Part I: Access Building Blocks
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Knowing which controls you can’t edit
Some controls, including the following, can’t be edited:l (^) Controls displaying AutoNumber fields: Access maintains AutoNumber fields automati-
cally, calculating the values as you create each new record.
l (^) Calculated controls: Access may use calculated control in forms or queries. Calculated
values are not actually stored in your table.
l (^) Locked or disabled fields: You can set certain form and control properties to prevent
changes to the data.
l (^) Controls in multiuser locked records: If another user locks the record, you can’t edit
any controls in that record.
Working with pictures and OLE objects
OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) objects are objects not part of an Access database. OLE objects
commonly include pictures but may be any number of other data types, such as links to Word docu-
ments, Excel spreadsheets, and audio files. You can also include video files such as .mpg or .avi files.
In Datasheet view, you can’t view a picture or an OLE object without accessing the OLE server
(such as Word, Excel, or the Windows Media Player). In Form view, however, you can size the
OLE control area to be large enough to display a picture, business graph, or other OLE objects.
You can also size text-box controls on forms so that you can see the data within the field — you
don’t have to zoom in on the value, as you do with a datasheet field.
The Access OLE control supports many types of objects. As with a datasheet, you have two ways to
enter OLE fields into a form:
l (^) Copy the object (such as an .mp3 file) to the Clipboard and paste it from the controls in
the ribbon’s Clipboard group.
l (^) Right-click on the OLE control and click Insert Object from the shortcut menu to display
the Insert Object dialog box, shown in Figure 8.4.
FIGURE 8.4
The Insert Object dialog box