Modifying the Form Using Different Views

While the form works, it can be better. Let's see how we can change the design to make it easier to use. We want to refine the layout of the student information, remove the subform title, and modify the subform layout so we can see all of the information for a class in one row.

We are currently in Form view which, as noted already, is the ideal view for performing data entry and editing tasks. We can make design changes to the form by using other views. Access typically gives users three different ways to view a form: Form View, Layout View, and Design View. These views can be described as follows:

• Form View displays the form. We cannot change the layout or design of a form in Form View, but we can enter and edit data in this view. This is the view that we started in and have been using for data modification.
• Layout View is a visually-oriented way to modify the way a form looks. Since the underlying data displays while working in Layout View, we can resize fields appropriately. However, data cannot be modified or edited while in Layout View, and its design editing capabilities are somewhat limited.
• Design View is the most detailed way to edit the layout of your form. We can also add headers and footers, but we cannot see or modify the underlying data while in this nview.

We will see a fourth viewing option a little later on: Datasheet View. Datasheet View is available when a form is displayed in that view. This is most commonly done with subforms.

Working in Layout View

As noted above, Layout View is perfect for making basic modifications to the look and feel of the form. To make more advanced changes, we w wou will use Design View.

Let's switch to Layout View. We will begin making some basic changes to the form so you can see the options within this view.

Step1. To switch to Layout View, on the Ribbon, in the Views group,

Click 

The form is displayed in Layout View, and the Ribbon automatically switches to the Form Layout Design tab.

Changing the Title and Caption

The easiest problem to tackle in Layout View is changing the title. The title is currently set to the name of the form, frmStudentRegistration, and is displayed in the banner area at the top of the form. We want to change the title to something more readable.

Step1. To change the title of the form,

Triple-Click frmStudentRegistration, type: Student Registration Enter key

For the form, the Caption describes what is displayed in the tab at the very top. Even though the wording in our title makes sense, we need to update the Caption to show a meaningful name on the form's tab. To update the Caption, we'll need to open the Property Sheet pane.

Step 2. To show the Property Sheet pane, if necessary, on the right side of the Ribbon,

Click 

The Property Sheet pane appears on the right side of the object workspace, and it displays the properties for whatever you have selected. If we select the entire form, we can then adjust its caption in the Property Sheet.

Step3. To select the entire form,

Click the vertical bar on the left edge of the form

Step4. To begin changing the Caption of the form, at the top of the Property Sheet pane, if necessary,

Click the All tab

You see the Caption in the second row of the All tab.

Step5. To change the text of the Caption,

Double-Click the Caption text, type: Student Registration Enter key

The caption is updated to match the title.

Changing the Subform Layout

The next easy item to change is the layout of the subform. We can remove the title and make the subform wider so we can see all of the fields.

Step1. To delete the subform label, to the left of the subform,

Click fsubStudentRegistration, press: Delete key

Now we are ready to make changes to the subform itself.

Step2. To select the subform,

Click anywhere in the subform

The entire subform is highlighted.

Step3. To position the cursor,

Point to the left edge of the subform to get the double-headed arrow

Now that the cursor is in the correct location, let's expand the form.

Step4. To expand the form,

Press & Drag the subform's border to the left

NOTE: Try to get the left edge aligned with the left edge of the field labels in the top half of the form.

Once you have expanded the subform, you should be able to see all of the data. However, the column sizes in the subform may still need some adjustments.

Step5. Adjust column widths as necessary.

Step6. Adjust the subform width to accommodate the columns, if necessary.

Next, we'll reposition some of the fields.

Changing the Main Form Layout

Let's suppose we want the first row to display as first name and last name. To do this, we would need to move the Enrollment Date field down and then drag the Last Name field into its place. Let's try this out.

Step1. To select the Enrollment Date label and field,

Click the Enrollment Date label, press Shift key and Click the Enrollment Date field

The selection should look similar to the following image:

Now that the label and field are both selected, we can move them.

Step2. To move the objects out of the way,

Point to selected objects, Press & Drag downward

As we drag it, we will only see the cursor moving; the label and field will stay in place until we release the button on the mouse.

The results will look something like:

Step 3. To move the Last Name field to the right of the First Name field,

Press & Drag the Last Name field to the right of the First Name field

The Last Name field is now next to the First Name field.

Step4. Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to fine tune the positioning of the Last Name field as needed.

Since the two name fields are now in one row, the First Name label is now serving as the label for both the first and last name. Lets change its text to match the contents of the row.

Step5. To change the text of the First Name label,

Double-Click First Name

The field is now in edit mode.

Step6. To select the part we want to delete,

Press & Drag First , press: Delete key

NOTE: Make sure you delete the space after the word "First."

We also no longer need the Last Name label.

Step7. To remove the Last Name label,

Click the Last Name label, press: Delete key

Let's save our changes.

Step8. To save the changes, on the keyboard, press:

Control key + S

While this worked, we can see there are some limitations to moving fields in Layout View, such as the lack of preview when moving a field. This makes precisely positioning and aligning of fields and labels difficult. Design View provides several tools to make alignment and positioning of controls more precise.

Working in Design View

We'll switch into Design View to finish our layout changes. Some tasks, such as precisely moving fields, are easier in Design View. Others, such as resizing form sections (for example, the form header or footer), or changing the default view, can only be done in Design View.

The following tasks are better performed in Design View:

• Moving fields
• Locking multiple fields
• Adding different types of controls to a form, such as drop-down lists, lines, or labels
• Changing the tab order, which is the order you move through fields when pressing the Tab key
• Editing text box controls without using the Property Sheet
• Resizing form sections, such as the Form Header or Footer sections
• Changing certain properties that cannot be changed in Layout View (such as Default View)

Let's switch to Design View to make more advanced changes to our form.

Step1. To switch to Design View, using the Status bar located in the bottom right corner,

Click 

In Design View, you see a more detailed view of the form structure:

As you can see, although you have more flexibility in designing the form in this view, you cannot see the underlying data like you can in Layout View. In this view, you can see the Form Header, Detail, and Form Footer sections of the form, in addition to the subform.

The Form Header section is at the top of the form and is where the form title is displayed. It also makes sense to place any controls here that work on the entire form. The Form Footer section is at the bottom of the form and can be used to place detail information such as contact information that you might typically find at the bottom of a form. In this example, the Form Footer section is empty. The largest part of the form is the Detail section. Most of the time you will be working in this section since it is the body of the form and is where the data is displayed.

Here, we no longer see the datasheet view of the subform. This gives us easy access to all of the editing features available in Design View. The subform has its own Form Header, Detail, and Form Footer sections.

The Form Design, Arrange, and Format tabs appear on the Ribbon, and these tabs give you access to a wide range of commands. The Form Design tab contains grids and rulers to allow you to precisely position controls.

NOTE: You can change the density of the grid dots by altering the Grid X and Y properties on the form's Property Sheet.

Moving Fields

When moving fields and labels in Design View, we get a visual indicator as well as alignment tools to help position the fields and labels precisely. Generally, when we move a field or its label in Design View, both fields move together. We'll see how to change this behavior in the next section.

First, we'll move the Street Address label and its field together.

Step1. To move the Street Address label,

Press & Drag Street Address label below Name

As we move the label in Design View, the associated field moves with it; the reverse is also true (if we move a field, the label moves with it).

NOTE: Objects can also be moved using the arrow keys on the keyboard.

We would like to rearrange the fields to look like this:

Step 2. Move fields as needed to arrange the fields as in the image.

Now let's look at how to move the labels and fields independently of each other.

Moving Fields and Labels Independently

So far in Design View, we have moved labels and fields together. Access does this by default when you press and drag a field or its label. However we now want to move fields independently of their labels so that we can place the State and Zip fields to the right of the City field, as they would appear on a mailing label:

When we want to move a field or a label independently, we can use the small gray box that appears in the upper right corner of a selected object. Let's try that now.

Step1. To move the State field only (without its label),

Click the State field (not the label), Point , Press & Drag the field to the right of the City field

Try to position the left edge of the state field under the left edge of the Last Name field.

Step2. Move the postal_code field (which has the caption of Zip) to match the location in the previous image.

Once you have successfully repositioned the fields, you no longer need the State and Zip labels.

Step3. Remove the State and Zip labels.

Step4. To change the City label to describe the entire row,

Click the City label, type: , State, Zip Enter

The label should now read, "City, State, Zip" in the label for the last line of the address.

Repositioning the Remaining Fields and Labels

Now we are ready to finish repositioning our fields and labels. Using the techniques you just learned, work through the following steps.

This section has less guidance than the previous sections. If you would like a walk-through, watch the video Challenge Exercise: Repositioning the Remaining Fields and Labels.

Step1. Make the row below the City, State, Zip row be Email and Local Phone.

Step2. Move the Academic Program and Enrollment Date fields and labels up so they are below the row with Email and Local Phone.

Step3. Move the Gender field up below Academic Program.

Step4. Move the subform up so it is below the Gender row.

Step5. Save the design changes.

When you are done, your form should look something like this:

Next, we'll fine tune the positioning of our fields.

Aligning and Evenly Distributing Fields on the Form

Most likely, the fields and labels are not all aligned or as evenly distributed as we would like them to be. Let's see how to fix this problem.

Step1. To begin aligning the left column on the form,

Press & Drag a box around the labels at the start of each row and the subform

The labels on the left of the form are now selected.

NOTE: Be sure that the fields themselves are not included in your selection.

Step2. To align the selected items to the left, on the Ribbon,

Click the Arrange tab, Click , Click 

NOTE: We also have the option of aligning objects by their top, right or bottom sides.

The left-most objects are now aligned, but the spaces between each row may be uneven. Let's fix that.

Step3. To make the distances between each row equal, while the labels for each row and the subform are still selected,

Click , Click 

This evens up the vertical gaps between the selected labels and their fields. However, most likely, the other fields in the same rows are now a bit out of vertical alignment with the first column.

NOTE: When vertically aligning a row, Access may decide to align everything with the label and/or field that was out of alignment. If this happens, simply use the up or down arrow key to move the selection back to the desired vertical position.

Aligning the Remaining Fields and Labels

Using the techniques you just learned, make sure the rest of the columns and rows are aligned.

This section has less guidance than the previous sections. If you would like a walk-through, watch the video Challenge Exercise: Aligning Remaining Fields and Labels.

Step1. Left align the last_name and state fields with the Local Phone and Enrollment Date labels.

Step2. Top align the city, state and postal_code fields.

Step3. Top align the Email and Local Phone fields and labels.

Step4. Top align the Academic Program and Enrollment Date fields and labels.

Step5. Save the design changes.

When you are done, your form should look something like this:

Next, we'll see how to prevent users from editing certain data fields.

Locking Fields

Now we have the form laid out the way we want it to look. Remember that the purpose of this form is to register students for course sections; we don't want the student demographic data to be editable in this form. Access allows us to lock fields; this will make the fields read only and make it impossible to edit them.

NOTE: While we could have locked fields while in Layout View, we can only set this property for one field at a time. In Design View, however, we can work with multiple fields at once.

We want to select all of the student fields, without their labels, because labels can't be locked. We'll start by drawing a box around the first group of student data fields, and then add the remaining fields to our selection before locking the fields.

Step1. To select all of the student fields in the first column of fields,

Press & Drag a box around the first column of student fields

The fields for the student's name, address, email, academic program, and gender are now selected.

Step2. To add the remaining fields to the selection,

press Shift key and Click the remaining student fields

All of the student fields are selected, without their labels:

We can now set any property value that is common to all of the selected fields.

Step3. To lock the fields, in the Property Sheet pane, 

Click the Data tab, Double-Click Locked

The Locked property changes from No to Yes. All of these fields are now locked, meaning they will display data, but won't allow it to be edited.

Preventing New Student Records from Being Added

Even though we locked the student fields, it is technically possible to click on the Add New Record button at the bottom of the form. It would bring up a blank record, but we would not be able to enter any values. We need to correct that by making it impossible to add a new record.

All we have to do to prevent new records from being added to a form is set the form's Allow Additions property to No. Let's see how to do this.

Step1. To select the form's properties, in the upper left corner of the object workspace,

Click 

Step2. In the Property Sheet pane's Data tab, in the 5th row from the bottom,

Double-Click Allow Additions

This sets the property to No, meaning that new student records can't be added. However, we can still add class enrollments for students in the subform.

Changing the Look of the Form

Next, we want to make some changes to the colors and fonts on the form. Using document themes is an easy way to specify colors and fonts. Using a theme in Access changes all of the objects in the database, so they can easily create a standard look.

We will choose a Theme that sets the font style to sans-serif. Then, we will set the title background for this form to the University of the Midwest's maroon color.

Step1. To choose a Theme for the form, on the Ribbon,

Click the Design tab, Click , Click the Slice theme

NOTE: The names of the themes will appear in a tool tip when the mouse hovers above the theme's icon, as shown in the following image:

Next, we'll adjust the background color in the Form Header.

Step2. To select the header for the main form,

Click 

Step3. To change the background color of the Form Header area, on the Ribbon,

Click the Format tab, Click , Click a dark red color swatch

The background color changes but it makes the title hard to read. We need to change the text color to fix this problem.

Step4. To select the title label,

Click the title label

Step5. To change the selected text to white, on the Ribbon,

Click , Click the white color swatch

We could make the same changes to the banners of the other forms too, to make them match.

Testing the New Form

Now that we have made several changes, let's switch into Form view and test out the form.

Step1. Switch to Form view.

Your form should look like the screen shot shown below:

2. Try adding a new student record or editing data in an existing student record.

You should not be able to do either. Our form is now working as we intended.

Step3. Save the form.

Remember that we can still add records and edit data in the subform.