Changing Button Colors, Hiding Title Bar, and Menu Bar

[DS]

Hi,
Anyway to change button colors in Access 2000? Also, any way to hide
the Title Bar and the Menu Bar so that just the Access form is showing
full page? Thanks.
DS

 

[Jeff Conrad]

Hi,

For Question #1:
There is nothing built-in to Access that will allow you to change the color of command buttons.
Here are several options for you:

1. Use a label instead. Labels have click events and can be made to look like a command button with
some work.

2. Sensei Stephen Lebans has an example database that shows how to set a command button back color
and more: http://www.lebans.com/cmdbutton.htm

3. There's a nice "Color Command Buttons" download at this site:
http://www.candace-tripp.com/access_downloads.htm

4. Some simple colored button examples that can be copied into your application are available at:
http://www.peterssoftware.com/clrbtn.htm

5. A shareware version of Button Painter for MS Access is available at this web site:
http://www.peterssoftware.com/bp.htm


For possible different command button shapes see:

http://www.mvps.org/access/forms/frm0053.htm

http://www.candace-tripp.com/_pages/access_downloads.asp
Look for "Color Command Buttons" download file for other shapes.


For Question #2:
To completely hide the entire Access interface you can use the code found here:

http://www.mvps.org/access/api/api0019.htm

However, heed the warnings as this procedure does have some pitfalls!

Personally I think the best thing to do is create custom menu bars and toolbars.
Instead of your program looking like an Access Application, you just make it look like a *Software
Application*.

 

[DS]

Hi,

For Question #1:
There is nothing built-in to Access that will allow you to change the color of command buttons.
Here are several options for you:

1. Use a label instead. Labels have click events and can be made to look like a command button with
some work.

2. Sensei Stephen Lebans has an example database that shows how to set a command button back color
and more: http://www.lebans.com/cmdbutton.htm

3. There's a nice "Color Command Buttons" download at this site:
http://www.candace-tripp.com/access_downloads.htm

4. Some simple colored button examples that can be copied into your application are available at:
http://www.peterssoftware.com/clrbtn.htm

5. A shareware version of Button Painter for MS Access is available at this web site:
http://www.peterssoftware.com/bp.htm


For possible different command button shapes see:

http://www.mvps.org/access/forms/frm0053.htm

http://www.candace-tripp.com/_pages/access_downloads.asp
Look for "Color Command Buttons" download file for other shapes.


For Question #2:
To completely hide the entire Access interface you can use the code found here:

http://www.mvps.org/access/api/api0019.htm

However, heed the warnings as this procedure does have some pitfalls!

Personally I think the best thing to do is create custom menu bars and toolbars.
Instead of your program looking like an Access Application, you just make it look like a *Software
Application*.

Wow, Thank you for all of the info! Its much appreciated. What are the
pitfalls of hiding the Access enviroment?
Thank you
DS

 

[Jeff Conrad]

Wow, Thank you for all of the info! Its much appreciated.

You're welcome.

What are the pitfalls of hiding the Access environment?

Here are some disadvantages that I found with this technique:

1. Your code better be rock solid with error handling!
(sound advice anyway) Otherwise, a crash could result
from an unhandled error.

2. Previewing reports on the screen presents additional
problems because all your forms are Pop Up. Sandra Daigle
provided me with some code to get around this, but it's
still a pain and does not work across all Access versions.
With Pop-up forms, any reports appear behind the form.
Toggling visibility is a nightmare and does not always work
with this code.

3. You can't use custom menu and toolbars. Big
disappointment there!

4. I thought I remember some issues with minimizing the
windows. I could be wrong so don't quote me on that.

5. Nothing appears in the Taskbar so not-so-technical users
may shut down Windows without realizing the program is
still running. Corruption could result.

The ONLY time I found a great use for this code was to
create a single form MDE file that was used as a Login
form to my main secured databases. With a secured database
you are presented with the generic Access login screen.
Pretty poor looking in my opinion. So I created a form in
this other unsecured MDE file that hides the application
window. All it does is present a few options to the user
for logging into the regular database, the sample
database, or backup the data files. The user enters their
User Name/Password and that information is passed in code
to open the secured databases. Works great, looks great,
but I really would not want to use this code anywhere
else. Too many limitations. You're better off customizing the
application with custom tool bars and menu bars. Windows
users are used to these anyway so why fight it? Just my 2 cents.

 

[Jim/Chris]

For part 2 of your question

1. Open the form for which you want to remove a menu bar,
and View menu, click Design View.
2. If the property sheet is not already visible, click
Properties on the View menu.
3. In the property sheet of the form , click the Other tab.
4. In the MenuBar property box, type =1.
5. On the View menu, click Form View.

Note that the menu bar is not present.

Jim

 

[DS]

For part 2 of your question

1. Open the form for which you want to remove a menu bar,
and View menu, click Design View.
2. If the property sheet is not already visible, click
Properties on the View menu.
3. In the property sheet of the form , click the Other tab.
4. In the MenuBar property box, type =1.
5. On the View menu, click Form View.

Note that the menu bar is not present.

Jim



way to hide


form is showing

Hi,
Thanks for your reply. I tried it and nothing changed. I yped in the
following =1 Did I miss something?
Thank You
DS