Access 2010 Beginner 2

Welcome to Access Beginner 2. Total running time is 1 Hour, 23 Minutes. This is the older version that covers Access 2007 to 2013. For the new version of this course that covers Access 2016 and up, click here: Access Beginner 2

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Intro

In lesson 2 of the Microsoft Access 2010 Beginner series, you will learn how to create and format forms from scratch, starting with downloading the sample database and addressing common security warnings. I will show you how to add and work with various form controls, organize and format objects, apply themes, and use layout view for better form design. We will also discuss frequently asked questions about Access, such as trusted folders and interface options, to help you build professional and user-friendly databases.

Transcript

Welcome to Microsoft Access 2010 Beginner Level 2, brought to you by AccessLearningZone.com. I am your instructor, Richard Rost. This class focuses on designing and formatting forms from scratch.

In the previous class, we built a simple form using the Access Automatic Form Builder. In today's class, we will learn how to design a form from the ground up. This will allow us to take full advantage of the power of Access form design.

This course follows Access 2010 Beginner Level 1. It is strongly recommended that you watch Level 1 before proceeding with today's lessons. Level 1 covers many important Access fundamentals, including planning your database, building tables and queries, entering and editing data, sorting and filtering data, building a simple form, developing reports, and labels. To purchase a copy of Level 1, visit my website at accesslearningzone.com.

We will begin by downloading the database from the last class, Level 1, from my website. We will talk about the security warning that comes up when you run the database. I will show you how to set up a trusted location, a folder on your desktop where you can run databases without having to see that warning message every time.

We will spend the majority of today's class learning how to build forms from scratch. Sure, Access can instantly build a simple form for you, but understanding how to build forms yourself from the ground up will help you unlock the true potential of building powerful, professional databases.

You will learn how to manually add fields from your table to your forms, working with the field list. You will learn how to manipulate the different objects on your form, including labels, text boxes, and check boxes. You will see how to move, resize, and delete them.

You will learn how to work with objects in groups and edit some of their properties, such as changing the text on a label. You will learn about the grid, which is the set of dots on the background of a form that Access uses to keep your objects lined up all nice and neat.

You will learn how to apply different formatting techniques to your forms. You will see how to change the foreground and background colors of the controls on your form and the background color of the form itself. You will learn how to work with different fonts, line styles, borders, shadowing, and lots more. All of this will allow you to make professional-looking, unique forms for your Access databases.

You will learn about themes and how you can use themes to instantly change the look and feel of your form. You will learn the difference between standard colors and theme colors. We will discuss how themes can make your database have a consistent look and feel.

You will learn how to work with layout view, a hybrid between form view and design view, where you can make some changes to the layout of your form while still being able to see the data in it.

Finally, I will take some time to answer questions from students that were posted in my online Access forums related to this class. Some of the questions include: What is an LACCDB file? How can I switch from a tab to an overlapping window interface? How do I pin commonly used databases to the recent files list? Can I add data from two tables to a form? And can I change the background color of a checkbox?

This course is designed to be used with Microsoft Access 2010. If you are using Access 2007, you should not have any problems following along, as the two versions are very similar. If you are using Access 2003 or earlier, you should either upgrade your version of Access or visit my website at accesslearningzone.com and look for my Access 2003 tutorials. Access 2003 is radically different from 2007 and 2010.

My courses are broken up into four groups: beginner, expert, advanced, and developer. My beginner courses are for novice users who have little or no experience with Microsoft Access. They are designed to give you an overview of the basic features of Access and cover just what you need to know to be productive.

The expert series is designed for more experienced users who are already comfortable with Access. Expert classes go into a lot more depth about each topic than the beginner classes do and will cover more functions, features, tips, and techniques for power users.

When you have mastered the expert classes, move up to the advanced lessons. You will learn how to work with macros, automation, and many more advanced features that really add enhanced functionality and professionalism to your databases.

Finally, my developer level courses are designed to teach you how to program in Visual Basic for Microsoft Access. This will allow you to create the most advanced databases possible and unlock the full potential of Microsoft Access.

Each of my series is broken down into different numbered levels, starting with Level 1. Each subsequent level teaches you new and different topics in Microsoft Access, building on the lessons learned in the previous classes. When you finish all the beginner classes, move up to the expert series, then the advanced, and finally developer lessons.

In addition to my normal Access classes, I also have special seminars designed to teach specific topics. Some of my seminars include building web-based databases, creating forms and reports that look like calendars, securing your database, working with images and attachments, writing work orders, tracking accounts payable, learning the SQL programming language, and lots more. You can find details on all of these seminars and more on my website at accesslearningzone.com.

If you have questions about the topics covered in today's lessons, please feel free to post them in our interactive student forums. If you are watching this course using our custom video player software or online in the web theater, you should see the student forum for each lesson appear in a small window next to the class videos, as long as you have an active internet connection. Here you will see all of the questions that other students have asked, as well as my responses to them, and comments that other students have made.

I encourage you to read through these questions and answers as you start each lesson and feel free to post your own questions and comments as well. If you are not watching your lessons online, you can still visit the student forums later by going to accesslearningzone.com/forums. Here you can also subscribe to the forum updates and receive a notification anytime anyone posts a question or comment.

To get the most out of this course, I recommend you sit back, relax, and watch each lesson completely through once without trying to do anything on your computer. Then, replay the lesson from the beginning and follow along with my examples. I will make sure that you will create the same database that I make in the video step by step.

Do not try to apply what you are learning right now to other projects until you have mastered the sample database from this class. If you get stuck or do not understand something, watch the video again from the beginning or tell me what is wrong in the student forum. I will do my best to try and help you.

Most importantly, keep an open mind. Access might seem intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it, you will see that it is really easy to use. While I encourage you to actually build the database that I build in today's class, if you would like to download a sample copy of my database file, you can find it at accesslearningzone.com/databases.

Now, let's take a closer look at exactly what is covered in today's class.

In lesson one, we are going to download the sample database file for today's lessons from my website. It is the same database we built in the last class in case you do not still have a copy. We will discuss the security warning that Access displays whenever you open a database. We will learn about the Enable Content button and when you should be careful about clicking on it. I will show you how to set up your own trusted folder so you can open databases without having to deal with that security warning, and we will go through a quick review of the database we built in Level 1.

A very important part of making user-friendly databases is learning how to properly build forms. In lesson two, we will begin taking a look at how to build forms from the ground up. In lesson three, we are continuing with form design. In lesson four, we are going to begin looking at formatting our forms to make them look more professional. In lesson five, we are continuing with form formatting. In lesson six, I will answer some of the frequently asked questions related to this class that were posted in my online Access student forums.

Thank you.

Quiz

Q1. What is the main focus of Microsoft Access 2010 Beginner Level 2?
A. Designing and formatting forms from scratch
B. Creating reports and labels
C. Writing SQL programming language
D. Building database tables

Q2. Why is it recommended to watch Access 2010 Beginner Level 1 before Level 2?
A. Level 1 covers advanced functions not in Level 2
B. Level 1 covers Access fundamentals like tables, queries, and simple forms
C. Level 1 provides developer-level programming
D. Level 1 is required by Microsoft for certification

Q3. What should you do if you do not want to see the security warning every time you open a database?
A. Delete the security warning file
B. Set up a trusted location in Access
C. Ignore the warning and continue
D. Uninstall Access security features

Q4. Why is learning to build forms from the ground up important?
A. It slows down database development
B. It is required for certification tests
C. It helps you unlock more powerful and professional database features
D. It eliminates the need for queries

Q5. Which of the following is NOT covered in this course according to the transcript?
A. How to work with visual themes in forms
B. Adding and manipulating objects like labels and text boxes
C. Building tables and queries from scratch
D. Changing foreground and background colors of controls

Q6. What is the purpose of layout view in Access?
A. To write SQL code directly in forms
B. To program Visual Basic in Access
C. To make layout changes while seeing form data
D. To edit tables and relationships

Q7. What difference between standard colors and theme colors is discussed?
A. Theme colors remain the same in every database
B. Theme colors help create a consistent look throughout the database
C. Standard colors are only available in Access 2003
D. Theme colors cannot be changed

Q8. What is a frequently asked question mentioned in the course?
A. How to connect Access with external APIs
B. What is an LACCDB file?
C. How to export Access reports to Word
D. How to switch between 32-bit and 64-bit Access

Q9. If you are using Access 2007 instead of 2010, what is suggested?
A. Skip the course entirely
B. Seek Access 2003 tutorials instead
C. You should not have any problems since the versions are similar
D. Downgrade to Access 2003

Q10. What is the main difference between the four series of classes (Beginner, Expert, Advanced, Developer)?
A. They cover the same content but with different instructors
B. Each series continues to build up to more advanced topics and skills
C. Only the developer series is available online
D. Each series covers Access for different operating systems

Q11. What is recommended for students to do before following along with the lessons on their computers?
A. Attempt the lessons independently first
B. Watch each lesson all the way through before trying the examples
C. Only watch the introduction and skip the rest
D. Memorize the table and field names

Q12. Where can students get help if they are stuck on any lesson?
A. By calling Microsoft support
B. By posting questions in the online student forums
C. By emailing a classmate
D. By buying a different tutorial course

Q13. Which topic is specifically NOT included in this Level 2 course, based on the transcript?
A. Building macros and automation
B. Form design and formatting
C. Manipulating form objects
D. Using colors and themes in forms

Q14. What should students do if they want extra practice or clarification on lesson topics?
A. Watch or post in the interactive student forums
B. Skip to developer-level courses
C. Build forms for other projects right away
D. Contact Microsoft sales

Q15. What does the instructor suggest about using the sample database for this class?
A. Try to apply lessons to unrelated databases immediately
B. Master the sample database before applying skills elsewhere
C. Only watch others using the database
D. Avoid using sample database files

Answers: 1-A; 2-B; 3-B; 4-C; 5-C; 6-C; 7-B; 8-B; 9-C; 10-B; 11-B; 12-B; 13-A; 14-A; 15-B

DISCLAIMER: Quiz questions are AI generated. If you find any that are wrong, don't make sense, or aren't related to the video topic at hand, then please post a comment and let me know. Thanks.

Summary

Today's video from Access Learning Zone continues my Microsoft Access 2010 Beginner series with Level 2, which focuses on designing and formatting forms from the ground up. I am Richard Rost, your instructor, and my goal in this course is to give you a solid understanding of how to create professional, effective forms for your Access databases.

Previously, in Level 1, we explored building a simple form using the Access Automatic Form Builder. Now, we move beyond that by learning how to construct forms manually. By understanding each step of the process, you will be able to truly harness the flexibility and capabilities that Access offers for creating custom databases.

I highly recommend that you complete Level 1 before starting with Level 2. The first level covers foundational material such as planning your database, building tables and queries, handling data entry and edits, sorting and filtering information, designing basic forms, reports, and labels. If you need a copy of Level 1, it is available on my website.

To begin, you should download the database file from Level 1, which is available on my website. One of the first things we will address is the security warning that may appear when you run the database. I will explain how to establish a trusted location on your desktop so you can work with databases without encountering that message repeatedly.

The core focus of today's class is building forms from scratch. While Access can auto-generate basic forms, learning to craft them yourself is key if you want to develop robust, professional-quality databases. You'll see how to use the field list to manually add fields from your tables to your forms. I will demonstrate how to work with various controls such as labels, text boxes, and check boxes, and show you how to move, resize, and remove these objects as needed.

You will also learn to group objects, edit their properties like label text, and use the grid—a helpful background feature that keeps your controls neatly aligned while designing your form. I'll guide you through various formatting methods to customize the appearance of your forms, including changing foreground and background colors, adjusting fonts, applying borders and line styles, using shadows, and more. These skills will help you create visually appealing and unique forms.

We will take a look at themes and cover how they can be used to quickly modify the overall look and feel of your forms. I will explain the distinction between standard and theme colors, and demonstrate how themes can help your database maintain a coherent style.

An important tool you'll learn about is layout view, which blends form view and design view. Layout view allows you to modify the structure of your form while still viewing live data.

Towards the end of the class, I will answer several questions from students in the Access forums that relate to this material. Some of the topics covered include the purpose of LACCDB files, switching between tabbed and overlapping window interfaces, pinning frequently used databases to your recent files list, including data from multiple tables in a form, and customizing the background color of checkboxes.

This course is designed specifically for Microsoft Access 2010. If you are using Access 2007, the instructions should still apply, as there are only minor differences. However, Access 2003 and earlier versions are significantly different, so you will get the best results if you use Access 2007 or later. If you are using an older version, I have a separate set of courses for Access 2003 on my site.

My curriculum is divided into four levels: beginner, expert, advanced, and developer. Beginner courses are meant for those new to Access and introduce the essential features needed to get you started. The expert series explores each topic in much more detail and is aimed at users who already have a handle on the basics and want to deepen their understanding and skills. Once you have completed the expert courses, you can move on to the advanced series, where we cover automation, macros, and other features that enhance the functionality and professionalism of your databases. Finally, developer courses teach you how to program using Visual Basic for Access, unlocking the highest level of customization and capability.

Each series consists of numbered levels, with each new class building on material from the previous ones. As you finish the beginner series, you can progress to expert, then advanced, and finally developer courses.

In addition to the standard classes, I also offer special topic seminars that address more specialized needs, such as building web-based databases, creating calendar-style forms and reports, adding security features, working with images and attachments, managing work orders and accounts payable, learning SQL, and many more. Full details and listings can be found on my website.

If you have questions related to today's lessons, you are encouraged to participate in the student forums. When watching through our custom video player or on the Web Theater, the forum for each lesson will appear in a window next to the video if you are connected to the internet. This is where you can read questions and responses from other students and myself and post your own comments or questions. If you watch the lessons offline, you can always visit the forums later through my website and subscribe for updates as well.

To maximize your learning, I recommend first watching each lesson all the way through without trying to follow along in Access. Then, watch the lesson a second time, following the steps as demonstrated. This approach ensures that you will build the same example database I create in the video. Make sure to focus on mastering the class project before applying these skills to your own projects. If something is unclear or you get stuck, rewatch the video or reach out for help in the forums.

Maintain an open mind and be patient as you learn. Access may seem overwhelming at first, but it becomes more user-friendly as you get comfortable with it. I encourage you to create the same database I demonstrate, but if you want to download a sample copy, you can find it on my website as well.

Let me give you an outline of today's lessons. In the first lesson, we will download the sample database, then cover the security warning in Access, how to use the Enable Content button safely, and how to configure a trusted folder. We will also briefly review the database built in Level 1.

Learning to construct user-friendly forms is a crucial skill. In lesson two, we begin building forms from scratch. Lesson three continues with further form design topics. Lesson four introduces formatting techniques to enhance the professional appearance of your forms. Lesson five continues with more formatting. In lesson six, I answer frequently asked questions from the Access forums relevant to this class.

You can find a complete video tutorial with step-by-step instructions on everything discussed here on my website at the link below. Live long and prosper, my friends.

Topic List

Downloading and opening the sample database

Understanding Access security warnings

Enabling content safely in Access

Setting up a trusted folder location

Review of tables, queries, and forms from Level 1

Building forms from scratch

Manually adding fields to forms

Using the field list pane

Working with form objects: labels, text boxes, check boxes

Moving, resizing, and deleting form controls

Grouping objects and editing group properties

Changing label text and control properties

Using the grid for aligning form objects

Formatting forms: foreground and background colors

Formatting controls: fonts, borders, line styles, shadowing

Applying and customizing form themes

Difference between standard colors and theme colors

Using themes for consistent database design

Working with layout view for form editing

Switching between form, layout, and design views

Frequently asked questions: LACCDB files

Switching between tabbed and overlapping windows

Pinning databases to the recent files list

Adding data from multiple tables to a form

Changing the background color of a checkbox