Left to right these are: First record, previous record, specific record
(type a record number,) next record, last record and a new record.
The person using this database should be or become familiar with the workings of Microsoft Access. Not necessarily deeply, but enough to know how Access operates while editing data, moving between reords and fields, etc...
To get you started here are some things you should know.
Be careful when editing records! There is no need to “save” as records are automatically saved when you move to another record. Once you move to another record there is no “undo.”
The word “current” is used to describe the record you are currently viewing so in the main form, if Tom Johnson’s record is on the screen, it is the current record. If the cursor is in the phone number field, that is the current field.
Ctrl Pgup and Ctrl Pgdn will move from record to record or
you can move by clicking the buttons shown here:
Left to right these are: First record, previous record, specific record
(type a record number,) next record, last record and a new record.
Note: Record numbers do not stay constant because the records are stored (and sorted) by the member’s last name.
New records can be added to any table by pressing the CTRL++ keys or clicking the far right button in the navigation buttons (above.)
The member's mailing address, all comment and note fields allow for paragraphs breaks, i.e., multiple paragraphs. To create the second line, press Ctrl Enter at the end of the first line.
You can move between fields of a record using Enter but the preferred
key is the Tab key.
Shift tab will move backwards through the fields.
When you move in to a field, the default is to select the entire field’s contents. In order to edit part of the field’s contents, press the F2 key or the left or right cursor control key (arrow key of the keyboard.) Or, if you are going to replace the entire filed contents, just start typing.
Note: If you click in to a field the default will not be to select the field’s contents.
You can search for/find any record by nearly any criteria by moving the cursor in to the field you wish to search in then pressing Ctrl F.
In the Find dialog box, type the criteria to search for then press the Tab twice and change the “Match” criteria to “any part of the field”.
Selecting a record for deletion:
To do this, click on the record selection bar then press the Delete key. |
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Sorting records
You can sort the records as desired by moving the cursor to the field desired the clicking the Sort Ascending or Sort Descending buttons or by selecting the same from the Records, Sort menu. |
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You can filter records by almost any field if desired.
For example, if you are viewing the Project Help form, it defaults to show all records in the database but if you want to view all records for a particular individual, move the cursor to that person’s name then select Filter by Selection.
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You can alternatively select the name then click one of these toolbar buttons. The first filters by selection, the second removes the filter (to show all records again). |
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Date fields are very particular! While entering a date you can enter the numbers in the raw fashion but you must use six characters, e.g., 010103. This will automatically be converted to the full 01/01/2003 syntax.
If however, you want to edit a date, you may need to remove the century from the year, e.g., 01/01/03 before it will accept the change. This problem is based on the individual computer’s date/region setting in the Control Panel, not the database! It is probably easiest to simply reenter the entire date.
Zoom: By pressing Shift F2 in almost any field, a "Zoom" dialog box will open. Primarily used with memo and note fields, here you can view more information at one time.