Chapter 6
Automating Database Processing
Chapter Introduction
• Design and implement user-friendly menu
– Called navigation form
• Macros
– Automate repetitive tasks
– Add functionality to reports and forms
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Tools Covered in This Chapter
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Access Options
Action Catalog
AutoExec macro
AutoKeys macro
Breakpoints
Events
Macros
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Tools Covered in This Chapter
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Macro groups
Macro security
Navigation Forms
Splash screen
Trust Center
Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
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Level 1 Objectives: Automating Tasks
with Switchboards and Macros
• Create a well-designed navigation form to
provide a user interface for a database
• Automate tasks by creating basic macros
• Specify what happens when a database opens
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Understanding Navigation Forms
• Navigation Form
– Special kind of form
– Appears when database opened
– Makes database navigation similar to a website
• Main navigation form and subform control
automatically built in
• Drag and drop object to form and create tab
– Selecting tab allows instant view of the objects
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Understanding Switchboards (continued)
• Can add buttons to main navigation form to
work with
– Tables
– Forms
– Queries
– Reports
• Appear in hierarchical format
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Typical Switchboard Design
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Designing a Navigation Form
• Main navigation form serves as menu for users
when database is opened
• Control user access to tables
• Review objects, plan categories to organize
the objects on tabs
• Sketch a design for the navigation form
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Creating a Navigation Form
• Create lower level of the hierarchy first
– Create tabs by drag and drop of object onto form
• Create main navigation form then created
• Click Navigation button in forms group of Create tab
– Select tab layout
– Change title and change format, if necessary
– Drag forms or reports from Navigation Pane to the [Add New]
tab
– Use Layout view and Form selector button to change form
location or size
• Repeat until all needed forms are on the navigation form
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Creating a Navigation Form, Cont.
• Preview all forms in Form View
– Test to ensure working correctly
• Create forms for reports as created for forms
– Preview and test all tabs to ensure working
correctly
• Create main form to provide easy navigation
through database
• Last item on main form should be a button to
close the database
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Formatting a Main Menu
• Steps to changing the format of a main menu
– Open the navigation form in design view
– Change formatting elements
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Color
Labels
Images
Lines
– To change size and position properties, double
click Form Selector button and change entries on
form’s property sheet
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Understanding Basic Macros
• Macro
– Action or series of actions
– Save time and ensure accuracy
– Automate repetitive tasks
– Composed of series of actions organized in
sequence in which they should be performed
• Create macro
– Using Macro window
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Common Macro Actions
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Creating a Macro
• Create Access macro in Macro window
• Select the Create tab, and then click the
Macro button in the Macro & Code group
• Action catalog
– Select features wanted
– Actions to be performed
– Click list arrow in action column
– Click Add New and scroll through list to action you
want
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Creating a Macro (continued)
• Action arguments
– Provide additional information for performing
macro action
– Arguments needed vary depending on selected
action chosen
• Save macro with descriptive name, using mcr
prefix
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Running a Macro
• Three ways to run a macro:
– In Macro Tools design tab, click the Run button in
the Tools group
– On database Tools Tab, click the Run Macro button
in the Macro group
• Select the macron in the Run Macro dialog box,
click
– In the Navigation Pane, click Macros, right-click
the macro name, and then click Run
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Editing a Macro
• Use Macro Builder as in creating
• Rearrange order of actions
– Drag action line to new position
• Insert new action between two existing actions
– Click Add new and select the action
– Move or drag the new action between the two other
actions
• Delete action
– Click action then click the delete button
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Setting Startup Options
• Startup options
– Access performs when database opens
• Set options using Access options feature
• Bypass Startup Options
– Press and hold down shift key when opening
database
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Specifying Startup Options
in the Startup Dialog Box
• Options
– Display form
– Display navigation pane
– Allow full menus
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Startup Dialog Box
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Creating a Splash Screen
• Splash screen
– Displays when database opens
– Contains
• Logo
• Text
• Can only display splash screen or Navigation
form automatically
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Creating a Splash Screen (continued)
• AutoExec
– Special macro
– Runs when database opens
– Before Access Options dialog box options
– Can use to display splash screen
• Create splash screen form
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Creating an AutoExec Macro
• Create macro that contains actions Access
should perform when database opened
• Save macro using name AutoExec
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Level 1 Summary
• Navigation Form
– Special kind of form
– Appears when database opened
• Macro
– Use to automate repeated actions
• Access options dialog box
• Splash screen
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Level 2 Objectives:
Creating Advanced Macros
• Consolidate automated tasks by creating a
macro group
• Specify conditions and events for macros
• Troubleshoot macros
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Understanding Macro Groups
• Macro group
– Two or more macros placed within same macro
file
– Consolidate related macros
– Manage large numbers of macros
– Only group name displayed as macro object in
database window
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Creating a Macro Group
• Logical to organize similar macros within group
• To create:
– Click Create tab on the ribbon, click Macro button in the
Macros & Code group
– Click the Action Catalog button in the Show/Hide group on
the Design tab
– Add the Submacro Action to the Macro Builder
– Enter unique name in the Submacro box
– Click Add New Action arrow and select an action, select or
enter the arguments
– Repeat for each macro you want in group
– Save the macro group using mcr prefix
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Running the Macros in a Macro Group
• Clicking Run Button on the Design tab runs
only the first macro in the group
• Run particular macro within group
– Click the Run Macro button in the Macro group on
the Database Tools tab
– Select the list arrow to choose the macro name
– Click the macro name
– Click OK
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Assigning AutoKeys to Macros in a Macro
Group
• AutoKeys macro group
– Assign macro to key or key combination
• Type key or key combination
• Use special notation
– ^ for CTRL
– + for Shift
• Uses subset of SendKeys command
– Built-in commands to send keystrokes to Access
databases
• Save group as AutoKeys
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Examples of Key Combinations for the Autokeys
Macro Group
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Creating the Navigation Form to run macros
using Command buttons
• Add Command button to a form
– Click button to run a macro
– Makes database actions easier for users
• Click the Button button in the Controls group
• Click in from where button is to be placed
– Command button wizard starts
• Select category and then action to be completed
– Repeat until all need buttons are on form
– Save form
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Specifying Conditions
and Events for Macros
• Specify conditions for performing macro actions
• Assign macro to control
• Event-driven programming
– Running macro when user interacts with object
• Event
– State, condition, or occurrence that Access recognizes
• Event property
– Specifies how object responds when event occurs
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Specifying Where Conditions in a Macro
• Where condition argument
• Refer to controls on form that are not
currently active
– Use control’s complete name
– Format
• [Forms]![formName]![controlName]
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Troubleshooting Macros
• Macros containing arguments
– Especially error prone
• Error types
– Syntax error
– Logic error
– Run-time error
• Troubleshooting tools
– Single step through execution of macro, using debug
window
– Print macro code
– Use Visual Basic Editor
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Printing Macros
• Open Documenter dialog box
– Click macros tab
– Select macro by clicking its check box
– Click options button to select details of macro to
print
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Properties
Actions
Arguments
Permissions
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Single Stepping a Macro
• Runs macro one action at time
– Pausing between actions
• Make sure actions appear in correct order and
with correct arguments
• Use Single Step button
– Macro Single Step dialog box
– Buttons
• Step
• Stop All Macros
• Continue
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Setting Breakpoints
• Breakpoint
– Code inserted in macro
– Signals where to stop macro
• Examine values of actions, controls, and
arguments macro using
• Open macro in the Microsoft Visual Basic for
Applications window
– Shows macro as it appears in VBA code
– Examine details of macro code in VBA window
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Setting Breakpoints
• Immediate pane
– Displays current value of controls and arguments
– Display using ? operator
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Level 2 Summary
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Macro group
Conditions for macros
Assign macro to buttons
Debug macros
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Level 3 Objectives:
Macro Conditions
• Assign a macro to an object event
• Run a macro when a form opens or a report
prints
• Use a macro to validate data
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Exploring Macro Conditions
• Macro conditions
– Logical expressions that result in true or false answer
– Depending on outcome
• Macro can perform one set of actions or another
• Enter macro conditions
– Open macro in macro builder
• Drag the program flow action to macro builder
– Set condition to test
• If condition true
– Access performs SetValue action
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Exploring Macro Conditions
• Add Else If condition to perform actions if
False
– Provides alternate action to perform
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Assigning a Macro to
an Object Event
• Assign macro to object
– By specifying macro name in event property of
object
• Event categories
– Report
– Section
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Report Events and Section Events
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Using Message Boxes with Forms
• Form events can also trigger macros
• Use to
– Validate data
– Set values
– Navigate between forms
– Filter, find, and print records
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Form Events
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Using Message Boxes with Forms
• MsgBox command
– Opens message box
– Displays warning or informational message
– MsgBox ("message" sum of button and icon
values "title")
– Returns value depending on which button clicked
– Create condition that checks to see which button
users click
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Using Message Boxes with Reports
• When conditions in macro references name of
control from source
– Source must be open when condition tested
– Can hide window while macro tests condition
• MsgBox action
– Opens message box and displays warning or
informational message
– Similar to using MsgBox command
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Using Message Boxes with Reports (continued)
• MsgBox action arguments
– Message
– Beep
– Type
– Title
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Validating Data with Macros
• Validation field properties have limits
• Validate data using more than one rule and more
than one validation message
– Create macro
• Domain aggregate functions
– Calculate statistics for set of records (recordset) or
domain, from table or query
• Dcount function
– Dcount(expression, table or query,
condition)
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Common Domain
Aggregate Functions
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Level 3 Summary
• Conditional expressions in macros
• Assign macros to events
• Message boxes
– Msgbox command
– Msgbox action
• Validate data with macros
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Chapter Summary
• Navigation Form
– Provides main menu for Access application
• Macro
– Automates repetitive tasks
– Can use conditional expressions
– Associate with command buttons or other controls
• Debugging
– Find errors in macros by stepping though each
statement
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