28. Record source can be

a table, a query containing fields from one or more tables; a SQL statement. Graphical objects – controls: Bound controls Unbound controls Calculated controls

Bound control  gets its value from a field in the table or query and, as the data changes, the value of the bound control changes with it. The data fields you add to a form design are examples of bound controls. Unbound control

Has no tie to the underlying table data and retains the value you enter.

Examples of unbound controls are lines, rectangles,text, and images.

Calculated control

Gets its value from values in the table and is an expression containing functions and operators, in addition to fields, that produce a result.

The value shown in a calculated control changes as the values in the underlying fields change, but you cannot directly edit a calculated control.

• Working in the design window

• Similarities also exist in the form and report Design windows.

• The ribbon tabs and groups are nearly identical and the design surface looks the same.

• The only difference between them shows at the beginning of a new design. The report Design window shows the page header and footer sections by default, but in the new form Design window, the form header and footer sections are optional, and only the Detail section is shown. You can add the headers and footers to the form design , if needed.

29. Forms bring a number of advantages to the data entry table:

Because the form shows only one record at a time, you can almost always see all the table fields at once.

Controls such as drop-down lists reduce the possibility of data entry errors by giving the users a limited set of choices for a field.

Access gives you a number of customization options. These features let you create Access forms that look exactly like paper forms, you can add graphics and other objects to make the form more interesting.

You are not distracted by other data in the table, so you can give your full attention to the task at hand.

Building a Basic Form

If you need a simple form or time is short, then you can build a from with just few clicks. Access 2007 comes with three basic form layouts that you can apply to an existing table or query:

Form – this standard form layout shows the data from one record at a time, as well as records from another table that are related.

Split Form – this layout has two sections: a form on top and a datasheet below. When you select a record in the datasheet, the record data appears in the form.

Multiple Items – this tabular form layout shows the records in rows with the filed names at the top.

Building a standard form

Running the form command to build a standard form requires just two steps:

In the Navigation Pane, click the table or query you want to use as the form record source.

Choose Create / Form.

Some of the fields are displayed as drop-down lists instead of text boxes. In general, if the table has a field that is used as the basis of one-to-many relationship with another table and the current table is the “many” side of that relationship, that filed is displayed as a drop-down list that contains the values from the related table.

30. Bound control  gets its value from a field in the table or query and, as the data changes, the value of the bound control changes with it. The data fields you add to a form design are examples of bound controls. Unbound control

Has no tie to the underlying table data and retains the value you enter.

Examples of unbound controls are lines, rectangles,text, and images.