Outlook "Box" Effect

[Paul]

Now that Albert has given me a few ideas for the Drill-Down capabilities for
the database (thank you, Albert), I'm still curious as to how to actually
implement the similar "Box" effect that a contacts list in MS Outlook has,
but implementing that into MS Access 2007.

Any ideas?

 

[Neil]

If you use Continuous Form view, then you can put several rows of controls
in each record. You can surround the detail area with a rectangle, which
would make each item appear in its own "box." As Albert noted, you wouldn't
get multicolumns; but it would be pretty close.

You would then set the form's On Click or On DoubleClick event to open
another form to get all details. When you open the form, I would set it to
acDialog, so that the user has to close it before clicking another contact.
Or, if you want them to be able to click on another contact without closing
it, then set the first form's On Current event to either close the pop-up
form, or to change its data to the new person that was clicked on.

Neil

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

Now that Albert has given me a few ideas for the Drill-Down capabilities
for
the database (thank you, Albert), I'm still curious as to how to actually
implement the similar "Box" effect that a contacts list in MS Outlook has,
but implementing that into MS Access 2007.

Any ideas?

As I mentioned, if you want And what the listing type form, then a
continuous
form is your best bet. The only downside or problem with a continuous form
is that each row has to be the SAME height. When you look at the list of
contacts (card view) in outlook, each Box can actually expand or contract
to display more or less information.

If you really need this expanding and contracting difference sized boxes for
each contact listed, then I suggest to use a report in access 2007, and then
use a hyperlink field in that report to launch a details form that allow you
to edit the one record.

However at the end of the day, it's quite a bit less work to simply build a
continuous form, and place a button on the details line on that continuous
form that when clicked on will launch the details form to allow you to edit
the one record.

You can download my super easy word merge example here:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKallal/msaccess/msaccess.html

The above does have a an example of continuous form, and that form also has
a "seach box" at the top of the form. It's not a particularly polished
example, but it does give you an idea of how easy it is to make something
like this.

as I said, you could use a report to display the information have a person
click on a hyperlink and set a bad report, but I think things run a little
bit better and worse like when you actually use a continuous form. The
additional advantage of the continuous form is it's far easier to put a
search box at the top as per my example shows above.

 

[Paul]

Okay, thank you both. I'll look up some tutorials on Continuous Forms.

I appreciate all the feedback!

-Paul

 

[Howard Burgman]

Okay, thank you both. I'll look up some tutorials on Continuous Forms.

I appreciate all the feedback!

-Paul