Introduction to Button-Based Windows Controls

The Button

Introduction

A button is an object or control the user clicks to produce an action. To support buttons, Microsoft Access VBA provides a class named Button.

Practical Learning: Introducing Windows Controls

1. Start Microsoft Access
2. In the list of files, click FunDS1 from the previous lesson
3. In the Navigation Pane, right-click the Department Store form and click Design View

Creating a Button

To visually create a button, after displaying the form or report in the Design View, in the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Button and click the form or report. To assist with the action that a button should perform, Microsoft Access provides a wizard that leads to a long list of action. You are encouraged to use that wizard. Of course, you can also take care of the actions yoursellf.

Practical Learning: Introducing Buttons

1. In the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Button
2. Click the form.
   If a wizard starts, click Cancel
3. While the button is still selected on the form, in the Property Sheet, click the Other tab and click Name
4. Type cmdStoreItems and press Enter
5. Save the Department Store form

Characteristics of a Button

The Caption of a Button

The primary visual aspect of a button is its caption. To support it, the Button class is equipped with a property named Caption. To visually set the caption of a button, access its Property Sheet. In the Format or the All property page, click Caption and type a string of your choice. To programmatically specify the caption of a button, access its Caption property and assign a string of your choice. Here is an example:

Private Sub cmdToday_Click()
    cmdToday.Caption = "Submit Time Sheet"
End Sub

Practical Learning: Setting the Caption of a Button

1. While the button is still selected on the form, in the Property Sheet, click the Format tab and click Caption
2. Press the Space bar twice and type Store Items...
3. On the Ribbon, click Home
4. In the Text Formatting section of the Ribbon, click the arrow of the Font combo box and select Bodoni MT Black (if you don't have that font, select Garamond or Times New Roman)
5. Still in the Font section of the Ribbon, click the arrow of the Font Size button and select 20
6. Save the form

The Size of a Button

The size of a button is primarily managed as done for the other controls. Furthermore, you can resize a button to fit its caption, you can proceed as done for a label: Select it and double-click one of its borders.

Practical Learning: Resizing a Button

1. While the button is still selected on the form, double-click one of its borders
2. Save the form

A Picture on a Button

To make your button appealing, you can make it display a small picture. To assist you with this the Button class is equipped with a property named Picture

To visually specify the picture of a button, access its Property Sheet. In the Format or the All property page, click Picture and click its ellipsis button . To assist with pictures, Microsoft Access ships with many pre-designed icons. If you click the Picture field, the Picture Builder dialog box will present a list in the Available Pictures section:

If you click an item in the Available Pictures list, its preview would display on the left side. If none of the pictures suits you, click Browse and select a picture. After selecting the picture, click OK.

You can display only the caption, only the picture, or both the picture and the caption on a button. If you decide to use both, to let you control the position of the picture with regards to the caption, the button has a property named Picture Caption Alignment in its Property Sheet.

Practical Learning: Displaying a Picture on a Button

1. While the button is still selected on the form, in the Property Sheet, click the Format tab, click Picture, and click its ellipsis button
2. In the Available Pictures of the Picture Builder dialog box, scroll down and click MS Access Table:

   

3. Click OK
4. In the Property Sheet, in the Format tab, change the Picture Caption Alignment field to Right
5. Right-click the button on the form and click Copy
6. Right-click an unoccupied area of the form and click Paste
7. While the newly pasted button is still selected on the form, in the Property Sheet, click the All tab and set the Name to Name: cmdShoppingSessions
8. Click Caption and replace Store Items with Shopping Sessions
9. Right-click one of the buttons on the form and click Copy
10. Right-click an unoccupied area of the form and click Paste
11. In the Property Sheet, change the Name to cmdEmployees
12. Replace (only) the text of the Caption with Employees
13. In the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Button
14. Click the form.
    If a wizard starts, click Cancel
15. While the button is still selected on the form, in the Property Sheet, click the All tab and change the following characteristics:
    Name: cmdNewStoreItem
    Caption: New Store Item...
    Font Name: Bodoni MT Black (if you don't have that font, select Garamond or Times New Roman)
    Font Size: 20
16. Save the form

Colors on a Button

Like all Windows controls in Microsoft Access, a button can be painted with a color specified in the Back Color field of its Property Sheet. The caption can also display with a font and a color of your choice. One way you can enhance the appearance of a button is to paint with different color based on how the user is currently using the control. To support this, the button is equipped with the following properties in the Format or the All tab of its Property Sheet:

• Back Color: This is the color that paints the button when the control is not used. If there is no other change on the button, this will be the color for everything
• Fore Color: This is the color that paints the caption when the control is not used. If there is no other change on the button, this will be the font color at all times
• Hover Color: This is the color that paints the button when the mouse is positioned on the control
• Hover Fore Color: This is the color that paints the caption when the mouse is positioned on the control
• Pressed Color: This is the color that paints the button when the user presses and while holding the mouse on the control, that is, before the mouse is released
• Pressed Fore Color: This is the color that paints the caption when the user presses and is holding the mouse on the control, that is, before the mouse is released

Practical Learning: Using Colors on a Button

1. While the new button is still selected on the form, in the Property Sheet, click the Format tab and change the following characteristics:
   Hover Color: Accent 1, Lighter 80%
   Pressed Color: #1F497D
   Hover Color: Accent 5, Darker 50%
   Pressed Fore Color: Background 1 (white)
2. On the form, right-click the New Store Item button and click Copy
3. Right-click an unoccupied area of the form and click Paste
4. Right-click an unoccupied area of the form and click Paste
5. Right-click an unoccupied area of the form and click Paste
6. On the form, right-click the Tables label and click Copy
7. Right-click an unoccupied area of the form and click Paste
8. Click the newly pasted label to put into edit mode
9. Replace its text with Forms and press Enter
10. Complete the design of the form as follows:

    

    Control		Name	Caption
    Label			Tables
    Label			Forms
    Line
    Button		cmdStoreItems	Store Items...
    Button		cmdNewStoreItem	New Store Item...
    Button		cmdShoppingSessions	Shopping Sessions...
    Button		cmdNewShoppingSession	New Shopping Session...
    Button		cmdEmployees	Employees...
    Button		cmdNewEmployee	New Employee...
    Button		cmdClose	Close

11. Save form
12. On the Ribbon, click File and click Open
13. In the list of files, click Whirl Water Shine from the previous lesson
14. In the Navigation Pane, right-click Bill Preparation and click Design View
15. In the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Button and click below the Form Footer bar on the form
16. Complete the design of the form as follows:

    

    Control		Caption	Name
    Button		Submit	cmdSubmit
    Button		Close	cmdClose

17. Save the Bill Preparation form

Introduction to the Web Browser

Overview

A web browser is a control that shows a file. The file can be a regular picture or a web document that is identified as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A web browser is very flexible with the type of document it can show. Still, you must follow some rules to prepare the document.

The primary type of document intended for a browser is a webpage. You probably already know how to create such a document. A browser can also be asked to display a picture. The web browser of Microsoft Windows supports various or all types of pictures, including those with the extensions .bmp, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .png, etc.

Practical Learning: Introducing Web Browsers

1. On the Ribbon, click File and click New
2. Click Blank Desktop Database
3. Set the file name to States Statistics2
4. Click Create
5. On the Ribbon, click File and click Options
6. In the left list of the Access Options dialog box, click Current Database
7. In the main list, click Overlapping Windows
8. Click OK on the dialog box
9. Click OK on the message box
10. On the Ribbon, click File and click Close
11. In the list of files, click StatesStatistics2
12. On the Ribbon, click Create and click Table Design
13. In the first field of the table, type StateName and press Tab
14. In the Tools section of the Design tab of the Ribbon, click the Primary Key button
15. Change the fields as follows:

    Field Name	Data Type	Field Size	Format	Decimal Places	Caption
    StateName		40			State Name
    Abbreviation		5			Abbrv
    AreaSqrMiles	Number		Standard	0	Area in Sqr Miles
    AreaSqrKms	Number		Standard	0	Area in Sqr Kms
    AdmissionUnionDate					Admission to Union
    AdmissionUnionOrder		Byte			Admission Order
    Capital		40
    Region		25
    StateWebsite	Hyperlink				State's Website
    Wikipedia	Hyperlink

16. Close the table
17. When asked whether you want to save, click Yes
18. Set the table name to States and click OK (the resources that accompany these lessons include a spreadsheet named States Statistics; you can open it and use it to create records for the States table)
19. In the Navigation Pane, double-click the States table
20. If necessary, on the Ribbon, click Home.
    In the Home tab of the Ribbon, change the following characteristics:
    Change the following characteristics:
    Font Name: Bookman Old Style (if you don't have that font, select Times New Roman)
    Font Color: Gold, Accent 4, Lighter 80% (Theme Colors: 8th column, 2nd row)
    Background Color: Blue, Accent 1, Darker 50% (Theme Colors: 5th column, 6th row)
    Alternate Row Color: Blue, Accent 1 (Theme Colors: 5th column, 1st row)

    

21. Close the States table
22. On the Ribbon, click Create and click Form Design
23. In the Property Sheet, set the Record Source to States
24. Right-click the body of the form and click Form Header/Footer
25. Drag the Form Footer down completely until it can't go any lower (it may go down to the 22 measure maximum)
26. Save the form as States
27. In the Tools section of the Design tab of the Ribbon, click Add Existing Fields
28. In the Field List, double-click StateName, Abbreviation, AreaSqrMiles, AreaSqrKms, AdmissionUnionDate, AdmissionUnionOrder, Capital, and Region
29. Double-click any control or section on the form to display the Property Sheet
30. Complete the design of the form as follows:

    

31. Save the form

Creating a Browser

A web browser can be added to a form and not to a report. To get it, after displaying the form in Design View, in the Controls section of the Design tab of the Ribbon, click the Web Browser Control and click the form.

Practical Learning: Introducing the Web Browser

1. In the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Web Browser Control
2. Click below the other controls on the form.
   If a wizard starts, click Cancel
3. In the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Web Browser Control and click below the previously added browser on the form.
   If a wizard starts, click Cancel

Characteristics of a Web Browser

The Control Source of a Web Browser

Probably the most important detail of a web browser is the document it displays. This is specified by the Control Source property. You cannot create a web browser on a table. Instead, you can create a text-based field, then use it as the record source of a browser.

When performing data entry, enter the name of the file with extension, the complete path and name of the file, or the URL of the web page that the browser would display.

Practical Learning: Using a Web Browser

1. On the form, click the first (or one of the previously added) web browser(s)
2. In the Property Sheet, click Data.
   Click Control Source and set its value to StateWebsite
3. On the form, click the other web browser
4. In the Data tab of the Property Sheet, set the Control Source to Wikipedia
5. Save the form
6. On the Ribbon, click File and click Open
7. In the list of files, click Exercise3 from Lesson 22
8. On the Ribbon, click Create and click Form Design
9. In the Property Sheet, change the following characteristics of the form:
   Record Selectors: No
   Navigation Buttons: No
10. Right-click the form and click Form Header/Footer
11. In the Property Sheet, change the Back Color of the Detail section to Background Form
12. Save the form as Navigator
13. In the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Text Box and click the Form Header section of the form
14. In the Property Sheet, change the characteristics of the text box as follows:
    Name: txtAddress
    Border Color: Text 1
    Horizontal Anchor: Both
15. Change the caption of the accompanying label to Web/Document Address:
16. In the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Button and click the form.
    If a wizard starts, click Cancel
17. In the Property Sheet, change the characteristics of the button as follows:
    Name: cmdShow
    Caption: Show
    Horizontal Anchor: Right
18. In the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Web Browser Control and click the Detail section of the form.
    If a wizard starts, click Cancel
19. In the Property Sheet, change the following characteristics of the browser:
    Name: wbNavigator
    Border Color: Text 1
    Horizontal Anchor: Both
    Vertical Anchor: Both
20. Position the controls as follows:

    

21. On the form, right-click the Show button and click Build Event...
22. In the Choose Builder dialog box, click Code Builder and click OK
23. Implement the event as follows:

    Private Sub cmdShow_Click()
        Dim strAddress As String
        
        strAddress = txtAddress
        wbNavigator.ControlSource = "='" & strAddress & "'"
        txtAddress = strAddress
    End Sub

24. Return to Microsoft Access and switch the form to Form View
25. Type an address, such as http://www.microsoftaccess.com/, in the text box and click the Show button

    

26. Change the address to something else, such as https://www.google.com/#q=VBA+Access, and click Show

    

27. Save the form

Web Browser Events

The web browser has many events appropriate for its functionality:

We already know that you can submit the path of a file or a URL to a browser. When a file path or a URL is given to a web browser, before it processes it, the control fires an event named On Before Navigate2. It appears as follows:

Private Sub wbNavigator_BeforeNavigate2(ByVal pDisp As Object, _
					URL As Variant, _
					flags As Variant, _
					TargetFrameName As Variant, _
					PostData As Variant, _
					Headers As Variant, _
					Cancel As Boolean)

End Sub

If there is no problem in this event, the control shows the file or the web page. When the control has finished displaying the document, the web browser fires the On Document Complete event. If there is a change on the document, the control fires an On Progress Change event.

When a web browser has received a file path or a URL, it makes an attempt to show that file or the web page. If it encounters a problem, it fires an On Navigation Error event.

At any time, and if you allow it, the user can change the document the control is displaying. When a new document must be displayed, the control fires an On Updated event.

Page Breaks

Introduction

If you create a form or report that has many or large objects, you can divide the form or report in sections called pages (this has nothing to do with the Page Header or the Page Footer sections of a form or report) . Then, you can ask Microsoft Access to display only the desired section when necessary. To make this possible, Microsoft Access provides a special control named Page Break.

As done for all controls, before creating a page break, you must display the form or report in the Design View. To get a page break, in the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Insert Page Break control and click the desired section of the form or report. Normally, you should add it to the Detail section. You can add as many page breaks as you need.

Practical Learning: Introducing Page Breaks

1. On the Ribbon, click File and click Open
2. In the list of files, click StatesStatistics2 used earlier
3. In the Navigation Pane, right-click the States form and click Design View
4. In the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Insert Page Break control
5. On the form, click just below the top web browser and position it as follows:

   

6. Scroll down on the form.
   In the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Insert Page Break control
7. On the form, click between both web browsers and position it as follows:

   

8. Save the form

Implementing Page Breaks

You can provide buttons that the user will click to access an area delimited by the page break. To support page breaks, the Form class is equipped with a method named GoToPage. In the same way, the static DoCmd is equipped with the same method. Its syntax is:

Form|DoCmd.GoToPage(ByVal PageNumber As Lond, _
		    Optional ByVal Right As Long = 0, _
		    Optional ByVal Down As Long = 0)

This method takes as argument the section to access. The first section, or the section above the first page breake has an index of 1, the second page break has an index of 2, and so on.

Practical Learning: Using Page Breaks

1. In the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Button and click below the Form Footer bar of the form.
   If a wizard starts, click Cancel
2. Right-click the newly added button and click Copy
3. Right-click an empty area of the Form Footer section and click Paste
4. In the Property Sheet, change the characteristics of the new button as follows:
   Name: cmdStatesSummary
   Caption: Statistics Summary
5. Right-click an empty area of the Form Footer section and click Paste
6. In the Property Sheet, change the characteristics of the new button as follows:
   Name: cmdCharacteristics
   Caption: Characteristics
7. Right-click an empty area of the Form Footer section and click Paste
8. In the Property Sheet, change the characteristics of the new button as follows:
   Name: cmdStateWebsite
   Caption: State's Website
9. Right-click an empty area of the Form Footer section and click Paste
10. In the Property Sheet, change the characteristics of the new button as follows:
    Name: cmdWikipedia
    Caption: Wikipedia
11. Right-click an empty area of the Form Footer section and click Paste
12. In the Property Sheet, change the characteristics of the new button as follows:
    Name: cmdClose
    Caption: Close
13. Right-click the Statistics Summary and click Build Event...
14. In the Choose Builder dialog box, click Code Builder and click OK
15. Implement the event as follows:

    Private Sub cmdCharacteristics_Click()
        DoCmd.GoToPage 1
    End Sub

16. In the Object combo box, select mdStateWebsite and implement the event as follows:

    Private Sub cmdStateWebsite_Click()
        GoToPage 2
    End Sub

17. In the Object combo box, select cmdWikipedia and implement the event as follows:

    Private Sub cmdWikipedia_Click()
        GoToPage 3
    End Sub

18. In the Object combo box, select cmdStatesSummary and implement the event as follows:

    Private Sub cmdStatesSummary_Click()
        DoCmd.OpenTable "States"
    End Sub

19. In the Object combo box, select cmdClose and implement the event as follows:

    Private Sub cmdClose_Click()
        DoCmd.Close
    End Sub

20. Return to Microsoft Access and close the form
21. When asked whether you want to save, click Yes
22. In the Navigation Pane, double-click the States form
23. Click the different buttons

    

    

    

24. Close Microsoft Access
25. When asked whether you want to save the form, click Yes