How to Create Access Forms

1. Set Up the Form

1. Open the table for which you’d like to create a form and switch to Datasheet view (if Datasheet view is not the table’s default view).
2. Click on the More Forms icon (Create > Forms).
3. In the drop-down menu, click on Form Wizard.
4. In the Form Wizard dialog box that appears, follow the prompts to choose which fields to include in the form, as well as a layout, style, and title for the form.
5. After you click Finish on the final step of the Wizard, Access will open a new document tab for your form, and your form will appear in the document pane. Access will switch to Form view automatically.

2. Set the Properties of the Form

Popular Form Properties Explained

• Default View: Lets you set the default view that Access uses when you open the form. In addition to the standard views (such as Datasheet view), you can choose Single Form to view one record at a time or Continuous Forms to view a list of records.
• Scroll Bars: Lets you specify scrollbars to display on the form (Horizontal, Vertical, Neither, or Both).
• Navigation Buttons: Turn the navigation features located in the bottom left corner of the form on or off (select Yes or No).
• Min/Max Buttons: Choose Enabled to let the form be minimized or maximized within the Document pane.
• Dividing Lines: Select Yes to show dividing lines between records. Applies when viewing forms with views other than Single Form view.
• Data Entry: Select Yes to allow the user to modify the data in forms for existing records. If you select No, the user will only be able to view existing records, add new records, and modify the data in those new records.
• Pop Up: Select Yes to open the form in its own pop-up window or No to open it within the Document pane.

3. Add Controls to the Form

1. Open the form by clicking on it in the Navigation pane or by clicking on its document tab (if it’s already open).
2. Switch to Design view.
3. Once you’re in Design view, a Design tab will appear in the Ribbon that includes the Controls group, which gives you access to all the available controls.
4. To add a control to a form, click on the control’s icon in the Ribbon and then click on the location on the form at which you’d like to insert the control. If the control needs you to specify more information, a wizard will open and guide you through the process. For instance, after you insert a button, a wizard will open that steps you through the process of specifying what Access should do when a user clicks on that button.

4. Set the Properties of Controls

Popular Control Properties Explained

• Caption: The name of the control. Access assigns a default name (such as Button1 or CheckBox1), which you can then change in the Property Sheet.
• Visible: Sets whether controls appear on the form. Invisible controls are used whenever the user doesn’t need to see the control in order for it to perform its function on the form (such as when using a control that links one form to another form).
• Width, Height, Left, and Top: These properties allow you to fine-tune the size and positioning of the control. The horizontal position of the control is the Left property, and the vertical position is the Top property.
• Control Source: Specifies the source of the data that the control displays, such as a field or query. A control is considered bound if it displays data from a specific unchanging source and unbound if it displays the results of a calculation.
• Enabled: To disable the control, set Enabled to No.
• Locked: Locks the control’s underlying data to prevent it from being edited. The data can still be viewed.
• Auto Tab: Automatically moves the cursor to the next field when set to On. Disables tabbing when set to Off.
• Tab Stop: Determines whether the control is part of the tab order. For example, you’d set Tab Stop to No for a control that displays an image, since you won’t need to enter data into that control’s underlying field.
• Status Bar Text: Text you enter here will appear in the Status Bar, the blue bar at the bottom of the Access interface. Use for adding descriptions of controls or to give data entry advice to database users.
• ControlTip Text: Text that you enter here will appear in a small pop-up window when the user mouses over the control. This feature can be useful for providing a quick summary of the control’s name and function.