How to call up Forms from Datasheets

[Aeneas]

I notice that in the sample database that comes with Access (Northwind 2007)
it is possible to call up a Form for any particular record directly from the
Datasheet. For example in the "Customers List" in Northwind it is possible to
click on any of the fields for any customer record and call up the Form for
that customer. As my databases operate now I must 1) check the ID number for
a particular record in the datasheet view, 2) switch to Form view in the
Navigation Pane, and 3) enter the ID number in Form view in order to see the
Form for any particular record. Can you guide me as to where, for example on
Help, I might find instructions on how to alter my database design to provide
this facility?

 

[Fred]

Your post sounds sort of confusing / confused. I would recommend providing
more specifics on your actual problem (too much work to view something) and
asking for recommendations on how to solve it rather than picking a probably
wrong way to do it and asking how to make that wrong way work.

 

[Aeneas]

Your post sounds sort of confusing / confused. I would recommend providing
more specifics on your actual problem (too much work to view something) and
asking for recommendations on how to solve it rather than picking a probably
wrong way to do it and asking how to make that wrong way work.

Sorry if I wasn't clear. At the moment I find opening Forms for any
particular record (as described in my first post) time consuming and awkward.
For ease of reference what I do is open a table in Datasheet View, check the
ID number of the record I am interested in, open Form View, and enter the ID
number to bring up the appropriate form. I was sure there was an easier way
to find forms than this. and I went looking for the solution in Help and
various workbooks on Access 2007. I found in the sample database that comes
with Access (Northwind 2007) that there is a way in which with a simple click
on a record in Datasheet View you can call up the form for the record in
question. (The example can be found in Customer List in Northwind 2007.
Select any customer record in the table, click on the ID field and the Form
for that customer opens . My question is how do I redesign my databases to
provide this facility; or where in Help can I find how to do it? (My
databases have been imported from Paradox and therefore need tweaking and
redesign to make them work efficiently in Access.)

 

[Fred]

Hello Aeneas,

First, clarifying terminology, forms are just windows to data. You can
design 100 different forms to look at the same data, so there is no such
thing a A (singular) form for a record.

Second, 99.9% of the time, tables are not the way to look at data. I say
that forms and queries are, other people say that only forms are.

Next I'm assuming that the form that you want to view the record in is a
"one page per record" type form. (There are other tyeps, such as ones that
look like the table view, with a different record in each line.

The short answer is to not even use the table view. There are a zillion
ways to do what you want to do, half of them fall under the following: open
the form that you want to use, and then bring up the desired record in that
form. One of them is to click on the field (ANY field) that you want to
locate by, hit the binoculars, and then punching in your criteria.

While this involves searching for the record, in your described situation
you are already doing that anyway, now you just have to use one "screen"

 

[Aeneas]

Thanks for going to the trouble to reply. For my purposes I need 1) to look
at my data in datasheet view and 2) to refer to the form view (single page)
in order to consult notes (in memo form) that I make on particular records.
I realise that I can have numerous forms but in my case generally I need only
one - the main purpose of which is to store my notes. What I need to get to
is a situation where I can move easily between the datasheet and the form. I
now know from the Northwind 2007 sample database that it is possible to do
it in Access at the click of my mouse on the datasheet view. I just don't
know how to design the connection. I suppose what I am really asking is how
do I design my datasheet to provide the facility that I have found in the
Northwind Customer List.

 

[Aeneas]

Thanks. This has helped me understand my problem and its solution better. I
made a mistake in reading how the sample Northwind database operates when
searching for an example of what I wanted to do. I thought the Customer List
was displayed in Datasheet View whereas in fact it was in Form View. Now I
understand why you say I "need two forms". So I think what I need to do is:
replicate my Table (Datasheet View) in Form View; then design another Form
for my Memo notes; and finally establish a link between the two. My
beginners questions now are 1) is how do I put the code you suggest in the
"Click event" (whatever that is) and 2) is there a simpler way to make the
link between the two Forms using Design View - I am a bit nervous about using
code and would prefer to use a ready made design facility to achieve my aim
if there is one. Hope this is understandable.

Hello Aeneas,

You need two forms. The first is a continuous form where you display a list
of all the records. If there are many fields in each record, display only
enough fields that will allow you to visually distinguish one record from
another. Be sure the primary key is included in the selected fields. The
second form is a single form that displays all the fields in a record. Now
what you want to be able to do is open the first form, click on a record in
the list and open the second form displaying the full record which you
clicked in the first form. To do this, put the following code in the Click
event of one or more fields in the first form:
Docmd.OpenForm "NameOfSecondForm",,"[NameOfPrimaryKey] = " &
Me![NameOfPrimaryKey]

Steve
(e-mail address removed)

Thanks for going to the trouble to reply. For my purposes I need 1) to
look
at my data in datasheet view and 2) to refer to the form view (single
page)
in order to consult notes (in memo form) that I make on particular
records.
I realise that I can have numerous forms but in my case generally I need
only
one - the main purpose of which is to store my notes. What I need to get
to
is a situation where I can move easily between the datasheet and the form.
I
now know from the Northwind 2007 sample database that it is possible to
do
it in Access at the click of my mouse on the datasheet view. I just don't
know how to design the connection. I suppose what I am really asking is
how
do I design my datasheet to provide the facility that I have found in the
Northwind Customer List.

 

[Fred]

The example that you're referring to probably does use code.

An alternative alluded to in my earlier response is to just go directly to
the end form, and arrange it to be faster / easire to go to / find your
record in it.