Enhancements Questions

[Joe Bloggs]

Hi all

I have a few questions about improvements I would like to make to a
personnel database. If anyone has any thought please let me know! I
apologise if these have been asked before!

1. I have a field in a form which shows a date when a performance appraisal
is due. I want to enhance it somewhat by perhaps being a different colour if
that due date is within 14 days of today, and perhaps flash if it is
overdue.

2. I have encorporated into the form the process of adding personnels
pictures without storing the pics in the database, just in the same folder
as the database, as per the Microsoft description on how to do it.. When
adding new personnel through the form, I then have to go to the table and
add the file name by typing!! Is it possibe to have a button on the main
form, perhaps under the pic location that opens something with a browse
button so I can purely click my way to the picture file, select it and add
this to the image file?

3. Each of the personnel has a line manager, and his details appear in a
subform on the main personnel form. I have a button that runs a report to
show all the personnel with that line manager, but I have to type in the
managers surname (because of the filter i added to the query the report is
based on). Is it possible to run this report pased on that persons line
managers surname without having to type it into the "SUrname" box that
appears??

I hope I have explained what I am after well enough to get some help. I am
using Access 2000 and have very little experience with VB, but am willing
and eager to learn!

Very many thanks in advance

Joe B

 

[itareus]

Simple answer to your question 1. (In Access 2002, can't check earlier Access versions) - right click on the field you want to "enhance", select "Conditional Formatting" from the context menu and set the required conditions

 

[Dale]

I'm hardly an expert but I have an answer to part 1. On
the form design view go to the format menu and use the
conditional formatting to change the contents of the cell
according to an expression. I don't know about the
flashing but red is a good solid colour to get one's
attention.

In part 3, can you not get the query to lookup the
surname on the fieldname? If the form is
called "Employee" and the LM field is "Surname" then try
the search criteria in the query to read as [Forms]!
[Employee]![Surname].

You don't need to use much (if any) VB for these tasks
although part 2 sounds a bit beyond me and probably will
need some code. I'm going to keep an eye on this forum
now as I could possibly use something like that myself.

I hope I've been of some help...

 

[Arvin Meyer]

Answers in line:

1. I have a field in a form which shows a date when a performance appraisal
is due. I want to enhance it somewhat by perhaps being a different colour if
that due date is within 14 days of today, and perhaps flash if it is
overdue.

Access 2000 started a technique known as Conditional Formatting which in
that version may have been limited to continuous forms/subforms. You can
change the color of a textbox based on the data it holds. I strongly suggest
you don't flash anything as it irritates the hell out of users and can
trigger epilepsy.

2. I have encorporated into the form the process of adding personnels
pictures without storing the pics in the database, just in the same folder
as the database, as per the Microsoft description on how to do it.. When
adding new personnel through the form, I then have to go to the table and
add the file name by typing!! Is it possibe to have a button on the main
form, perhaps under the pic location that opens something with a browse
button so I can purely click my way to the picture file, select it and add
this to the image file?

See the code at:
http://www.mvps.org/access/api/api0001.htm

3. Each of the personnel has a line manager, and his details appear in a
subform on the main personnel form. I have a button that runs a report to
show all the personnel with that line manager, but I have to type in the
managers surname (because of the filter i added to the query the report is
based on). Is it possible to run this report pased on that persons line
managers surname without having to type it into the "SUrname" box that
appears??

I'm not sure I understand the question, but you can pick a name from an
unbound combo box.
--
Arvin Meyer, MCP, MVP
Microsoft Access
Free Access downloads:
http://www.datastrat.com
http://www.mvps.org/access