Lessons

Resources

Questions?

Please feel free to post your questions or comments below. If you have questions about a specific lesson, please specify the lesson number and the time index in the lesson where the issue occurs. Thank you!

Subscribe for Updates

If you would like to be notified whenever changes are made to this page, new lessons are posted, or comments are made, click on the subscribe button.

Subscribe to Access 103
Get notifications when this page is updated

Intro

In lesson 3 of Microsoft Access 103, you will learn how to create a main menu form, build more advanced command buttons to open other forms, and customize form properties such as navigation buttons and scroll bars. I will show you how to set your main menu form to open automatically, adjust startup properties, and hide the database window. We will also create a customer list using a continuous form, discuss form headers, footers, and filtering, and set up a lead source table with a combo box for tracking where customers heard about your business.

Transcript

Welcome to Microsoft Access 103 using Microsoft Access, brought to you by 599CD.com. I am your instructor, Richard Rost.

Let's go over the objectives for today's class. First, we are going to build a main menu for the database that we have been working with in Access 101 and 102. We are going to make some more command buttons. This time, we are going to learn how to open other forms using a command button. We are going to see how to edit form properties such as navigation buttons and scroll bars. We are going to learn how to customize command buttons a bit more with images.

We will teach you how to open up your main menu form when the database opens to adjust the startup properties for your database. We will teach you how to hide the database window from your users.

Next, we are going to build a customer list form where you can see a form with a list of customers. You can then click on one of your customers and click on another button to open up that specific customer's record. Giving you a nice big list of customers makes it easier to find the customers you are looking for.

We will see how continuous forms work. We will see how headers and footers in a form work. We will talk a little bit about filtering in a form.

Finally, we will make a lead source table where we can track sources for where the customers heard about us, such as television, radio, and so on. Those are called lead sources. We will make up a table with lead sources in it, and we will show you how to make a combo box on your customer form where you can select from one of the lead sources. The benefit, obviously, of having that in the table is that it is easily updated by you or your users.

Prerequisites: This class follows along where we left off in Microsoft Access 102. We strongly recommend that you take Access 101 and 102 before taking this course. Our Microsoft Access series is really designed to be a one-after-the-other type of course, where each class follows the one before it. Even if you know a little bit of Microsoft Access but you haven't worked with our courses before, we recommend you start with our Access 101 course. Even expert users can pick up a couple of tips from our basic courses.

In class, we will be using Microsoft Access XP and Windows XP. However, our course is valid for pretty much every version of Microsoft Access. With the exception of a couple of really insignificant cosmetic differences, everything you learn today will be just as valid if you have Access 2000 or Access 97, or even Access 95. And of course, your version of Windows doesn't really matter at all.

As always, I recommend that you sit back and watch the classes the first time through completely without trying to follow along on your computer. Then go through the lessons a second time, pausing as needed, following along and doing the examples on your computer. The lessons make a lot more sense the second time through. You usually retain the information better also if you watch the course a second time.

I also try to tell my students not to apply what you're learning in class immediately to your own database. If you're currently working on a database for work or for personal use, don't immediately try to take what you're learning in this lesson and apply it to your database. Let the information sink in, try our sample examples, and wait a day or two. Then go and try to apply what you've learned in class to your database once you've finished this course completely.

Now, if you haven't taken Microsoft Access 101 or 102, a copy of the database has been installed on your computer at this location: your Program Files folder under 599 CD, Access 103, and then look in the Help folder. You can also browse to this by clicking on the Help icon in the movie player.

Now again, to get the most out of this course, I really recommend you go through Access 101 or 102 and build the database yourself. However, if you have not and you're starting off with Access 103, you can get a copy of the database out of that folder. You'll find two copies of the database: one before the class starts, which is basically how we left it at the end of 102, and a second copy, which is after the class, with all the stuff that I'm going to show you today, built and ready to use.

And of course, a very important note: make sure you have fun. Microsoft Access really is a fun program to work with. I find that students learn best if they can take what they're learning in class and apply it to a personal project that they enjoy.

Personally, growing up, I had a coin collection and I also collected baseball cards. I found that it worked great by learning how to use the computer to make a database to store my coin collection information and my baseball cards. By applying it to something that was fun, and not just work, I learned a lot better.

So if you have a hobby or something that you do that you can apply to building a database for, by all means, take some time and have some fun with Access. Do something personal that you're going to enjoy. That's the best way to learn.

Quiz

Q1. What is the main purpose of building a main menu in Microsoft Access as described in the video?
A. To organize the tables within the database
B. To make it easier for users to navigate and open different forms
C. To perform complex queries automatically
D. To back up the database regularly

Q2. What new functionality will be learned for command buttons in this course?
A. Printing reports
B. Opening other forms with a command button
C. Inserting images into reports
D. Creating new tables from forms

Q3. Which property can be customized in a form according to the lesson?
A. Table relationships only
B. Navigation buttons and scroll bars
C. Query performance
D. File save locations

Q4. What feature is suggested for showing a list of customers in the database?
A. Continuous forms
B. Macro automation
C. PivotTables
D. Datasheet forms only

Q5. Why is it beneficial to place lead sources in their own table?
A. It reduces the database size significantly
B. It makes updates and selections easier for users
C. It prevents forms from being opened
D. It allows multiple users to edit at once

Q6. What tool is used on the customer form to select a lead source?
A. Text box
B. Check box
C. Combo box
D. Label

Q7. Which Access course does the instructor recommend starting with if you are new to these courses?
A. Access 103
B. Access 201
C. Access 101
D. Access 301

Q8. What advice does the instructor give about applying what you learn immediately to your own database?
A. Apply changes directly as you learn
B. Wait, practice with examples, and then apply later
C. Never use your own database for practice
D. Only use the sample database provided

Q9. What versions of Microsoft Access does the instructor say this course is valid for?
A. Only for Access XP and Windows XP
B. Only for Access 97
C. For almost every version, including Access 95, 97, 2000, and XP
D. Only for the latest version

Q10. According to the instructor, what helps to retain information learned in the course?
A. Reading the manual only
B. Watching the lessons twice, once fully and once while following along
C. Only taking quizzes
D. Skipping to more advanced lessons

Q11. What does the instructor suggest about making the learning process enjoyable?
A. Only focus on work projects
B. Ignore personal interests
C. Apply Access to a personal hobby or interest
D. Only memorize procedures

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

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 is Microsoft Access 103, and I am your instructor, Richard Rost.

In this lesson, we are building on the foundation from Access 101 and 102. Our primary goals for today include creating a main menu for the database. We will work with command buttons again, but this time, you'll learn how to use these buttons to open other forms. We'll also review how to adjust form properties such as navigation buttons and scroll bars, and we will customize command buttons further by adding images.

Another key topic is configuring your main menu form to appear automatically when your database opens. This involves adjusting the startup properties for your database, as well as hiding the database window to simplify the user experience.

We'll also construct a customer list form. This form offers a list of customers, allowing you to select a customer and use a button to open that customer's specific record. This feature makes it easier to find particular customers efficiently.

You will learn how continuous forms operate, and we will discuss the use of headers and footers in forms. We'll touch on basic filtering techniques as well so you can work with specific records as needed.

In addition, we'll be creating a lead source table. This table will help you track how customers found out about your business, whether it be through television, radio, or other sources. With this table, you can insert a combo box on your customer form to select a lead source for each customer. Having this as a separate table also means that you or other users can update lead sources without having to change the customer table directly.

This course picks up right after Access 102. If you have not done so already, I highly recommend completing Access 101 and 102 first because this training series is designed for you to take the lessons in order. Even if you already have some experience with Microsoft Access, I suggest starting from Access 101 to ensure a solid grasp of all the concepts. Many advanced users find helpful tips in the introductory material as well.

In this class, I use Microsoft Access XP on Windows XP, but almost everything discussed here applies to any version of Access, from 95 up through 2000 and newer. There are only minor interface differences, so you should have no trouble following along, regardless of your version of Windows or Access.

My advice for getting the most out of this course is to watch each lesson all the way through the first time without trying to recreate things immediately on your own computer. Go back through a second time, pausing and following along with the examples. This approach makes it easier to absorb the material, and most students find that the concepts stick better after a second viewing.

I also caution you not to start applying what you learn right away to a database you use for work or personal projects. Let the material settle a bit and practice with our sample databases first. Wait until you've completed the full lesson before transferring the new techniques to your own projects.

If you skipped Access 101 or 102, a copy of the database in the appropriate format has been installed on your computer. You can find it in your Program Files folder, under the 599 CD, Access 103 directory, inside the Help folder. There are two database files: one showing the database as it was at the end of Access 102 and another with all the completed work from this class. This allows you to jump right in even if you have not completed the earlier courses.

Finally, remember to enjoy yourself while learning Access. It is a powerful and genuinely fun tool once you get the hang of it. If you have a hobby or personal interest, consider making a database around it. For example, when I was younger, I built databases for my coin and baseball card collections, and learning Access this way made it much more engaging. Doing a personal project that excites you is the fastest and most enjoyable way to learn.

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

Building a main menu form in Access

Creating command buttons to open other forms

Editing form properties like navigation buttons and scroll bars

Customizing command buttons with images

Setting the startup form to open on database launch

Hiding the database window from users

Building a customer list form with selectable records

Using continuous forms to display customer lists

Working with headers and footers in forms

Basic filtering techniques in forms

Creating a lead source table

Adding a combo box for lead sources to a customer form