Access Assignment 4: Creating customized forms
Overview
You can use enter data in an existing table in three ways:
- You can open each table and use the Datasheet view to enter data into the
table structure you have created. This quick-and-dirty approach is rarely used
in typical business applications.
- You can create a form that will guide the data-entry person while
entering or modifying data in the table. Forms make database access more user
friendly and accurate.
- You can create a Data Access page to use the web to interact with data in
the database. This approach makes it possible to enter and edit data without
first using Microsoft Access to open the database.
In this assignment, you will build fairly simple forms with the goal of
viewing data in the database and entering new information into it. This term we will not have time to study about building web interfaces with Data Access Pages.
Deliverable
This assignment builds on the work you did for the Access
2 assignment, so it will extend and revise your MovinOn.mdb database.
The Access 3, Access
4, and Access 5 assignments are independent.
Thus, you can complete them in any order. For example, you might complete
Access 4 assignment without completing the
Access 3 assignment -- but that wouldn't be my
recommended approach. All three assignments are similar in nature in that they
each ask you to add more objects to your MovinOn.mdb database.
Training Exercises
I recommend that you start by working through these activities as a training
exercise:
- Steps to Success: Level 1 on pages 302-303. This will ask
you to open the Hudson.mdb database and build a variety of basic data entry
forms inside it. If you skipped the exercises in the last chapter, I
recommend beginning with this
Hudson3-2.mdb file. Note: the link in the previous sentence won't
work if you are off campus or if you are using Monzilla FireFox as your
browser.
Note: If you complete this Level 1 training exercise
successfully, you should end up with a database similar to this
Hudson4-1.mdb file. Note: the link in the previous sentence
won't work if you are off campus or if you are using Monzilla FireFox as
your browser.
- Steps To Success: Level 2 on pages 248-249. Once again,
you will open the Hudson.mdb database, and you will create and modify forms
to improve their appearance and ease of use.
If you skip the exercises described above, expect the actual assignment to be
confusing. Also, when it comes time to show me your skills on an exam, know that
you will have a lot less practice and understanding about what to do.
Ultimately, the choice of how much practice you need is up to you.
Assignment Specifications
Individual Assignment
- This is an individual assignment (not a team assignment). Please
ensure that you address all requirements described in the textbook and instructions provided below. If you would like to be creative
and enhance your assignment beyond the listed requirements, you may do so.
However, make sure that you satisfy the requirements of the assignment, since
your work will be evaluated based on those requirements.
- Note: The code for academic honesty applies. All students
are expected to work through this assignment personally with their own set
of fingers. Copying all or a portion of a file from a classmate and
submitting it as your own work will be treated as a violation of OSU's code of
academic honesty.
-
Please pay attention to the specifications of the
assignment. In a multi-developer environment, even the seemingly minor
deviations from these specifications may have profound impacts. If you
spell the name of a form incorrectly, another application that links to the
correctly spelled form may crash. Let me put this another way: if your forms
are named incorrectly, we may not find them when we grade your work, and you
may not get any credit for creating them.
Instructions
For this assignment, you are to complete steps 1 through 6 of Case 2--Data-Entry Forms for
MovinOn Inc. on pages 344-345 of the textbook.
- In Step 1, open the MovinOn.mdb database that you created in the Access
2 assignment and extended in the Access 3 assignment.. It should be in your
P:\classwork\ba271\access folder rather than in a "Case2" folder as the
printed instructions suggest.
- Step 2 asks you to build five forms. You do not need to create the
WarehouseData or VehicleData forms. Make sure the remaining three forms are
spelled exactly like:
- frmCustomerData
- frmDriverData
- frmEmployeeData
- Steps 3 and 4 ask you to use judgment as you design the forms, and this will
necessarily lead to subjective decisions about how to build and how to grade
the forms. To help you understand what to do, I've captured some screen
images showing several forms ... you will find them below. Your forms should
look at least as good at the samples shown below.
- In Step 4, disregard the instructions in the textbook that suggest you should find MovinOn-logo.jpg in a Chapter 4\Case 2 folder. Instead, use
this
link to retrieve the MovinOn-logo.jpg file.
- In Step 5, you will be asked to further modifications to frmEmployeeData.
For example, you will add a button titled, "Record notes for this employee".
When the user clicks this button, he or she should see the following form
appear:
- In Step 6, you will be asked to design frmWarehouseAndEmployees. Your
form should look at least as good as the following sample:
- Remember (from above) that you do not need to complete steps 7 or 8 of
this activity.
Final Step: Test that you have turned in the assignment correctly
Make sure your work is in the proper location for grading. To do this, click
on your name in this Access listing.
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