Chapter 26: Bulletproofing Access Applications
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FIGURE 26.6
A colorful icon can make an application easy to find in a crowded folder or desktop.Tip
Windows 7 adds the ability to pin an application to the taskbar at the bottom of the window. Right-click on an
application icon and select Pin to Taskbar from the shortcut menu. Pinning an application icon to the taskbar is
a convenient way to make an application available at all times.
Using start-up options
When properly designed, users shouldn’t even be aware that they’re working with Microsoft
Access.Choose File ➪ Access Options to get to the Access Options dialog box (shown in Figure 26.7). To
hide the Navigation pane, select the Current Database tab, and replace the default menus and rib-
bons with application-specific menus and ribbons. These options give the application control from
the start, instead of having to wrest control away from the user once things are under way.Figure 26.7 illustrates the first step to simplifying the user interface. The Current Database tab of
the Access Options dialog box includes options for hiding the Navigation Pane, disabling the
default ribbons, and trapping the built-in “special keys” (like Ctrl+F6) that might otherwise con-
fuse users.For example, notice the Application Icon text box in Figure 26.7. The icon file (.ico) that you
specify in this text box is used in the Access title bar, replacing the default form icon you see in
Figure 26.8. The same icon appears at the top of reports displayed in Print Preview.The icon you assign to an Access application’s shortcut doesn’t affect the Access application itself.
The icon you assign to the shortcut on the Windows desktop or in a program folder doesn’t show
up in the Access title bar and doesn’t appear on the Windows taskbar. You must specify an icon in
the database’s Current Database tab to see the icon in the Access title bar.Tip
The user can bypass all the start-up options by holding down the Shift key as the database opens. (The start-up
must proceed normally for Access to display a custom icon.) See the “Disabling start-up bypass” section, later
in this chapter, to see how you can disable this Access feature. After you’ve disabled the start-up bypass, only
the most sophisticated user will be able to reinstate the bypass feature.