Access Developer 55

Build a Custom Dark Mode for Forms & Controls

In Access Developer 55, we build a complete dark mode system for Microsoft Access databases. We start by designing a table to store color settings for forms, sections, and controls, and use an array list to organize your forms. I will show you how to create an engine that reads and saves form properties, allowing you to capture your layout efficiently. We then implement switching between light and dark modes across your database, ensure the Access workspace background matches, and review additional features such as event handler shortcuts and button gradients.

Lessons

•  00. Welcome (5:07)
•  01. Dark Mode 1 (22:01)
•  02. Dark Mode 2 (25:15)
•  03. Dark Mode 3 (18:30)
•  04. Dark Mode 4 (17:58)
•  05. What's Next (8:15)
•  06. Access Developer 55 (0:00)
• Total Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes

Resources

•  File Download
•  PDF Handbook

Navigation

• Prev: D54
• Next: D56

Lesson Summary

Access Developer 55: Dark Mode Theme System - In this class, we introduce the process of building a complete dark mode system for Microsoft Access, starting with the creation of a flexible settings table to store color palettes for forms, sections, and controls. We will discuss techniques such as using array lists to manage objects, looping through forms and controls with reusable code, and capturing and applying appearance settings across an application. We will also talk about updating both open and new forms with the selected theme, controlling the Access workspace's appearance, and setting up a theming system that can be customized further.

Lesson 1: Dark Mode Table, Sorted ArrayList - In Lesson 1, we begin building a dark mode system for Microsoft Access. I show how to set up a table to store color settings for each form and control, and introduce the use of an array list to load, sort, and display all forms in a combo box. We discuss techniques for working with form properties, share a prototype for toggling light and dark modes, and walk through the initial setup steps that will allow us to start customizing and saving dark mode color settings for database forms.

Lesson 2: Save Form Section & Control Attributes - In Lesson 2, we build the routine that reads all sections and controls on a form and saves their color settings to a table, supporting both light and dark mode options. We walk through the creation of button events, organizing reusable code in modules, and handling user confirmations. The video demonstrates looping through form sections and controls, safely capturing their color properties, converting them to hex values, and storing them using a recordset. We also discuss error handling for controls without color properties and consider how this routine could be extended for other attributes.

Lesson 3: Enable/Disable Dark Mode on Open Forms - In lesson 3, we will build the system that lets you switch all your open forms between Light Mode and Dark Mode in Microsoft Access. We will store and remember the current mode, create buttons to toggle modes, walk through updating all open forms instantly, and add code so that new forms open in the correct mode. I will show you how to update each form's design to be mode-aware and discuss some considerations for error handling, limitations with reports, and possible future improvements like reading the Windows dark mode setting. Next, we will address updating the application's background.

Lesson 4: Darken App Window Behind Forms - In lesson 4, we will walk through how to set a custom dark background for the Access workspace behind your forms, making it match your dark mode setup. I will show you how to use a full-screen, borderless form as the background and update its behavior so it stays behind other forms. We will also discuss some viewer tips, such as calling your dark mode function directly from a form event handler and restoring button gradients.

What's Next: Review & Next Steps - In this video, we reviewed building a complete dark mode system for your Access database, discussed the benefits of controlling form appearance without relying on Office themes, and previewed upcoming features for future lessons including using an API call to manage form order, resizing the background form to fit the application window, detecting Windows dark mode status via the registry, and storing forms' size and position. We also considered the possibility of supporting multiple color palettes and briefly mentioned ideas for integrating AI into Access in future courses.

Outline - 0. Welcome (5:07) How To Build a Complete Dark Mode and Light Mode Theme System for Forms in Microsoft Access Building a settings table for dark mode colors Storing color palettes for forms, sections, and controls Using hex colors instead of RGB values Generating a list of all forms with array lists Efficient management of forms using array lists Capturing and saving form appearance properties Looping through form sections and controls for properties Storing color properties in a database table Setting up reusable functions for theme management Organizing and cleaning up VBA code structure Switching between light mode and dark mode instantly Applying saved theme settings to open forms Ensuring new forms follow the current theme Creating a themed background layer behind forms Managing Access workspace appearance in dark mode Controlling background layer behavior with theme settings Adding event handler shortcuts for theming Restoring button gradients in themed forms 1. Dark Mode 1 (22:01) Build Dark Mode Settings Table And Learn ArrayList For Sorted Form Combo Creating a dark mode system in Microsoft Access Setting up a table to store color settings Defining table fields for forms, sections, and controls Using hex colors for background and foreground properties Handling section numbers and control names in the table Parsing form sections and controls to automate data entry Creating a form to manage dark mode settings Adding a combo box to list all forms in the database Populating a combo box with form names using code Using CurrentProject.AllForms to access all forms Introducing and using ArrayList objects in VBA Populating and sorting an ArrayList with form names Filling a combo box with a sorted list from an ArrayList Setting combo box properties: Limit to List and disabling edits Creating a button to open selected forms in design view Adding input validation for combo box form selection 2. Dark Mode {PART} (25:15) Build Save Form Mode Routine With Section And Control Attribute Capture Creating a global save form mode routine Passing form names and mode type to functions Implementing a reusable check for form combo selection Adding 'Are You Sure?' confirmation prompts Consolidating duplicated button click event code Organizing code into global modules for reuse Deleting old color records before saving new ones Ensuring forms are open in design mode for property reading Looping through form sections to capture section color Looping through controls to capture foreground and background colors Optional parameters to distinguish controls from sections Implementing RGB to hex color conversion for storage Handling errors when controls lack color properties Using recordsets to save attributes into a table Conditional logic for whether object is a section or control Saving section and control color values to a table Debugging and compiling to ensure error-free code Testing save routines for both light mode and dark mode 3. Dark Mode {PART} (18:30) Apply Dark Mode To All Open Forms by Loading Settings From Table Saving and reading Light and Dark Mode settings Adding Light Mode and Dark Mode toggle buttons Using a global module for theme switching code Looping through all open forms to apply a theme Persisting the current mode at the system level Applying theme changes instantly to open forms Coding theme initialization for new form openings Building the do_dark_mode subroutine for forms Looping through form sections and controls to set colors Using recordsets to query stored theme settings Applying color settings using hex to RGB conversion Adding per-form code in the On Load event for switching themes Checking for control and section existence before setting colors Saving and testing dark and light mode changes per form 4. Dark Mode {PART} (17:58) Make Access Application Window Appear Dark Behind All Open Forms Setting the Access background to a custom color for dark mode Creating a borderless background form in Access Configuring form properties for a background form Moving and resizing a form using DoCmd.MoveSize Sending a form to the back using focus and the Z order Using the Activate event to keep a background form in the back Toggling the background form based on dark mode status Opening and closing forms programmatically based on settings Implementing the IsLoaded VBA function to check open forms Adjusting command button gradients to restore effects Using TypeOf to identify command buttons in VBA Setting button gradient property for different modes Updating dark mode routines to include the background form 5. What's Next (8:15) Upcoming Features After Building Dark Mode Systems for Forms in Microsoft Access This is a closing summary and preview message for an Access Developer video tutorial, recapping what was covered and teasing upcoming features.

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