Rectangle: Click this button to draw a rectangle on the form so that
users can see how objects are related.
More controls: This displays a listing of additional controls you have
installed on your computer — such as calendar controls that enable a
user to select a date from an on-screen calendar.
Okay, so you’re probably scratching your head and wondering if you really
have to know how to use all these tools before you can start creating your
own forms in design view. The short-and-sweet answer is no. Chapter 9 gives
you a lot more information on using controls on your forms.
Starting a form in Design view
Before you begin your first form in Design view, you have to understand
the two dif ferent ways to open the Form Design view. When you look at the
Forms list in the database window, the option at the top is always Create
Form in Design View. Double-clicking this item does open the Form Design
view, but using this method presents you with a blank form that is not con-
nected to any of your tables or queries. When you’re starting out designing
forms you may prefer to open Design view by using a method that actually
connects your form to a table or query. To use this second, easier method,
follow these steps:
1. Open the Access database to which you want to add a new for m.
2. Select For ms in the Objects list.
A list of forms appears.
3. Click the New button to display the New For m dialog box.
4. Make certain that the top item, Design View, is selected.
5. Select the table or quer y you want to use as the sour ce for the for m
from the dr op-down list box in the lower section of the dialog box.
6. Click the OK button to open the new form in Design view with the
field list displayed (see Figure 3-10).
If the toolbox or the field list is in your way, you can drag them elsewhere on
your screen to get them out of the way. If you drag the toolbox to the top,
bottom, or either side of the Access window, you can dock the toolbox along
the edge where you dragged it. Docking the toolbox reduces your work area
slightly, but it also ensures that the toolbox doesn’t obscure part of your
workspace the way it can when the toolbox is floating. You can’t dock the
field list, but unless your screen resolution is set quite small or your form is
very large, you’ll probably be able to find an out-of-the-way place for it.
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