Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Forms and their controls have properties that determine how they behave and look. A form
inherits some of its properties from the table on which it is based. For example, each text
box name on the form reflects the corresponding field name in the source table. The text
box label also reflects the field name, unless the field has been assigned a Caption property,
in which case it reflects the caption. The width of each text box is determined by the Field
Size property in the table.
Even though a form is bound to its table, the properties of the form are not bound to the
table's properties. After you have created the form, you can change the properties of the
form's fields independently of those in the table. You might want to change these proper-
ties to improve the form's appearance—for example, you can change the font, font size,
alignment, fill color, and border.
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One of the quickest ways to change the look of a form is to change the theme applied to
the database. A theme is a combination of colors and fonts that controls the look of certain
objects. In the case of a form, it controls the color and text of the header at the top of the
form and the text of the labels and text boxes. By default, the Office theme is applied to all
databases based on the Blank Desktop Database template and their objects, but you can
easily change the theme by clicking the Themes button in the Themes group on the Design
tool tab, and then making a selection from the Themes gallery. While the gallery is dis-
played, you can point to a theme to display a live preview of how the active database object
will look with that theme's colors and fonts applied.
If you like the colors of one theme and the fonts of another, you can mix and match theme
elements. First apply the theme that most closely resembles the look you want, and then in
the Themes group, change the colors by clicking the Colors button or the fonts by clicking
the Fonts button.
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If you create a combination of colors and fonts that you would like to be able to use
with other databases, you can save the combination as a new theme by clicking Save Cur-
rent Theme at the bottom of the menu containing the Themes gallery.
If you like most of the formatting of a theme but you want to fine-tune some form ele-
ments, you can do so by changing properties in Layout view. In this view, you can view the
records from the table to which the form is bound, so when you make formatting adjust-
ments, you can assess the impact on the data. (Changes to the data can be made only in
Form view.) You might also want to add your organization's logo or a small graphic that
represents the form's contents.
