Chapter 7: Creating Basic Access Forms
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Table 7.1 briefly describes the basic Access controls.TABLE 7.1
Controls in Access Forms
Control What It DoesText Box Displays and allows users to edit data.
Label Displays static text that typically doesn’t change.
Button Also called a command button. Calls macros or runs VBA code when clicked.
Combo Box A drop-down list of values. Combo boxes include a text box at the top for input-
ting values that are not included in the drop-down list.
List Box A list of values that is always displayed on the form or report.
Subform/Subreport Displays another form or report within the main form or report.
Line A graphical line of variable thickness and color, which is used for separation.
Rectangle A rectangle can be any color or size or can be filled in or blank; the rectangle is
used for emphasis.
Image Displays a bitmap picture with very little overhead.
Option Group Holds multiple option buttons, check boxes, or toggle buttons.
Check Box A two-state control, shown as a square that contains a check mark if it’s on and an
empty square if it’s off.
Option Button Also called a radio button, this button is displayed as a circle with a dot when the
option is on.
Toggle Button This is a two-state button — up or down — which usually uses pictures or icons
instead of text to display different states.
Tab Control Displays multiple pages in a file folder type interface.
Page Adds a page on the form or report. Additional controls are added to the page, and
multiple pages may exist on the same form
Chart This chart displays data in a graphical format.
Unbound Object Frame This frame holds an OLE object or embedded picture that isn’t tied to a table field
and can include graphs, pictures, sound files, and video.
Bound Object Frame This frame holds an OLE object or embedded picture that is tied to a table field.
Page Break This is usually used for reports and indicates a physical page break.
Hyperlink This control creates a link to a Web page, a picture, an e-mail address, or a program.
Attachment This control manages attachments for the Attachment data type. Attachment fields
(see Chapter 2) provide a way to attach external files (such as music or video clips
or Word documents) to Access tables.