Chapter 10. Customizing Your Database and Forms

To be sure, Access databases can hold volumes of data — so much so that it can sometimes be difficult to comprehend. Fortunately, you can mitigate this difficulty by using Access's formatting tools. For example, you can apply themes to your forms and reports to create a more polished and professional look, as well as add pictures to them to give them some visual interest. To expedite data entry, you can change the tab order of your forms — that is, the order in which the insertion point is moved from one field to another when Tab is pressed.

To draw attention to data that meets criteria you set, you can apply conditional formatting. For example, you might set a rule to highlight fields that contain values greater than, less than, equal to, or between a range of specified values. This enables you to detect problems, patterns, and trends at a glance.

Another way to display your data is in PivotTable or PivotChart form. A PivotTable is an interactive table that summarizes your data by using format and calculation methods you specify. PivotTables are useful in that they enable you to create many different views of your data rather than a fixed report. This way you can decide which one is most useful. A PivotChart is like a PivotTable, except it expresses the data graphically rather than as text and numbers.

  • Assign a Theme to a Form. 252

  • Change a Form's Tab Order. 253

  • Jazz Up Your Forms with Pictures. 254

  • Add a Background to a Report. 256

  • Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting. 258

  • Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotTable. 260

  • Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotChart. 262

Assign a Theme to a Form

If you choose to create a form, you might reasonably want to format that form for added eye appeal. This is particularly true if other users will be entering data using your forms. One way to add eye appeal is to simply apply formatting changes to the form manually — for example, choosing a background color, border style, font, and so on from the Format tab on the Ribbon. An easier way, however, is to use Access's themes. Themes enable you to apply a background color, fonts, borders, and so on to the form in a single operation.

Of course, before you can apply a theme to a form, you must create your form. To create a form in Access, first display the table or query on which you want the form to be based in Access. In this task, Layout view is used; you can also apply a theme to a form in Design view. Then click the Create tab in the Ribbon and click the Form button. Access creates the form. Be sure to save the form.

You can also customize the themes you use in Access and save them to reuse in other Access databases and other Office programs. To learn more about customizing a theme, see Chapter 8. Although geared towards PowerPoint, the principles applied in the tasks "Customize a Theme" and "Save a Custom Theme" can also be used in Access to tailor a theme to suit your needs.

  • Assign a Theme to a Form
  • Assign a Theme to a Form
    Assign a Theme to a Form
  • Assign a Theme to a Form
    Assign a Theme to a Form
    Assign a Theme to a Form

Change a Form's Tab Order

If you have ever purchased anything on the Internet, chances are you have entered your billing and shipping information in an online form. You probably already realize, then, that you can move from one field of a form to the next by pressing Tab on your keyboard.

The order in which the insertion point is moved from one field to another when Tab is pressed is the form's tab order. By default, the tab order is the order in which fields are added to a form. You can change this tab order, however, to any order you want. You might change a form's tab order if, for example, you added a field to the middle of your form at the last minute.

To change the tab order, you must display the form in Design view. To do so, right-click the form in the Navigation pane and choose Design View from the menu that appears, or click the View button and choose Design View.

You can also remove a control from the tab order. Switch to Design view and select the control you want to remove from the tab order in your form. Press F4 to display the Property Sheet task pane, click the Other tab, and change the Tab Stop property's Yes field to No.

  • Change a Form's Tab Order
  • Change a Form's Tab Order
    Change a Form's Tab Order

    The Tab Order dialog box opens.

  • Change a Form's Tab Order
  • Change a Form's Tab Order
  • Change a Form's Tab Order
    Change a Form's Tab Order

    Note

    Auto Order orders fields from top to bottom. If two fields have the same vertical position, it orders them from left to right.

  • Change a Form's Tab Order

    The dialog box closes, and the new tab order is placed in effect.

Jazz Up Your Forms with Pictures

Another way to make your forms more visually appealing is to insert an image into the form. For example, you might insert your company logo, or an image that relates to the type of data the form requests, such as a picture ID or product image.

Depending on how large you want the image, you may need to move a few of your form elements to make room for the image. You can easily resize fields in Design view by dragging a border or corner of the field box.

After you insert an image, you can resize it as needed, either by dragging the image's corner handle or by opening its Property Sheet. (To open a picture's Property Sheet, right-click the picture, and choose Properties. Change the sizing settings by clicking the Format tab and adjusting the Width and Height properties.) You can insert an image into the form body, or you can add a thumbnail size to the form's header.

In addition to enabling you to insert pictures into forms, Access allows you to add images to reports. You add images to both forms and reports using Design view.

  • Jazz Up Your Forms with Pictures
  • Jazz Up Your Forms with Pictures
  • Jazz Up Your Forms with Pictures
    Jazz Up Your Forms with Pictures
  • Jazz Up Your Forms with Pictures
    Jazz Up Your Forms with Pictures

    The Insert Picture dialog box opens.

  • Jazz Up Your Forms with Pictures
  • Jazz Up Your Forms with Pictures
  • Jazz Up Your Forms with Pictures
    Jazz Up Your Forms with Pictures
    Jazz Up Your Forms with Pictures

Tip

More Options!

To insert a logo into the form's header, click the Logo button on the Design tab. Like the Insert Image command, the Logo button summons the Insert Picture dialog box where you can select the image you want to use. Click Open; Access inserts a thumbnail size image into the header area of the form. You can move and resize the image as needed.

More Options!

As mentioned, you can also insert images in reports. Simply open the report in Design view and follow the same basic steps you used to insert an image into a form: switch to Design view, click the Design tab, click Insert Image, locate and click the image you want to insert. You can resize or move the image to fit anywhere on the report.

Add a Background to a Report

If you choose to create a report about your data, you might want to format that report for added eye appeal. One way to do so would be to simply apply formatting changes to the report manually — for example, choosing a border style, font, and so on from the Format tab on the Ribbon. Another easy way to add visual impact is to include a background picture in your report.

Of course, before you can apply any formatting to a report, you must first create the report. To create a report in Access, first display the table or query on which you want the report to be based in Access, click the Create tab in the Ribbon, and click the Report button. Access creates the report.

You can apply a background image to a report in Layout or Design view. When choosing a background, try to pick something that complements your report and does not distract from the information the report conveys. Digital photographs make good backgrounds. Logos tend to get lost behind the data, but photographs fill the entire page.

  • Add a Background to a Report
    Add a Background to a Report
    Add a Background to a Report
  • Add a Background to a Report
  • Add a Background to a Report
    Add a Background to a Report
  • Add a Background to a Report

    The Insert Picture dialog box opens.

  • Add a Background to a Report
  • Add a Background to a Report
    Add a Background to a Report
    Add a Background to a Report

    Note

    If you are unhappy with the background image, click the Undo button (

    Add a Background to a Report

Tip

More Options!

You can apply simple formatting techniques to your report text using the commands found on the Format tab on the Ribbon. For example, you can click a field in the report and click the Bold button (

Add a Background to a Report

More Options!

You can also apply one of Access's many themes to a report. A theme is a pre-set collection of formatting, including color and font. To apply a theme, click the Design tab on the Ribbon, click the Themes button and choose from the gallery of available themes. You can use the Colors and Fonts buttons located next to the Themes button to customize your theme.

Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting

You can use Access's conditional formatting functionality to assign certain formatting to fields in forms and reports when the value in a field meets a specified condition. For example, if you have a report with a Balance field, you might opt to present all negative values in that field in red text. This enables you to detect problems, patterns, and trends at a glance.

Access offers several predefined rules for conditional formatting. For example, you can set a rule to highlight data that is greater than, less than, equal to, or between a range of specified values; contains specific text; is a duplicate value; is among the top ten or bottom ten values; is above average or below average; and more. You can format data that meets conditions you set by changing the font or background.

You can apply conditional formatting from Design view or Layout view (as covered here).

  • Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting
  • Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting
  • Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting
    Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting

    The Conditional Formatting Rules Manager dialog box opens.

  • Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting

    The New Formatting Rule dialog box opens.

  • Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting

    Note

    Depending on what option you select, different settings are available.

  • Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting
  • Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting
  • Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting
    Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting
  • Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting
    Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting
  • Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting
    Color-Code Your Data with Conditional Formatting

Tip

Did You Know?

You are not limited to applying a single rule. You can apply multiple rules to a field using the Conditional Formatting Rules Manager and following the same steps outlined in this task. The order in which the rules have conditional formatting applied depend on the order in which they are listed in the dialog box. You can move a rule up or down in the list.

Remove It!

To remove the conditional formatting, open the Conditional Formatting Rules Manager dialog box, select the rule you want to delete, and then click the Delete Rule button. To edit a rule rather than remove it entirely, click the Edit Rule button.

Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotTable

You can easily filter and analyze your database data using a PivotTable. A PivotTable is an interactive table that summarizes your data using format and calculation methods you specify. PivotTables are useful in that they enable you to create many different views of your data rather than a fixed report. This way you can decide which one is most useful.

You create a PivotTable by displaying the table or query containing the data you want to summarize in PivotTable view and then dragging the desired fields in the table or query to the blank PivotTable grid that appears.

After you have the PivotTable in place, you can enhance it by filtering by certain fields, or by certain values in a particular field. You can add fields to it specifically for the purpose of filtering, or you can exclude certain values from individual rows or columns.

If, after creating a PivotTable, you realize that it contains too many individual entries to be meaningful, you can group the entries into summary items.

  • Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotTable
  • Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotTable
  • Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotTable
    Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotTable
    Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotTable
    Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotTable

    Note

    If the Field List does not appear, click Field List in the Design tab's Show/Hide group to display it.

  • Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotTable
    Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotTable
  • Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotTable
    Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotTable
    Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotTable
  • Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotTable
    Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotTable

    Note

    You can have multiple fields in the same placeholder area. If a field is already in the area, simply drag another one on top of it.

Tip

More Options!

To filter your PivotTable, drag the field by which you want to filter to the Drop Filter Fields Here area, click the drop-down arrow to the right of the filter field, and clear the check boxes for any values you do not want. To filter for certain values in individual fields, click the drop-down arrow next to a field name, clear the check box for each value you do not want to include, and click OK.

More Options!

To remove a PivotTable field, right-click it and choose Remove from the menu that appears. To group entries in a PivotTable, select the entries you want to group and click Group in the Design tab. To ungroup a grouped entry, select the group and click Ungroup.

Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotChart

You can view your data using a PivotChart. A PivotChart is an interactive chart that summarizes your data using format and calculation methods you specify. PivotCharts are useful in that they enable you to create many different views of your data rather than a fixed report. This way you can decide which one is most useful.

A PivotChart is like a PivotTable, except it expresses the data graphically rather than as text and numbers. Indeed, PivotTables and PivotCharts are two different views of the same data, so you can switch freely between them. (To do so, right-click the PivotTable or PivotChart's tab and choose PivotChart View or PivotTable View, respectively.) If you switch to PivotChart view while there are fields in PivotTable view, the fields carry over unless they are cleared first.

You create a PivotChart by displaying the table or query containing the data you want to summarize in PivotChart view and then dragging the desired fields in the table or query to the blank PivotChart that appears.

  • Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotChart
  • Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotChart
  • Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotChart
    Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotChart
    Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotChart
    Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotChart

    Note

    If the Field List does not appear, click Field List in the Design tab's Show/Hide group to display it.

  • Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotChart
  • Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotChart
    Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotChart
    Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotChart
    Summarize a Datasheet with a PivotChart

    Note

    The Chart Field List covers the Drop Series Fields Here placeholder by default. To move the box, click its title bar and drag to the desired location.

Tip

More Options!

To change the chart type, right-click the PivotChart and select Change Chart Type. The chart's Properties dialog box appears with the Type tab displayed; choose a chart category from the list on the left, and then choose a specific chart type from the pane on the right.

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