Microsoft Access 2010 : Viewing the Design of a Form, The AutoForm Feature

1. Viewing the Design of a Form

You can use the View tool on the Ribbon to toggle back and forth between Design view and Form view. Figure 1 shows a form in Design view. When you are in Design view, you can modify the underlying blueprint of the form. You can move and size controls, and you can add and remove controls. In fact, you can change the entire look, feel, and functionality of the form.

Figure 1. A form in Design view.

2. Closing a Form

To close a form, click the close button (the X) in the upper-right corner of the form. If you try to close a form without having made any design changes—that is, changes that you make to the design of the form—Access does not prompt you to save. This is because Access saves all data changes as you move from row to row. If you close a form and save design changes, those changes are permanent for all users of the form.

3. The AutoForm Feature

You can quickly build forms by using the AutoForm feature. The AutoForm feature gives you absolutely no control over how a form appears, but it provides you with an instantaneous means of data entry.

Create a Form by Using the AutoForm Feature

Creating a form by using the AutoForm feature is amazingly easy. Here’s how it works:

Figure 2. Access creating a form based on the selected table or query.

Saving a Form

Although Access automatically saves all the data changes that you make to a form, it is up to you to save all the design changes that you make to the form. As you work with the design of a form, you should periodically click the Save tool on the QuickAccess toolbar to save changes. When you close the form, Access prompts you to once again save your changes. Here’s the process:

Sub-datasheets are available within forms, just as they are in datasheets.