Form Design - Data Entry

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Guest

1.) I want to create a Form that will be used "only" for data entry.
2.) The Form will need to contain fields from 4 tables.
3.) I'd like to use tab key to move from one field to another.

Is such a Form create-able? If so, what steps must be performed to create
such a Form?

(The 4 tables are Main, Details, Subject, and Author.)
 
It is possible. The way I would do it would be to create your main form
using data from your primary table - the one that would contain a field
common to the other three
and then using subforms, create forms for the other three tables.

I would put the main part of the form into a tab, and put each subform into
a tab if the screen was too cluttered.

Linda
 
Thank you for replying!

From your suggestion, I envision one single Form, consisting of a Main Form
and 3 Subforms within the Main Form. (This is what I want!)

Additionally, the Main Form uses fields from Table1, Subform1 uses fields
from Table2, Subform2 uses fields from Table3, and Subform3 uses fields from
Table4.

Finally, Table1 contains a field that is also in Table2, Table3, and Table4.
(Let's call this field "CommonField". CommonField will be the primary key
in Table1, and the foreign key in Table2, Table3, and Table4.)

What I don't get is how to "put the main part of the form into a tab, and
put each subform into a tab if the screen was too cluttered"?

I'd like to advance from field to field, thru entire Form (Main Form,
Subform1, Subform2, and Subform3) using just the Tab key.
 
First, create the main form, bound to Table1.
From the Toolbox (View menu), add a tab control to the form.
Place the controls from Table1 onto the first page of the tab control.

There are many ways to make a subform, including using the subform wizard in
the Toolbox. My preference is to actually create a form, and save it. Then
open your orignal form, select the 2nd page of the tab control, and drag it
from the database window. Then right-click the edge of the new subform
control, and check its Properties. On the Data tab of the Properties box,
you should see the name of the main form's primary key as the
LinkMasterFields, and the name of the subform's foreign key as the
LinkChildFields.

Normally, you would create the 3rd one as a subform of the 2nd one. If you
want it to be in the next tab page of the main control, add a text box to
the main form that reads the value in the 2nd subform. This text box will
have a ControlSource of:
=[Sub2].Form![Text2]
where Sub2 is the name of the subform control, and Text2 is the name of the
text box for the primary key. You will then use the name of this text box as
the LinkMasterFields for your next subform. It is possible to skip the text
box and use the reference directly in LinkMasterFields: there's an example
of that in the Customer Orders form in Northwind.

You may find that it starts to become unweildy to take this approach to the
4th level. There are potential traps, such as crashes related to Conditional
Formatting, code in Form_Current, Name AutoCorrect, and performance issues
related to subdatasheets, not to mention the ineffieincy of loading and
synchronizing lots of forms like that, and most importantly the
user-overload of trying to understand an interface like that.

Would it be preferable to break the form down into separate interface parts
instead of making one monster?
 
Your other question related to how to tab out of one subform into the next.

An old trick is to add a small unbound text box to the form, last in the tab
order.
In its GotFocus event, save the record, and set focus to whatever you want.

This kind of thing:

Private Sub txtJump_GotFocus
If Me.Dirty Then
Me.Dirty = False
End If
Me.Parent.Setfocus
Me.Parent![Sub2].SetFocus
End Sub
 
Thank you for taking the time and attention to help me!
Would it be preferable to break the form down into separate interface parts
instead of making one monster?
Click to expand...

I have a database with 4 tables: Main, Details, Subject, and Author. It is
for storing and retrieving "book and book passage notes" info. "Ideally",
I'd like to be able to input all "book and book passage notes" info, at one
interface.

However, if the "ideal" is not really feasible, what would you recommend as
the next best thing?
--
2nd_Stage_User


Allen Browne said:
First, create the main form, bound to Table1.
From the Toolbox (View menu), add a tab control to the form.
Place the controls from Table1 onto the first page of the tab control.

There are many ways to make a subform, including using the subform wizard in
the Toolbox. My preference is to actually create a form, and save it. Then
open your orignal form, select the 2nd page of the tab control, and drag it
from the database window. Then right-click the edge of the new subform
control, and check its Properties. On the Data tab of the Properties box,
you should see the name of the main form's primary key as the
LinkMasterFields, and the name of the subform's foreign key as the
LinkChildFields.

Normally, you would create the 3rd one as a subform of the 2nd one. If you
want it to be in the next tab page of the main control, add a text box to
the main form that reads the value in the 2nd subform. This text box will
have a ControlSource of:
=[Sub2].Form![Text2]
where Sub2 is the name of the subform control, and Text2 is the name of the
text box for the primary key. You will then use the name of this text box as
the LinkMasterFields for your next subform. It is possible to skip the text
box and use the reference directly in LinkMasterFields: there's an example
of that in the Customer Orders form in Northwind.

You may find that it starts to become unweildy to take this approach to the
4th level. There are potential traps, such as crashes related to Conditional
Formatting, code in Form_Current, Name AutoCorrect, and performance issues
related to subdatasheets, not to mention the ineffieincy of loading and
synchronizing lots of forms like that, and most importantly the
user-overload of trying to understand an interface like that.

Would it be preferable to break the form down into separate interface parts
instead of making one monster?
Click to expand...
 
Again, thank you for the time and attention you have given to helping me!

Unfortunately, my background in Access is not sufficient to grasp more than
a vague understanding of what you have written here.

In the course of attempting to build this database (and, of seeking help
from individuals in this Usenet forum), I've come to see that I'll have to
equip myself with more knowledge. To this end, I just purchased "Access 2002
Bible," and I just ordered "Access 2002 VBA Handbook."

I think it's time to leave off this Usenet forum, until I have done some
more study.
--
2nd_Stage_User


Allen Browne said:
Your other question related to how to tab out of one subform into the next.

An old trick is to add a small unbound text box to the form, last in the tab
order.
In its GotFocus event, save the record, and set focus to whatever you want.

This kind of thing:

Private Sub txtJump_GotFocus
If Me.Dirty Then
Me.Dirty = False
End If
Me.Parent.Setfocus
Me.Parent![Sub2].SetFocus
End Sub
Click to expand...
 
Many aspects.

One book can have multiple authors.
One author writes many books.
That needs a junction table to start with, so 3 tables so far:
Book,
Author, and
BookAuthor.

Presumably you make notes that refer to a book and page number. Strictly it
is to a publication an author, because one book may be published multiple
times with different page numbers (e.g. hardback and paperback), so you
have:
Publication
Note

A note is something written by one person on one date, so you may have a
Researcher table as well, if these notes are not just your own.

And so on.

Your other reply says you have just bought some good Access material. That
suggests you are serious about learning this stuff, so all the best as you
spend the next few months covering the basics, doing the practice exerices,
and grasping the design concepts that are the heart of databasing.
 
Thank you for your time, attention, and info!

I appreciated examples of reasoning process applied to creating a "books and
book passage notes" database. Thanks for the good wishes on my Access study
pursuits.

Best to you.
 
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