Access 2003

Lesson 10: Adding Form Records

Page 1

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, learners should be able to:

• Open a form using the Forms Object button

• Navigate through the Switchboard Menu
• Navigate through records in a form
• Add new records to the Contacts table
• Add new records to the Calls table
• Add new records to the Contact Types table

Page 2

Opening Forms in the Contact Management Database

Forms can be opened several ways in the Contact Management database. When the
Contact Management database is first opened, a main switchboard of menu items is
automatically displayed. A form can also be displayed by opening it from the Forms
object.

If a table has been defined to a database, it does not matter whether records are inputted
into the table using the Datasheet View discussed in lesson 7, or through a data entry
form presented in this lesson. Both methods update the same table.

To Open a Form from the Forms Object:

• Open the Contact Management database.

 • In the database window, click on the Forms tab from the Object palette.

• In the right white pane, double-click the Contacts form

(You could also either click once on the Contacts form and then click the Open
button, or you could right-click on the Contacts form and select Open from the
shortcut menu.

Page 3

Using the Contact Management Main Switchboard

The Contact Management database has been created in such a way that you may never
have to access a table in Datasheet View. Forms have been created and linked together in
a menu structure to allow you to navigate quickly and easily to different forms. These
forms collectively retrieve information from or are used to input and update records in
any given table in the Contact Management database.

To Open a Form Using the Main Switchboard Form:

The Main Switchboard form automatically loads each time the Contact Management
database is opened. You can manage all the contact information in the database by using
any of the forms linked to the Switchboard.

The Main Switchboard form lists five options:

• Enter/View Contacts is selected to enter contact information, or the specifics

about a given phone call, in the database.
• Enter/View Other Information is an administrative function that allows you to
define Contact Types (e.g., family, friends, relatives, etc.).
• Preview Reports provides access to different reports.
• Change Switchboard Items (will not be discussed in this course).
• Exit this database is selected to exit the Contact Management database.

To display any of the Contact Management subforms:

 • Click on the option you want to access. For example, click on the Enter/View
Contacts menu selection to add new records to the Contact Management
database.

Page 4

The Contacts Table: Adding Records Using the Enter/View Contacts Form

The Contacts form is used to add or change information in the Contacts table. The only
time the Contacts form is blank is when the new table to which it is associated does not
yet have any records added to it. Otherwise, information reflecting the first record in the
table is presented when the form is displayed. When adding new records, you are
required to input information in the required fields of a blank data entry form.

To Add a Contact Record:

• Click on the New Record button to display a blank data entry form. A blank entry
form is displayed.
• Type the requested information in each field on the form. If the field label reads,
First Name, type the first name of the individual being entered into the database.
• Press Enter or Tab to move from one field to the next, or click in the field using
your mouse.
• Complete entries in the remaining form fields: Last Name, Company (if
applicable), Address, City, State/Province, Postal Code, Country, Title, Work
Phone, Work Extension, Mobile Phone, and Fax Number fields.
 • When finished entering information on this page, click the Page 2 button to
display additional fields.
• On page 2, complete entries in the Contact Type, Email Name, Referred By, and
Notes fields.

Saving Your Work: Unlike the Word, Excel, or PowerPoint applications, you will
not be prompted to save the data you entered when you exit the screen or close
application. In Access, each record is saved automatically when you move to another
record or exit the form.

Page 5

The Calls Table: Adding Records Using the Calls Form

The Calls form is used to add details about specific phone calls to the the Calls table. It is
accessed by using the Calls button on the Contacts form. If looking for a job, for instance,
and several calls are made to a company, then you can use the Calls table to record a
history of notes about each phone call.

To Add a Call Record:

• Click on the Calls button located at the bottom of the Contact form. The Calls
form is displayed for data entry.
 • Type the requested information in each field on the form. In the Call Date field,
type the date of the phone call.
• Press Enter or Tab to move from one field to the next, or click in the field using
your mouse.
• In the Call Time field, type the time of the phone call.
• In the Subject field, type a description that briefly describes the nature of the
phone call.
• In the Call Notes field, type specific notes or action items discussed during the
phone call.

Saving Your Work: Unlike the Word, Excel, or PowerPoint applications, you will
not be prompted to save the data you entered when you exit the screen or close
application. In Access, each record is saved automatically when you move to another
record or exit the form.

Page 6

The Contact Types Table: Adding Records Using the Enter/View Contact
Types Form

On page 2 of the Contacts form, a field appears called Contact Type. This field is a drop-
down menu list that contains only one entry -- Family -- when the Contact Management
database is downloaded from the GCFLearnFree.org® Training web site. This field tells
the database that the record entered is a family member.
We previously talked about how you could separate your contacts into different
categories: Family, Friends, Relatives, Companies, and Recruiters, for example. The
Contact Types form, which provides input to the Contact Types table, accepts these
definitions.

This form illustrates how different tables interact with each other in the database. When
you enter a new record in the Contact Types table, it will appear in the Contact Type field
when a record is added or changed using the Contacts form.

To display the Contact Type Form:

• Click once on the Enter/View Other Information menu selection on the Main
Switchboard.

• Click once on the Enter/View Contact Types on the Switchboard subform to

display the Contact Types form.
Page 7

The Contact Type Table: Adding Records Using the Enter/View Contact
Types Form (continued)
To add a new Contact Type:

• Click on the New Record button to display a blank data entry form.

(Do not type anything in the Contact Type ID field as it is the primary key.)

• Type the entry, Friends, in the Contact Type field.

Saving Your Work: Unlike the Word, Excel, or PowerPoint applications, you will
not be prompted to save the data you entered when you exit the screen or close
application. In Access, each record is saved automatically when you move to another
record or exit the form.

Remember, you can always add records to the Contact Types table while in Datasheet
View. First, click on the Tables tab from the Object palette of the database window.
Then double-click the Contact Types table to open the table in Datasheet View.

Page 8

Challenge!

• Open the Contact Management database.

• Use the Switchboard to navigate to the Contacts form and input the following new
records:

o John Smith, 44 Smith Street, Garner, North Carolina, 27505, United

States, 919-555-1111 (Work Phone)
o Martha Brinson, 175 Seltzer Street, Cary, North Carolina, 27560, United
States, 919-222-1212 (Work Phone)
o Michelle George, 45 Williams Street, Wendell, North Carolina, 26541,
United States, 919-513-4634 (Work Phone)
 • Use the Switchboard to navigate to the Contact Types form and input the
following new contact type records:

o Friend
o Relative
o Work
o Recruiter
o Company
o Network

• Save and close the database.