Access Tutorial 10 Automating Tasks with Macros

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Access Tutorial 10Automating Tasks with Macros
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Objectives

• Design a switchboard and dialog box for a
  graphical user interface
• Run and add actions to macros
• Single step a macro
• Create a macro
• Add a macro to a macro group
• Add a command button to a form
• Attach a macro to a command button

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Objectives

• Create a dialog box form
• Add a list box to a form
• Use an SQL statement to fill a list box with
  object names
• Create a macro group
• Use the Switchboard Manager to create a
  switchboard
• Modify a switchboard

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Implementing a Graphical User Interface

• A user interface is what you see and use when you
  communicate with a computer program
• A graphical user interface (GUI) (pronounced
  gooey) displays windows, dialog boxes, command
  buttons, other controls, and graphical pictures,
  called icons, that you use to communicate with a
  program
• A switchboard is a form that appears when you
  open a database and that provides controlled
  access to the databases forms, reports, and
  queries

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Implementing a Graphical User Interface
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Introduction to Macros

• A macro is an action, or a set of actions, that
  you want Access to perform automatically for you

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Directly Running an Existing Macro

• In the Macro window, click the Run button in the
  Tools group on the Design tab on the Ribbon
• Or
• In the Macro group on the Database Tools tab on
  the Ribbon, click the Run Macro button, select
  the macro name in the Macro Name list box in the
  Run Macro dialog box, and then click the OK
  button
• Or
• In the Macros group in the Navigation Pane,
  right-click the macro name, and then click Run on
  the shortcut menu

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Directly Running an Existing Macro
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Adding Actions to a Macro
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Single Stepping a Macro

• Single stepping executes a macro one action at a
  time, pausing between actions
• In the Macro window, click the Single Step button
  in the Tools group on the Design tab on the
  Ribbon
• Click the Run button in the Tools group on the
  Design tab on the Ribbon
• In the Macro Single Step dialog box, click the
  Step button to execute the next action, click the
  Halt button to stop the macro, or click the
  Continue button to execute all remaining actions
  in the macro and turn off single stepping

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Creating a Macro

• Click the Create tab on the Ribbon
• In the Other group on the Create tab, click the
  Macro button
• Click the Save button on the Quick Access
  Toolbar, type the macro name in the Macro Name
  text box, and then press the Enter key

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Creating an Action by Dragging

• Make sure the Macro window and the Navigation
  Pane are open
• Drag an object from the Navigation Pane to an
  Action box in the Macro window. Access adds the
  appropriate macro action and sets its arguments
  to their default values

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Creating an Action by Dragging
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Creating an Action by Dragging
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Macro Groups

• A macro group is a macro that contains other
  macros

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Adding a Macro to a Macro Group

• Open the macro group in the Macro window. (For a
  macro group, the Macro Names button is already
  selected.)
• Type the macro name in the Macro Name column,
  select the action in the Action column, type an
  optional comment in the Comment column, and then
  use the Action Arguments pane to set the macros
  arguments
• If the macro consists of more than one action,
  enter the remaining actions in the rows
  immediately following the first macro action.
  Leave the Macro Name column blank for each
  additional action
• Save the macro group

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Adding a Macro to a Macro Group
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Adding a Command Button to a Form
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Adding a List Box to a Form

• Switch to Design view, if necessary
• If necessary, click the Use Control Wizards
  button in the Controls group on the Design tab to
  deselect it
• Click the List Box tool in the Controls group on
  the Design tab
• Position the pointers plus symbol where you want
  to place the upper-left corner of the list box,
  and then click the mouse button
• If you use the List Box Wizard, complete the
  dialog boxes to choose the source of the list,
  select the fields to appear in the list box, size
  the columns, select the field that will provide
  the data for the field in the main form, choose
  to remember the value for later use or store it
  in a field, and then enter the value to appear in
  the list box label
• If you do not use the List Box Wizard, set the
  Row Source property and size the list box

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Adding a List Box to a Form
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Using SQL

• SQL (Structured Query Language) is a standard
  language used in querying, updating, and managing
  relational databases
• Open the query in Datasheet view or Design view
• Click the SQL View button on the status bar, or
  right-click the query tab (or title bar) and
  click SQL View on the shortcut menu, or click the
  View arrow in the Views group on the Ribbon and
  click SQL View

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Using SQL
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Adding a Command Button to a Form Using Control
Wizards

• If necessary, click the Use Control Wizards tool
  in the Controls group on the Design tab so that
  it is selected
• Click the Button tool in the Controls group on
  the Design tab
• Position the pointers plus symbol where you want
  to place the upper-left corner of the command
  button, and then click the mouse button
• Complete the Command Button Wizard dialog boxes
  to select the action category and the action for
  the command button, enter the text to display on
  the command button, select a picture for the
  button, and then enter a name for the button

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Adding a Command Button to a Form Using Control
Wizards
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Creating a Macro Group

• Click the Create tab on the Ribbon
• In the Other group on the Create tab, click the
  Macro button
• In the Show/Hide group on the Design tab, click
  the Macro Names button
• Enter the macros in the macro group by entering
  each macro name in the Macro Name column and the
  corresponding action(s) in the Action column.
  Enter comments as needed in the Comment column,
  and set arguments as needed in the Action
  Arguments pane
• Click the Save button on the Quick Access
  Toolbar, enter the macro group name in the Macro
  Name text box, and then click the OK button

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Creating a Macro Group
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Creating a Switchboard

• To create the switchboard, youll use the Access
  Switchboard Manager
• The Switchboard Manager also creates a table,
  named Switchboard Items, which contains records
  describing the command buttons on the switchboard
• The Switchboard Manager allows you to create only
  one Switchboard form for a database, but the
  switchboard can contain many pages

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Creating a Switchboard