The Developer Solutions Sample Application

The Developer Solutions sample application contains examples of the forms, reports, and interface elements you most commonly use to create applications.

Û To open the Developer Solutions sample application

1. Start Microsoft Access.
2. In the Microsoft Access dialog box, make sure that Open an Existing Database is selected, and then click OK.
3. In the Open dialog box, navigate to the Office folder in the Look In box, double-click the Samples folder, and then double-click Solutions.

   Developer Solutions displays a startup form, and then automatically opens the DeveloperSolutions form. The DeveloperSolutions form lists all the examples in the sample application by category.

   

   

Tip   When you open a form or report in Developer Solutions, the Show Me topic for that form or report is automatically displayed if the check box at the bottom of the DeveloperSolutions form is selected.

Note   If you close the Show Me window, or if you clear the check box on the DeveloperSolutions form that automatically displays Show Me topics, you can display a topic by either clicking the Show Me button on a form’s toolbar, or searching the Help index for the name of the topic.

A Sample of What You’ll Find in Developer Solutions

The sample forms and reports in Developer Solutions cover the main areas of application design, from changing a form’s toolbars in response to events, to creating a crosstab report with dynamic column headings.

Sample Forms

Forms are the major component of a Microsoft Access application. You use them not only to enter and view data, but also as a way to organize your application into a coherent system. In Developer Solutions, there are examples of forms that:

• Switch between entering and editing records.
• Fill a record with data from the previous record.
• Search for records based on values you enter in one or more fields.
• Progressively display more detail about a given subject.
• Synchronize data between two forms.
• Collect and store temporary information.
• Select more than one item in a list box.

In many cases, several techniques are combined on one form, as shown in the EnterOrEditProducts form.

To display this form, in the DeveloperSolutions form, click Sample Forms in the Select A Category Of Examples box, and then click EnterOrEditProducts in the Select An Example box.

Sample Reports

With most applications, you’ll want a way to format and print data for distribution. The reports in Developer Solutions show you how to:

• Create a report for a preprinted form.
• Create a form letter.
• Create crosstab reports.
• Draw a circle around important information.

For example, the SalesLetter report uses Visual Basic code to draw a circle around the sales totals that meet or exceed the goal. To preview this report, in the DeveloperSolutions form, click Sample Reports in the Select A Category Of Examples box, and then click SalesLetter in the Select An Example box.

Sample Code

Developer Solutions also includes procedures that you may find useful when developing your own applications. Procedures included in Developer Solutions show you how to:

• Link tables at startup.
• Close all objects when the user exits the application.
• Capitalize the first letter of every word in a field.