevent the deletion of a record based on custom criteria.

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Create Multiple Instances of a Form
Sometimes it is useful to display more than one instance of a form at a time. For example, you might want to display the records for an employee and the employee's manager at the same time. You can create one instance of the Employees form's class to display the employee's record, and one to display the manager's record. This tutorial illustrates how to open multiple copies of the same form.

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About pasting data from another application
When you copy a selection from another application to a form or report in Microsoft Access and click Paste Special on the Edit menu, Microsoft Access displays the Paste Special dialog box. The following table describes the options in the As list in the Paste Special dialog box.

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Display a specific title in the application window title bar
Changes to the Application Title setting take effect immediately upon closing the Startup dialog box.

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9 ways to get ready for the new 2007 Office release user interface
In this article * Using the Ribbon * Command Tabs * Command Sets * Contextual Tools * Dialog Box Launchers * Galleries * New File Menu * Quick Access Toolbar * New View Controls From the moment you launch any of the applications in the 2007 Microsoft Office system, you will notice a dramatic difference. The entire user interface has been redesigned to be more intuitive, easier to navigate, and better suited to the task at hand. When the developers of the 2007 Office release began brainstorming about the new user interface, they decided to go back to the drawing board and create an interface based on the way people use their computers today. The result is a simplified, smart system that brings you just the tools you need, when you need them. No more clicking through menus, submenus, and nested dialog boxes. Now the commands you need come to you, depending on the type of object you select and the application you are using. This article introduces the new elements in the Microsoft Office Fluent user interface so that you'll recognize the features as you begin to use the applications.

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Combo Box Controls
A combo box is list of values from which the user can select a single value. Not only does this save typing, it adds another means of enforcing referential integrity since the user can only pick values in the combo box.

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Update from Subform
I have a form that displays customer order information, and a subform that show the individual items ordered and not shipped. on the subform I have a check box on each item ordered line. The user can select one or more of these items to ship by checking the check box, and by clicking a command button on the main form. How do I update th order record or records with quantiy shipped based on the check box?

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Text-Based Controls: The Label
A label is a control that serves as a guide to the user. It provides a static text that the user cannot change but can read to get information about another control on the form. You can also use it to display simple information to the user. Most controls on the form are not explicit at first glance and the user would not know what they are. Therefore, you can assign a label to the control as a help to the user. Topcis: The Label, The Text Box, The Command Buttons, Combo and List Boxes, Radio Buttons, Check Boxes and Toggle Buttons.

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Refreshing data on a child one-many form
I have a one to many relationship on a form/subform. I have buttons on the subform that basically will automatically add a new record to the table the subform is based on. I am using the sql "insert" clause to add the record - which it is dong just fine. However, I have tried the .refresh and .requery commands and neither seem to be able to display the new record automatically in the list. I have to exit the screen and come back in before the new record is displayed. WHat method can I use to cause the new record to be displayed on the child form right away?

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Establish tab order between objects in tab control pages
In Access 2003/XP/2000/97, I have a form with a main tab box (created with a tab control) with four tabs on it and each tab has a number of text boxes on it. I have indexed these tabs so when the user tabs across, it goes from one tab page to another. However when it reaches the last text box on a particular tab instead of going to the next tab, it goes to the next record.

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Microsoft Access Forms and Combo Boxes
MS Access is a very versatile data handling software. The Microsoft Access Combo box is one of the many features provided which generate elegant user data entry interfaces. A combo box is a data capture control just like a text box. It has a drop down list of predefined values. The user can click on any of these values to populate the text box. Alternatively, data can be typed into a combo box too.

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How to: Prompt a User Before Saving a Record
Learn how to ask a user for confirmation before saving a record.

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Display column headings in a combo box
On an Access 2003/XP/2000/97 form, I've created a combo box whose values are populated by a query. I want to see the column headings so that I can differentiate between the various columns. How do I display the column headings in a combo box?

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FindNext Macro Action
You can use the FindNext action to find the next record that meets the criteria specified by the previous FindRecord action or the value in the Find and Replace dialog box (on the Home tab, click Find). You can use the FindNext action to search repeatedly for records. For example, you can move successively through all the records for a specific customer.

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