Please Help me Make a Switchboard!

[Chels]

Hello!

I am going to give you a brief description of my dilema. First of all I am
using Access 2000, I am very new to it and am building an entire database on
my own for a new job.

I have most of the database done (tables, queries, reports) and I created a
switchboard using the switchboard manager. It is a fairly large switchboard
and I was getting very frustrated with the Auto formats and ended up deleting
the whole thing thinking it would be easier (and nicer looking) to design my
own. I cannot figure out how to even begin to do that, not as easy as
anticipated.

I have read on here that I need to create an unbound form but I don't know
how to do that. I know a bit about programming buttons and am a very fast and
eager learner and I am pretty comfortable formating forms made with the form
Wizzard. I hope someone can help get me started!

Thank you!

 

[Muriukis]

Hello!

I am going to give you a brief description of my dilema. First of all I am
using Access 2000, I am very new to it and am building an entire database on
my own for a new job.

I have most of the database done (tables, queries, reports) and I created a
switchboard using the switchboard manager. It is a fairly large switchboard
and I was getting very frustrated with the Auto formats and ended up deleting
the whole thing thinking it would be easier (and nicer looking) to design my
own. I cannot figure out how to even begin to do that, not as easy as
anticipated.

I have read on here that I need to create an unbound form but I don't know
how to do that. I know a bit about programming buttons and am a very fast and
eager learner and I am pretty comfortable formating forms made with the form
Wizzard. I hope someone can help get me started!

Thank you!

hi chels
First you open a form in design
The form is unbound
On the form create command buttons using the wizard and specify which forms
they are going to open
Name the form and you are done
On the tools menu click startup and select the form which you created as the
start up
Pretty easy isn't it

 

[Muriukis]

Hello!

I am going to give you a brief description of my dilema. First of all I am
using Access 2000, I am very new to it and am building an entire database on
my own for a new job.

I have most of the database done (tables, queries, reports) and I created a
switchboard using the switchboard manager. It is a fairly large switchboard
and I was getting very frustrated with the Auto formats and ended up deleting
the whole thing thinking it would be easier (and nicer looking) to design my
own. I cannot figure out how to even begin to do that, not as easy as
anticipated.

I have read on here that I need to create an unbound form but I don't know
how to do that. I know a bit about programming buttons and am a very fast and
eager learner and I am pretty comfortable formating forms made with the form
Wizzard. I hope someone can help get me started!

Thank you!

Something else do you have forms for the tables?
If you dont then you need to create them

 

[Chels]

Thanks for the help, good to know forms open as unbound!

I do have a form for the table, I only have on very long table. My whole
database is made so I can pull up schedules from the one Table which is a big
list of tests that need to be done over the course of a year. I did queries
to pull out the different test for the schedules and then made reports from
those queries.

My switchboard needs to give people the option of which schedule they want
to find based on what exactly they are looking for: Monthly, Weekly, or
Shutdown schedules. Ao there are a lot of reports (75) so the swtichboard is
fairly big.

Will this let me program the buttons to go to different switchboard pages?
and then to reports from there? The wizard just asks me if I want to make
them open different forms or reports or if I want to print things.

 

[UpRider]

Sure, your main switchboard form that you created can have a button to open
another form which is also a switchboard.
Put a button on the second switchboard to get back to the main switchboard,
and buttons to go to additional switchboards if necessary. Careful or you
users can get lost in the jungle.

UpRider

 

[John W. Vinson]

Hello!

I am going to give you a brief description of my dilema. First of all I am
using Access 2000, I am very new to it and am building an entire database on
my own for a new job.

I have most of the database done (tables, queries, reports) and I created a
switchboard using the switchboard manager. It is a fairly large switchboard
and I was getting very frustrated with the Auto formats and ended up deleting
the whole thing thinking it would be easier (and nicer looking) to design my
own. I cannot figure out how to even begin to do that, not as easy as
anticipated.

I have read on here that I need to create an unbound form but I don't know
how to do that. I know a bit about programming buttons and am a very fast and
eager learner and I am pretty comfortable formating forms made with the form
Wizzard. I hope someone can help get me started!

Thank you!

I'd suggest a very different approach - one that's easier for you and for your
users!

Rather than creating dozens and dozens of reports for different combinations
of criteria, create ONE - or a very few - reports based on a Query using
parameters from a form. You can put combo boxes or other controls on a form
specifying whether you want weekly, or monthly, or whatever other parameters
go into customizing the report. The report's Recordsource query can reference
these combo boxes using syntax like

=Forms!YourSwitchboardForm!comboboxname

John W. Vinson [MVP]

 

[Chels]

Thanks so much for your help! I will give that all a try!