Part I: Access Building Blocks
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After you create the combo box, examine the Row Source Type, Row Source, Column Count,
Column Heads, Column Widths, Bound Column, List Rows, and List Width properties.
Once you become familiar with setting these properties, you can right-click a text box, choose
Change To ➪ Combo Box, and set the combo box’s properties manually.Switching to Datasheet view
With a form open, switch to Datasheet view by using one of these methods:l Click the Datasheet View command in the Home tab’s Views group.l (^) Click the Datasheet View button in the View Shortcuts section at the bottom-right of the
Access window.
l (^) Right-click on the form’s title bar — or any blank area of the form — and choose
Datasheet View from the pop-up menu.
The datasheet is displayed with the cursor on the same field and record that it occupied while in
the form. Moving to another record and field and then redisplaying the form in Form view causes
the form to appear with the cursor on the field occupied in Datasheet view.
To return to Form view — or any other view — select the desired view from the Views group, the
View Shortcuts, or the pop-up menu.
Saving a record
Access automatically saves each record when you move off it. Pressing Shift+Enter or selecting Save
from the ribbon’s Records group saves a record without moving off it. Closing the form also saves a
record.
Warning
Because Access automatically saves changes as soon as you move to another record, you may inadvertently
change the data in the underlying tables. And, because you can’t undo changes to an Access database, there is
no easy way to revert to the record’s previous state.
Printing a Form
You can print one or more records in your form exactly as they appear on-screen. (You learn how
to produce formatted reports in Chapter 9.) The simplest way to print is to click the Print button
in the Backstage area to print the form on the Windows default printer. Click on the Microsoft
Office Button to view other print options.