Summary

Using Windows Forms to retrieve and manipulate data from Access databases via ADO.NET represents two learning opportunities for most Access developers. First, developers can learn about programming Windows form controls. Second, developers can learn the basics of ADO.NET and interfacing ADO.NET objects with form controls. This chapter addresses both of these issues without jumping deeply into ADO.NET. You primarily learn how to manage ADO.NET objects by dragging them from Server Explorer and creating DataSet objects with the Generate Dataset context command for a data adapter.

This chapter s coverage of Windows form controls presents familiar controls such as text boxes, combo boxes, and radio buttons ”with one exception: the DataGrid control, a new .NET Framework control that you can program with Visual Basic .NET. This highly flexible control has many properties to help you dynamically populate it with data values and format how those values look as well as how users can interact with them. The chapter also includes extensive coverage of the Data Form Wizard, which can easily generate forms that enable data access and manipulation of Access databases. Several samples illustrate the breadth of functionality available through the wizard.