MS Access 2007 part10 Access Switchboards

·        Switchboards are the screens used to navigate around a database and perform tasks, such as running reports.

 

·        A switchboard is made of buttons that you can click on. You can program these buttons to open forms, reports, queries, etc.

 

·        This form is basically a customised menu that contains user-defined commands; using either buttons, labels, images or hyperlinks, that invoke actions that will automatically carry out tasks for you such as opening other forms, running queries or printing reports.

 

·        You can create a switchboard form using various manual methods or by using the Microsoft Access Switchboard Manager. The form can use either VBA procedures, stored in modules behind the form or hyperlinks that either doesn’t contain any associated code, or that can invoke functions from standalone code modules.

 

·        Using a switchboard form in your Microsoft Access database application allows you to tie together all of the other objects that you have created for your database users in a single form, and removes the need for the users to have to openly navigate from within the database window. You can also use this as the interface for your application, removing the chances of your users tampering with any of the objects that lie behind the scene of your application.

 

·        Using buttons on your switchboard form can also replace the many possible steps that it would take the user to navigate around the objects in the database. To simply open a form in the database, the user may need to switch to the database window, choose the Forms tab and open the form from there. Using a command on the switchboard interface, the user now only has to click one button to carry out the same action.

·        The Switchboard Manager is used to create, delete, add, or edit switchboards.

·        Open Access.

·        Open the sample file called My Database.

·        Click on the Database Tools tab, and within the Database Tools group click on the Switchboard Manager button.



 

·        The first time you will click on the Switchboard Manager button it will prompt a message box to create a new Switchboard.



 

·        Click on the Yes button.  It will open the Switchboard Manager dialog box and create a new Switchboard called Main Switchboard.



 

·        Click on the Close button to close the Switchboard Manager dialog box.

·        You can see the switchboard in the left panel along with other tables, queries, and reports.

·        Click on the Database Tools tab, and within the Database Tools group click on the Switchboard Manager button. It will open the Switchboard Manager dialog box.

 

·        In the Switchboard Pages list you can see all the existing switchboards.  Click on the New button which will open the Create New dialog box.

 

·        Enter a name for the new switchboard, i.e. enter Temp Switchboard and click on the OK button. 



It will add the created switchboard to the Switchboard Pages list.



 

·        Click on the Close button on the Switchboard Manager dialog box to close it.

 

·        Click on the Database Tools tab, and within the Database Tools group click on the Switchboard Manager button.  It will open the Switchboard Manager dialog box.

 

·        In the Switchboard Pages list you can see all the existing switchboards.  Select a switchboard by clicking on it, i.e. select Temp Switchboard.



 

·        Click on the Delete button.  A message box will appear to confirm the deletion.



 

·        Click on the Yes button. It will delete the selected Switchboard. Click on the Close button in the Switchboard Manager dialog box to close it.

 

·        Click on the Database Tools tab, and within the Database Tools group click on the Switchboard Manager button.  It will open the Switchboard Manager dialog box.

·        Click on the Edit button.



 

·        It will open the Edit Switchboard Page dialog box.



 

·        Click on the New button which will open the Edit Switchboard Item dialog box.



 

·        In the Text field enter a title for the item. We are going to create a button to open FrmStudents, therefore enter the text Students Form.

 

·        In the Command field drop down list select Open Form in Add Mode.



 

·        In the Form field select the form to be opened, i.e. select FrmStudents from the drop down list.



 

·        Click on the OK button.  This will add an item Students Form to the switchboard items.



 

·        Let’s add report RptStudents to the switchboard.

 

·        Click on the New button.  It will open the Edit Switchboard Item dialog box.



 

·        In the Text field enter a title for the item. Now we are going to create a button to open RptStudents, therefore enter the text Students Report.

 

·        In the Command field drop down list select Open Report.



 

·        In the Report field select the report to be opened, i.e. select RptStudents from the drop down list.



 

·        Click on the OK button.  This will add the item Students Report to the switchboard items.




 

·        Click on the Close button to close the Edit Switchboard Page dialog box.

 

·        Click on the Close button in the Switchboard Manager dialog box to close it.

 

·        You will notice that in the left panel under Switchboard items it has created a table called Switchboard Items which stores the items for the switchboard, and a switchboard form named Switchboard.



 

·        Double click on Switchboard in the All Tables list.  It will open the Switchboard form.



 

·        If you click on the Students Form button on the Switchboard then it will open FrmStudents.



 

·        Click on the first tab (called Switchboard) so that you can see the switchboard again, and click on the Students Report button which will open RptStudents.

 

·        Close all the forms, reports and the Switchboard.

·        Click on the Database Tools tab, and within the Database Tools group click on the Switchboard Manager button.

·        It will open the Switchboard Manager dialog box.

·        In the Switchboard Pages list you can see all the existing switchboards.

·        Select a switchboard by clicking on it and click on the Edit button.

·        This will open the Edit Switchboard Page dialog box.



NOTE: As you can see you could edit the switchboard by adding, deleting, moving up, moving down etc.

In this example, select Students Report and click on the Move Up button.

 

·        Click on the Close button to close the Edit Switchboard Page dialog box.

 

·        Click on the Close button in the Switchboard Manager dialog box to close it.

·        Click on the Database Tools tab, and within the Database Tools group click on the Switchboard Manager button. It will open the Switchboard Manager dialog box.

 

·        Select your switchboard and click on the Edit button. It will open the Edit Switchboard Page dialog box.

 

·        You can select an item from the switchboard items list by clicking on it and then clicking on the Delete button.  In this case delete Students Report.




 

·        You will see a warning dialog box.  Click on the Yes button.




 

·        Click on the Close button to close the Edit Switchboard Page dialog box.

 

·        Click on the Close button in the Switchboard Manager dialog box to close it.

·        Click on the Database Tools tab, and within the Database Tools group click on the Switchboard Manager button.  It will open the Switchboard Manager dialog box.

 

·        Select your switchboard and click on the Edit button.  It will open the Edit Switchboard Page dialog box.

 

·        You can select an item from the switchboard items list by clicking on it and then click on the Edit button.

 

·        It will open the Edit Switchboard Item dialog box.



 

·        In this case we will simply change the Text to My Student Form, as illustrated below.



 

·        Click on the OK button and then click on the Close button to close the Edit Switchboard Page dialog box.

 

·        Click on the Close button in the Switchboard Manager dialog box to close it.

·        If you have more than one switchboard, then you can make anyone of them as a default switchboard.

·        Click on the Database Tools tab, and within the Database Tools group click on the Switchboard Manager button.

·        In the Switchboard Pages list you can see all the existing switchboards.

·        Select a switchboard by clicking on it and click on the Make Default button.



NOTE: It will make the Switchboard the default switchboard.   In this example we only have one Switchboard, but this illustrates the principle.

 

·        Click on the Close button in the Switchboard Manager dialog box to close it.

·        As this switchboard is a navigational page and provide links to all the forms and reports in your database, so you might like to display the switchboard as soon as you open your database.

·        Click on the Office button and in the drop down window click on the Access Options.



 

·        This will open the Access Options dialog box.  Click on the Current Database from the left panel and in the Display Form drop down list in the right window select your switchboard, i.e. select Switchboard.



 

·        Click on the OK button on the bottom.  A message box will appear to inform that your changes will take effect when you close and open the database again.



 

·        Click on the OK button.

·        Close the database.

·        Open Access 2007 and reopen the My Database sample file. You will see that the Switchboard is automatically displayed when the database opens.

·        Close Access.

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