Tutorial to Design a Form in MS Access

Designing an MS Access form is easier than it looks.

MS (Microsoft) Access is database software that is user-friendly and does not require knowledge of a computer programming language. One of the features of MS Access is a form. The form in a database allows the user to input information into a table. Another feature of MS Access are tables that house the raw data. Forms also allow end-users to navigate the database.

Instructions

1. Click on the "Create" tab. Click on the "Form Design" option on the Forms panel.

2. Click on the "Show All Tables" link on the Field List dialog box. Click on the "+" beside the table to use for the form. Double-click the fields to add to the form. Click on the "X" to close the Field List dialog box.

3. Click and drag around the fields to be moved. Once the fields are highlighted, the boxes around the fields will become orange and bold. To move the fields, click and drag them to the desired location. To resize the field, move the cursor until it becomes a double-headed arrow. Click and drag the double-headed arrow to resize the box. To move the field's label, click on the box in the upper-left corner of the label and drag it to the desired location.

4. Go to the Controls panel on the Design tab and click on the "Title" icon. The form now has a header that reads "Form 1" under the Form Header section. Double-click on "Form 1" to highlight the text. Type the desired name to use on the form.

5. Right-click on the blue square in the upper-left corner of the form. Go to the "Properties" option. The Property Sheet dialog box will open. Click on the "Data" tab. Click on the down arrow beside the "Record Source" field. Select the table that will feed the form. Click the "TAB" key to move the cursor out of the Record Source field. Click on the "X" to close the Property Sheet dialog box.

6. Right-click in the "Detail" section of the form. Go to "Fill/Back Color." Select the color to use as the background color for the form.

7. Go to the Views panel of the Design tab. Click on the down arrow under Views. Go to the "Form View" to see how the form looks so far. Click on the down arrow under Views to return to the Design View. Adjust and change the form as desired.

Tips & Warnings

• Each tab of the Property Sheet dialog box contains many ways to control the look and function of the form. Forms can be embedded within forms to create subforms.

• Save the form intermittently to avoid losing any revisions to the form.

References

• Microsoft: Create a Form
• Microsoft: Add Fields and Other Features to a Form
• Microsoft: Change the Behavior or Appearance of a Form and Its Controls
• Microsoft: Watch This: Create a Subform by Dragging One Form Onto Another Form
• Microsoft: Select the Right Form View

Resources

• Microsoft: Microsoft Office Access 2007 Product Overview