Graphical User Interface (GUI) Basics

[vasnas]

Hello, im working on my first database and have no clue as to how to create and design the Final interface on Access2007. Microsoft's Help is helpless!

Can someone please point me to some links on the web explaining how i can create the GUI or provide other general advice?

I do have some general ideas about the visual design but just have no idea how to practically do it...I tried to use Access2007's Switchboard Manager but it's not that practical. I created that first form linking to other forms but don't know how to manipulate it some more. Don't know how to make the Access start up by showing only that form, dont know how to make data unavailable to the user etc...

Thank you in advance!! Vas

 

[fneily]

This will sound impertinent, but I strongly suggest you take a few Access courses FIRST. Start with Introduction, then Intermediate, then Advanced. Then buy some Access books and study some VBA, DAO/ADO programming. You may want to read the following:
The Fundamentals of Relational Database Design

http://www.alphabetcitydataworks.com/FundamentalsOfRelationalDatabaseDesign.doc

Harnessing the Power of Updatable Queries

http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/default.asp?url=/archive/en-us/dnaraccess/html/msdn_harness.asp

Basically, Access is hard to learn by oneself. It has some strange concepts that aren't intuitive.
You have alot of work ahead of you.

 

[JoeAtWork]

I agree with fneily, you need some sort of foundation when learning a new platform. While there is a HUGE amount of information on the Internet, it comes in bits and pieces and each piece usually makes little sense by itself.

Every once in a while I see somebody on these forums trying to learn a programming language from scratch by asking questions. They seem to need to ask a question for every second line of code they write. It must take forever for them to finish a simple project!

So find some good books, or take a class (now a days you can do it online - never have to leave home!). My recommended book is Access 2002 Desktop Developer's Handbook by Litwin, Getz, and Gunderloy (there's a second volume with same title except instead of "Desktop" it is "Enterprise").

 

[Ed2020]

I'll second JoeAtWork's book recommendation - they're published by Sybex (I think) and by far the best Access resources I've found.

Ed Metcalfe.

Please do not feed the trolls.....

 

[vasnas]

fneily and Joeatwork, thank you for your replies,
Yes im new to Access, but the thing is i have read the theory behind relational databases etc etc, and now im just doing my very first Access project. I have finished most of it (including macros, SQL coding etc with a little bit of help from books/journals/websites/forums/friends and my own brain). Im now at the final stage of building the GUI. And my question is:

Can someone provide an Access rookie like me, with any info/LINKS etc (if they exist) on how to build a very basic GUI for Access 2007 using the Access Switchboard Manager or anything else, suitable for a beginner? I guess the answers to this could help others too, as GUI for Access is not that frequently discussed online i reckon...

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR ANY HELP!!! Vas