Access Developer 55

Build a Custom Dark Mode for Forms & Controls

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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

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.

Navigation

Prev: D54
Next: D56

Keywords

Access Developer, Access Developer 55, dark mode system, database color settings, form theme control, array list forms, save form properties, loop controls sections, switch light dark mode, update open forms, theme automation, event handler shortcuts, res

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Intro

In Access <B>Developer 55</B>, 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.

Transcript

Hi, this is Richard Rost with Access Learning Zone. I just released Access Developer 55. In this course, we build a complete dark mode system for your Microsoft Access database, so you can control the look and feel of every form, and give your apps a much more modern, professional appearance.

We start by building a table to store color settings for forms, sections, and controls. I show you how to generate a full list of your forms using an array list so everything stays organized and easy to manage.

Then we build the engine that reads all of those properties and saves them, looping through every control and every section, so you can capture your entire form layout with just a couple of clicks.

Next, we bring it all together by switching between light mode and dark mode across your whole database, updating all open forms and making sure new forms follow the current theme automatically.

Finally, we tackle that bright Access workspace in the background to make it match your dark mode setup, plus a couple of nice finishing touches like event handler shortcuts and restoring button gradients.

So if you want a powerful, professional dark mode system built right into your Access database, this class shows you exactly how to do it. For more information, visit my website, or drop a comment down below if you have any questions.

Live long and prosper, my friends. I'll see you in class.

Quiz

Q1. What is the primary feature built in Access Developer 55?
A. A login verification system
B. A complete dark mode system for Access databases
C. A report generation module
D. A mail merge utility

Q2. What is the first step in the process described in the video?
A. Building a macro to open forms
B. Building a table to store color settings
C. Creating a web-based interface
D. Converting forms to PDFs

Q3. How are the list of forms generated for organizing the color settings?
A. Manually entering each form's name
B. Importing from an Excel file
C. Using an array list
D. Copying from another database

Q4. What does the engine built in the course do with the form properties?
A. It deletes all existing forms
B. It ignores the properties and sets defaults only
C. It reads and saves properties for forms, controls, and sections
D. It only saves colors for the background

Q5. What major user interface switch is implemented in the course?
A. Switching between multiple languages
B. Switching between different databases
C. Switching between light mode and dark mode
D. Switching between compact and expanded views

Q6. When switching modes, what is updated to reflect the current theme?
A. Only the main form
B. All open forms and future new forms
C. Only the controls on one form
D. Only report layouts

Q7. What additional area is modified to match the dark mode setup?
A. The Access workspace background
B. The Access Ribbon menu
C. The taskbar in Windows
D. The desktop wallpaper

Q8. What are some of the finishing touches mentioned in the video?
A. Exporting forms to PowerPoint
B. Event handler shortcuts and restoring button gradients
C. Adding a calendar control
D. Setting up cloud synchronization

Answers: 1-B; 2-B; 3-C; 4-C; 5-C; 6-B; 7-A; 8-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 introduces Access Developer 55, a course where I walk you through building a complete dark mode system for your Microsoft Access database. This feature allows you to fully customize the appearance of your forms, enabling a modern and professional look for your applications.

We begin by creating a table designed to store customizable color settings for every form, section, and control in your database. I explain how to generate and organize a comprehensive list of your forms using an array list, which keeps everything structured and easy to manage.

After that, we develop the core engine that reads these property settings and saves them efficiently. I teach you how the system loops through every control and section, so you can quickly capture your entire form layout with just a couple of clicks.

Next, I demonstrate how to make your entire database adaptable by seamlessly switching between light and dark modes. This includes updating all open forms at once and ensuring that any new forms automatically adopt the current theme.

We also deal with the Access workspace itself, matching its appearance to your chosen dark mode setup for a more unified look. I include some helpful finishing touches such as event handler shortcuts and the ability to restore button gradients to maintain a polished interface.

If you are interested in integrating a powerful and professional dark mode system directly into your Access database, this course will guide you through every step. You can find a complete video tutorial with step-by-step instructions for everything discussed here on my website at the link below.

Live long and prosper, my friends.

Topic List

Building a table to store form color settings
Storing color settings for sections and controls
Generating a list of forms using an array list
Organizing and managing form appearance settings
Creating an engine to read and save property values
Looping through every control and section on forms
Capturing and saving entire form layouts
Switching between light and dark mode
Updating all open forms to the current theme
Ensuring new forms use the selected theme automatically
Customizing the Access workspace background for dark mode
Adding event handler shortcuts for theme management
Restoring button gradients in themed forms

Article

If you have ever wanted to give your Microsoft Access database a modern, professional look with a complete dark mode system, it is entirely possible to build this functionality yourself. The process involves creating a system that can control the appearance of every form, section, and control in your app, so you can easily switch between light and dark themes. I will walk you through the main steps you need to set up such a system, from storing color settings to programmatically updating your forms.

The first step is to build a table that will store various color settings. Think of this table as your theme storage. In it, you should store colors for different form elements: the overall form background, section headers, labels, text boxes, and buttons for both light mode and dark mode. For example, you might have fields like: FormName, SectionName, ControlName, PropertyName, LightColor, and DarkColor.

Once the table is set up, you need a way to quickly get a list of all your forms so you can manage them efficiently. This can be done by using an ArrayList object in VBA. By looping through the AllForms collection in Access, you can gather every form name and use this to populate your settings table or to provide a user interface for managing theme settings.

Here is a short example of how you can use VBA to list all forms in your database:

Dim frm As AccessObject
For Each frm In CurrentProject.AllForms
Debug.Print frm.Name
Next frm

With your forms inventoried, you now need an engine that can read and save the properties for every form control and section. This means looping through each form's controls and sections, capturing their relevant properties such as BackColor, ForeColor, and Font. You can create a function to read each property and then store its value in your theme table, so it can be easily recalled later.

For example, here is a snippet that loops through controls on a form:

Dim ctl As Control
For Each ctl In Me.Controls
' Save or read color properties here
Debug.Print ctl.Name & ": " & ctl.BackColor
Next ctl

Now with your color settings stored, you can create a routine to switch the entire database between light and dark mode. This routine will loop through all open forms and apply the appropriate color values from your table based on the selected theme. New forms that are opened can reference this same system and update themselves by default, ensuring consistency throughout your application.

An example of setting a control's background color based on the theme:

If ThemeMode = "Dark" Then
ctl.BackColor = GetDarkColorSetting(ctl.Name)
Else
ctl.BackColor = GetLightColorSetting(ctl.Name)
End If

The final challenge is the bright workspace of Access itself, which can look out of place against your new forms. You can use VBA tricks to change the appearance of the Access background window so that it better matches your chosen theme. While you cannot alter everything, you can greatly reduce the brightness and better integrate your customized look.

To polish your system further, you can add event handler shortcuts to make theme switching quick and painless for users. You can also implement small finishing touches, such as restoring button gradients for a more modern feel.

By following this approach, you can build a reliable and flexible dark mode system directly inside your Access database. With a table for settings, VBA code to apply those settings, and routines to keep everything in sync, you will have full control over the appearance of every form and control. Your Microsoft Access apps will not only function better but will look impressively up to date and professional.