TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OTHER FORM FEATURES
The following sections cover some of the more useful features that you'll be using in this book. The examples for the following sections can be found on the accompanying CD-ROM in the VideoApp.mdb database in the Examples folder.
Specifying a Splash Screen Form at Startup
One feature that Access includes is a Startup dialog, which allows you to specify what you want Access to do when opening a database. You now can have Access open a form of your choice, also referred to as a splash screen, by specifying the name of the form in the Startup dialog. (Splash screens are used to display company logos or system information while the application is loading.)
To open the Startup dialog, select the database container and then choose Startup from the Tools menu. You'll see a dialog similar to the one in Figure 9.3.
Figure 9.3. Use the Startup dialog to specify a splash screen form.
At this time, the setting to emphasize is the Display Form drop-down list. By setting Display Form to the name of the form you want displayed, you can have the form pop up and give an attractive introduction to your application. In this example, the SplashScreen form is specified. Figure 9.4 shows the open form.
Figure 9.4. Splash screens help give your application a professional look.
Using Form Background Properties
One thing you might notice about Figure 9.4 is the attractive bitmap used for the splash screen. Forms now have four properties that allow you to create backgrounds (see Table 9.1).
| Property | Settings | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Picture | Either a bitmap or Windows metafile | |
| Picture Size Mode | Clip
Stretch Zoom | Controls how the picture is displayed; same as the Object Frame control |
| Picture Alignment | Top-Left
Top-Right Center Bottom-Left Bottom-Right Form Center | Where you want the picture positioned |
| Picture Tiling | Yes No | Specify whether to tile the form if it doesn't fill the page |
You can use the sample metafiles and bitmaps sent with Access 2000, or you can create your own. The background for the splash form in Figure 9.4 is called Globe.wmf and is found in the AccessBitmapsStyles subfolder.
To assign the picture you want for the background of a form, follow these steps while in the database container:
1. |
From the Insert menu, choose Form to create a new form; or open an existing form in Design mode by choosing the Forms tab, highlighting the form to edit, and clicking Design. |
2. |
Just under the upper-left corner of the form is a square, where the rulers meet. If the property sheet is showing, click the square. If not, double-click the square. With the form's properties showing, the screen will look something like Figure 9.5. Figure 9.5. Double-clicking the square in the upper-left corner of the form opens the form's property sheet.
|
Note
After you perform one of the actions mentioned in step 2, a black cube appears within the square. When the cube is showing, the property sheet is reflecting the properties of the form itself. If the cube isn't showing, properties of another section or control are being shown.
3. |
Switch to the Format page of the property sheet. |
4. |
Place the cursor next to the Picture property. The Builder button, with the ellipsis (…), appears. |
5. |
Click the Builder button. The Insert Picture dialog appears. |
6. |
While in the Access folder, double-click the Bitmaps folder and then double-click Styles. You should see a number of files with the .wmf extension, which denotes a Windows metafile (see Figure 9.6). You'll find Globe.wmf in this folder. Figure 9.6. Take your pick from many of the sample bitmaps included with Access 2000, or create your own.
|
Tip
If your Insert Picture dialog looks different from the one shown in Figure 9.6, that's because the Preview view of the list was used in this figure. To choose Preview view, click the second toolbar button from the right in the dialog.
7. |
You can now play with the other Picture properties to position your graphic on the form.