Controls Group in Design Tab

[jmixon12]

I am trying to create a ned combo box in a database that I just imported from
Excel. I am following the directions in the help file on how to "Create a
list box or a combo box by using a wizard."

The probelm is that it says, " [Note] This procedure assumes that the form
is bound to a table or query. Some of the steps will not apply if the form is
unbound. To determine if the form is bound to a table or query, press F4 to
display the property sheet. On the Data tab of the property sheet, the Record
Source property box displays the table or query that the form is bound to."
When I click F4 there is no "Data Tab", only a "General Tab".

Just for the heck of it I proceed to the next step. I tells me, "On the
Design tab, in the Controls group, ensure that Use Control Wizards is
selected." I don't have a "Controls Group."

What in the world is going on here????

 

[Philip Herlihy]

I am trying to create a ned combo box in a database that I just imported from
Excel. I am following the directions in the help file on how to "Create a
list box or a combo box by using a wizard."

The probelm is that it says, " [Note] This procedure assumes that the form
is bound to a table or query. Some of the steps will not apply if the form is
unbound. To determine if the form is bound to a table or query, press F4 to
display the property sheet. On the Data tab of the property sheet, the Record
Source property box displays the table or query that the form is bound to."
When I click F4 there is no "Data Tab", only a "General Tab".

Just for the heck of it I proceed to the next step. I tells me, "On the
Design tab, in the Controls group, ensure that Use Control Wizards is
selected." I don't have a "Controls Group."

What in the world is going on here????

It sounds as if you're not viewing a Form in Design mode when your press F4.

If you've just imported a table from Excel you may not have tried to
create a Form yet. Combo boxes belong on forms. Access does allow you
to mangle your tables using so-called "Lookup fields", which use combo
boxes, but this is generally held to be bad practice - tables work best
when left to store raw data.

If you haven't created a form yet, try using the Form Builder Wizard,
and fool around with the various options until you get one you like.

Then, in Design View, find a bit of blank space on your form for a combo
box. Look for the "controls" toolbar - if it's not showing explore
options under the View menu. Make sure the "Use Wizards" button is
"on", click the Combo Box control and then drag out a rectangle on the
form. The Combo Box wizard should appear. Try fooling with the various
options to see how it all works.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/HP052405811033.aspx

Phil, London

 

[Philip Herlihy]

I am trying to create a ned combo box in a database that I just imported from
Excel. I am following the directions in the help file on how to "Create a
list box or a combo box by using a wizard."

The probelm is that it says, " [Note] This procedure assumes that the form
is bound to a table or query. Some of the steps will not apply if the form is
unbound. To determine if the form is bound to a table or query, press F4 to
display the property sheet. On the Data tab of the property sheet, the Record
Source property box displays the table or query that the form is bound to."
When I click F4 there is no "Data Tab", only a "General Tab".

Just for the heck of it I proceed to the next step. I tells me, "On the
Design tab, in the Controls group, ensure that Use Control Wizards is
selected." I don't have a "Controls Group."

What in the world is going on here????

It sounds as if you're not viewing a Form in Design mode when your press F4.

If you've just imported a table from Excel you may not have tried to
create a Form yet. Combo boxes belong on forms. Access does allow you
to mangle your tables using so-called "Lookup fields", which use combo
boxes, but this is generally held to be bad practice - tables work best
when left to store raw data.

If you haven't created a form yet, try using the Form Builder Wizard,
and fool around with the various options until you get one you like.

Then, in Design View, find a bit of blank space on your form for a combo
box. Look for the "controls" toolbar - if it's not showing explore
options under the View menu. Make sure the "Use Wizards" button is
"on", click the Combo Box control and then drag out a rectangle on the
form. The Combo Box wizard should appear. Try fooling with the various
options to see how it all works.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/HP052405811033.aspx

Phil, London

 

[jmixon12]

Phil,
You are 100% correct! I kept working with it and figured that part out
after I made the post. So do I make forms that will populate my Table? Let
me tell you what I'm trying to accomplish and maybe you can direct me as to
the best way to get there. I am a commercial real estate appraiser and I am
trying to make a sales database. So I want each line in the table to
represent a different real estate transaction. It will need a laundry list
of items to be filled out about the specifics of the property: zoning,
topography, sales price, sales date, etc. Some of these items, such as
zoning, will only have a few possible options. So as to avoid spelling and
other errors, I want these to be on those drop down lists where whoever is
filling the info in can simply select the correct item. I can start from a
blank document if that is necessary. Thank you very much for the help!
--
"Paper is Power!"

I am trying to create a ned combo box in a database that I just imported from
Excel. I am following the directions in the help file on how to "Create a
list box or a combo box by using a wizard."

The probelm is that it says, " [Note] This procedure assumes that the form
is bound to a table or query. Some of the steps will not apply if the form is
unbound. To determine if the form is bound to a table or query, press F4 to
display the property sheet. On the Data tab of the property sheet, the Record
Source property box displays the table or query that the form is bound to."
When I click F4 there is no "Data Tab", only a "General Tab".

Just for the heck of it I proceed to the next step. I tells me, "On the
Design tab, in the Controls group, ensure that Use Control Wizards is
selected." I don't have a "Controls Group."

What in the world is going on here????

It sounds as if you're not viewing a Form in Design mode when your press F4.

If you've just imported a table from Excel you may not have tried to
create a Form yet. Combo boxes belong on forms. Access does allow you
to mangle your tables using so-called "Lookup fields", which use combo
boxes, but this is generally held to be bad practice - tables work best
when left to store raw data.

If you haven't created a form yet, try using the Form Builder Wizard,
and fool around with the various options until you get one you like.

Then, in Design View, find a bit of blank space on your form for a combo
box. Look for the "controls" toolbar - if it's not showing explore
options under the View menu. Make sure the "Use Wizards" button is
"on", click the Combo Box control and then drag out a rectangle on the
form. The Combo Box wizard should appear. Try fooling with the various
options to see how it all works.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/HP052405811033.aspx

Phil, London

 

[jmixon12]

Phil,
You are 100% correct! I kept working with it and figured that part out
after I made the post. So do I make forms that will populate my Table? Let
me tell you what I'm trying to accomplish and maybe you can direct me as to
the best way to get there. I am a commercial real estate appraiser and I am
trying to make a sales database. So I want each line in the table to
represent a different real estate transaction. It will need a laundry list
of items to be filled out about the specifics of the property: zoning,
topography, sales price, sales date, etc. Some of these items, such as
zoning, will only have a few possible options. So as to avoid spelling and
other errors, I want these to be on those drop down lists where whoever is
filling the info in can simply select the correct item. I can start from a
blank document if that is necessary. Thank you very much for the help!
--
"Paper is Power!"

I am trying to create a ned combo box in a database that I just imported from
Excel. I am following the directions in the help file on how to "Create a
list box or a combo box by using a wizard."

The probelm is that it says, " [Note] This procedure assumes that the form
is bound to a table or query. Some of the steps will not apply if the form is
unbound. To determine if the form is bound to a table or query, press F4 to
display the property sheet. On the Data tab of the property sheet, the Record
Source property box displays the table or query that the form is bound to."
When I click F4 there is no "Data Tab", only a "General Tab".

Just for the heck of it I proceed to the next step. I tells me, "On the
Design tab, in the Controls group, ensure that Use Control Wizards is
selected." I don't have a "Controls Group."

What in the world is going on here????

It sounds as if you're not viewing a Form in Design mode when your press F4.

If you've just imported a table from Excel you may not have tried to
create a Form yet. Combo boxes belong on forms. Access does allow you
to mangle your tables using so-called "Lookup fields", which use combo
boxes, but this is generally held to be bad practice - tables work best
when left to store raw data.

If you haven't created a form yet, try using the Form Builder Wizard,
and fool around with the various options until you get one you like.

Then, in Design View, find a bit of blank space on your form for a combo
box. Look for the "controls" toolbar - if it's not showing explore
options under the View menu. Make sure the "Use Wizards" button is
"on", click the Combo Box control and then drag out a rectangle on the
form. The Combo Box wizard should appear. Try fooling with the various
options to see how it all works.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/HP052405811033.aspx

Phil, London

 

[Philip Herlihy]

Phil,
You are 100% correct! I kept working with it and figured that part out
after I made the post. So do I make forms that will populate my Table? Let
me tell you what I'm trying to accomplish and maybe you can direct me as to
the best way to get there. I am a commercial real estate appraiser and I am
trying to make a sales database. So I want each line in the table to
represent a different real estate transaction. It will need a laundry list
of items to be filled out about the specifics of the property: zoning,
topography, sales price, sales date, etc. Some of these items, such as
zoning, will only have a few possible options. So as to avoid spelling and
other errors, I want these to be on those drop down lists where whoever is
filling the info in can simply select the correct item. I can start from a
blank document if that is necessary. Thank you very much for the help!

Well, I'm not going to design it for you, and there isn't enough
information here to do that anyway, but I can suggest an approach.

There's a lot to learn in Access, so get some essential training. I
very much like the video training at lynda.com (no connection), where
you can subscribe for as little as a month (which might well be enough).
Otherwise, a book perhaps, or these:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/CR101582831033.aspx

About 50% of the battle is to get your tables right. Until you're an
expert, the "right" set of tables is often a surprise. Try to identify
relationships between "things" which are one-to-one, one-to-many or
many-to-many, and learn how to use key fields to represent them. See:
http://www.lynda.com/home/Player.aspx?lpk4=31001 and
http://tinyurl.com/ms-table-design-tutorial

Play with Access. Create a new table using the Wizard, and fool about
with the various examples Access offers you. Notice that some fields
have "ID" at the end - this signifies that the field will store a
reference to a record in another table. Relationships like this are the
heart of designing a database.

Try creating a new database from a template (File > New, and choose from
the samples offered. Pick one close to your need and see if it can be
adapted, but this does throw you in at the deep end.

When you have identified your tables, use the Relationships window in
Access to "register" relationships, so that Access can help you better
down the road.

You can build forms (including data-entry forms) and reports straight on
top of tables, but as most databases pull together information from
multiple tables you more often use a query to extract the information
you want. Use the query builder wizard to learn how it's done, but also
look at your queries in both Design view (and experiment!) and in SQL
view, so you can learn to recognise the underlying language of
databases. Google for videos and articles about the "Expression Builder".

Back the thing up frequently! File > Backup in A2003, Start-button (or
whatever it's called) > Manage > Backup in A2007. Read about how and
why to "split an Access database".

When you start working with forms, use the Form Builder Wizard. Over
and over, until you get the hang of it. Then start fooling around,
dragging controls about and changing their properties (remember F4).
Learn what the RecordSource of a form is, and what the ControlSource of
a control is (a combo-box is one example of a control).

Same goes for Reports (intended to be printed). Start with the Report
Builder Wizard, and run it over and over until you're getting something
that looks vaguely right. Then tinker: move the fields around, play
with the "Grouping" facilities.

Read up about "Events" and how they are handled. When you click a
button, that fires an "Event", which is picked up by an Event Handler
which you can customise.

In general, use the wizards (or "builders") as much as you can, but
always study what they have done in the relevant "Design" view - this
will teach you how to make adjustments. The wizards can do a surprising
amount of the work for you, on one vital condition....

You have to get your tables/relationships right.

Start simple, and ask questions here.

Good luck!

Phil

 

[Philip Herlihy]

Phil,
You are 100% correct! I kept working with it and figured that part out
after I made the post. So do I make forms that will populate my Table? Let
me tell you what I'm trying to accomplish and maybe you can direct me as to
the best way to get there. I am a commercial real estate appraiser and I am
trying to make a sales database. So I want each line in the table to
represent a different real estate transaction. It will need a laundry list
of items to be filled out about the specifics of the property: zoning,
topography, sales price, sales date, etc. Some of these items, such as
zoning, will only have a few possible options. So as to avoid spelling and
other errors, I want these to be on those drop down lists where whoever is
filling the info in can simply select the correct item. I can start from a
blank document if that is necessary. Thank you very much for the help!

Well, I'm not going to design it for you, and there isn't enough
information here to do that anyway, but I can suggest an approach.

There's a lot to learn in Access, so get some essential training. I
very much like the video training at lynda.com (no connection), where
you can subscribe for as little as a month (which might well be enough).
Otherwise, a book perhaps, or these:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/CR101582831033.aspx

About 50% of the battle is to get your tables right. Until you're an
expert, the "right" set of tables is often a surprise. Try to identify
relationships between "things" which are one-to-one, one-to-many or
many-to-many, and learn how to use key fields to represent them. See:
http://www.lynda.com/home/Player.aspx?lpk4=31001 and
http://tinyurl.com/ms-table-design-tutorial

Play with Access. Create a new table using the Wizard, and fool about
with the various examples Access offers you. Notice that some fields
have "ID" at the end - this signifies that the field will store a
reference to a record in another table. Relationships like this are the
heart of designing a database.

Try creating a new database from a template (File > New, and choose from
the samples offered. Pick one close to your need and see if it can be
adapted, but this does throw you in at the deep end.

When you have identified your tables, use the Relationships window in
Access to "register" relationships, so that Access can help you better
down the road.

You can build forms (including data-entry forms) and reports straight on
top of tables, but as most databases pull together information from
multiple tables you more often use a query to extract the information
you want. Use the query builder wizard to learn how it's done, but also
look at your queries in both Design view (and experiment!) and in SQL
view, so you can learn to recognise the underlying language of
databases. Google for videos and articles about the "Expression Builder".

Back the thing up frequently! File > Backup in A2003, Start-button (or
whatever it's called) > Manage > Backup in A2007. Read about how and
why to "split an Access database".

When you start working with forms, use the Form Builder Wizard. Over
and over, until you get the hang of it. Then start fooling around,
dragging controls about and changing their properties (remember F4).
Learn what the RecordSource of a form is, and what the ControlSource of
a control is (a combo-box is one example of a control).

Same goes for Reports (intended to be printed). Start with the Report
Builder Wizard, and run it over and over until you're getting something
that looks vaguely right. Then tinker: move the fields around, play
with the "Grouping" facilities.

Read up about "Events" and how they are handled. When you click a
button, that fires an "Event", which is picked up by an Event Handler
which you can customise.

In general, use the wizards (or "builders") as much as you can, but
always study what they have done in the relevant "Design" view - this
will teach you how to make adjustments. The wizards can do a surprising
amount of the work for you, on one vital condition....

You have to get your tables/relationships right.

Start simple, and ask questions here.

Good luck!

Phil