Refining Your Form

Let's finish the chapter by doing a little work on the Orders Practice form to get it into better shape.

1.	Copy `NiftyLionsEndChap11.mdb` to your hard drive.
2.	Select `frmOrdersPractice` in the Forms section of the Database window and copy it to the Clipboard.
3.	Paste the copied form into the same section of the Database window.
4.	Rename the form frm[YourInitials]OrdersPracticeEnd . I had you add your initials so you can distinguish your form from the solution `frmOrdersPracticeEnd` in the same database.
5.	Open the form in Design view.
6.	Click the CustomerID text box. Press the Shift key and select `CustFirstName` , `CustStreetAddress` , `CustCity` , `CustState` , and `CustFax` . Choose Format, Vertical Spacing, Make Equal. Choose Format, Vertical Spacing, Increase.
7.	Select the ShipCost text box. Drag it and the accompanying label down so it is aligned with the `FaxNumber` control.
8.	Click the CustZIP text box. Press Shift and select `OrderID` , `OrderDate` , `ShippedDate` , and `ShipCost` . Choose Format, Vertical Spacing, Make Equal. Your text boxes should look like Figure 11.22. Figure 11.22. The label and text box controls after resizing and realignment . Having two option groups on the right is a bit heavy. Now you'll change the `Overnight` option group to a check box.
9.	Select the option group by clicking its frame. Press Delete. Select the `Overnight` field in the field list and drop it 4 inches from the left and parallel to `ShipCost` .
10.	Select the `tblOrderDetails Subform` label (the label on top of the subform control) and delete it.
11.	Select the subform. Move the pointer to the middle sizing handle on the right border. When the pointer becomes a double arrow, widen the control (see Figure 11.23) to the 4.5-inch mark. Figure 11.23. Use the double-arrow pointer to widen the control.
12.	Click View to go to Form view. In the subform, move the pointer to the border between `Selling Price` and `Quantity` . When the pointer becomes a double-arrow with a bar (see Figure 11.24), reduce the width of the Selling Price column. Figure 11.24. Subform columns often need some adjustment so that captions and values are in full view.
13.	Use the same procedure to widen the Quantity column. Continue to widen and reduce columns until the column headings are in full view and all values can be seen.
14.	Choose File, Save to save your changes. Open `frmOrders PracticeEnd` and compare your work.

Conclusion

In Chapter 6, you learned the basics of form entry. In this chapter, you learned how to add form tools, such as option groups and subforms, in Design view; you also learned how to use the Form Wizard. In the next chapter, you'll continue to improve your skills in building the graphical elements of forms and reports .

Case Example

The frmMerchandise form includes all the fields in the Merchandise table, which contains data about Nifty Lions products. Combo boxes have been created for the CategoryID and SupplierID fields. In this example, you'll perform various tasks , including adding a subform, to improve the form.

1.	Copy `frmMerchandise` to the Clipboard. Paste the form in the Forms section of the Database window. Name the form frm[YourInitials]MerchandiseDetails .
2.	Open the form in Design view.
3.	Choose View, Form Header and Footer. Lengthen the header so that its height is 1".
4.	In the toolbox, click the Label tool. (If the toolbox isn't visible, click the Toolbox button on the toolbar.) Drag the crosshairs to the Form Header and click 2 inches from the left and anywhere from the top. Type Merchandise Details and press Enter.
5.	Open the label's property sheet. Set the `Top` property at `0.375` . Make the label 2 inches wide. Increase the Font Size to `16` . Edit the Height to `0.25` .
6.	Choose Edit, Select All. Press Shift and click the label in the header to deselect it. Move all the controls in the Detail section down so that the top control `ItemID` is 1 inch from the top. (The Detail section lengthens when you move the controls.) Click anywhere outside the selected controls to deselect them.
7.	Delete the `CategoryName` label. Move the CategoryID combo box so that it is two rows of dots below the Detail selector and aligned at left with the labels. Increase the font size to 14. Increase the width to 1.125 inches. Double-click the handle in the upper-right corner to lengthen the control for a better fit.
8.	Select the SupplierID combo box. On the Data tab of the property sheet, click in the `Row Source` property and click the triple dots at the end of the line. Edit the SQL statement so that the supplier names are alphabetized. Close the statement and click Yes to save your changes. Close the property sheet.
9.	Select the SupplierStockNumber, PurchasePrice, UnitsInStock, and UnitsOnOrder text boxes. Drag and drop them so that the text boxes are 4.5 inches from the left and 1 inch from the top.
10.	Reduce the length of `SupplierStockNumber` to 6 inches. Decrease the width of the form to 6 inches as well (see Figure 11.25). Figure 11.25. The text boxes and labels need to be aligned, and the space between them must be made equal.
11.	Align the `UnitsOnOrder` controls to the `SupplierID` controls so all four controls are the same distance from the top.
12.	Select the four text boxes in the second column of controls. Choose Format, Vertical Spacing, Make Equal.
13.	Choose Tools, Relationships to open the Relationships window. The tblMerchandise table has a one-to-many relationship with tblOrderDetails through the `MerchID` field. Therefore, you can create a subform that shows order details for each product.
14.	Close the Relationships window. Close the property sheet.
15.	With the Control Wizards tool selected, click the Subform/Subreport wizard tool in the toolbox. Drag the crosshairs to the Detail section and click 3 inches from the top and 1.5 inches from the left.
16.	In the first dialog box, choose Use Existing Tables and Queries. Click Next.
17.	Open the Tables/Queries drop-down list and choose tblOrderDetails. Add all the fields from Available Fields to Selected Fields. Click Next.
18.	Leave the current selections of Choose from a List and Show tblOrderDetails for Each Record in tblMerchandise Using MerchID. Click Next.
19.	Name the subform `frmOrderInfo subform` . Click Finish.
20.	Delete the label of the subform. Save your work.
21.	In Form view, adjust the columns in the subform so that all column names are in view.
22.	Apply an ascending sort to the Category combo box.
23.	Inspect a few records to make sure the form is working properly (see Figure 11.26). Compare your form to `frmMerchandiseDetails` in `NiftyLionsChap11End.mdb` . Figure 11.26. The completed form in Form view.