Automating Tasks With Macros

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Automating Tasks With Macros
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Design a switchboard and dialog box for a
graphical user interface

• Database developers interact directly with
  Access.
• However, often you do not want the user of the
  database to interact directly with Access
  rather, you would provide an interface that
  removes the user away from the Access interface.
• A Graphical User Interface (GUI) is a collection
  of windows, menus, dialog boxes and other
  graphical components used to communicate with a
  program.
• Often, the first view of a custom GUI is a
  switchboard.

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What is a switchboard?

• The switchboard is a form that opens when you
  start the underlying database and is usually used
  to provide the user with a set of choices.
• This provides a well-organized interface for the
  user and eliminates the need for them to interact
  directly with the database window.
• This also makes it possible to hide the
  functionality from the user so that they cannot
  make changes to the database objects.
• The form you create for the switchboard is called
  a dialog box, which asks for user input in the
  way of a selection.

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An example of a switchboard
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Run and add actions to macros

• You can create a macro with a series of actions
  that will repeat these commands whenever it is
  invoked.
• An action is an instruction to Access to perform
  an operation, such as opening a form or
  displaying a query.
• You can also automate tasks with Visual Basic for
  Applications (VBA) but it is easier for a
  beginner to create macros.
• With macros, you can simply select the actions
  you want from a list of actions.
• Once the macro has been created, you can add
  actions to it by editing the macro in the Macro
  window.

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Use the Macro window to add actions

• It is within the Macro window that you will
  supply the action name (chosen from a list), any
  comments you want to make, and the arguments for
  the action.
• Arguments are additional facts needed to run the
  action.
• Each type of action has its own set of arguments.
  
• A commonly used action is the Msgbox action,
  which will display a message to the user by way
  of a small form.
• Another commonly used action is the FindRecord
  action that will find the first record matching a
  set of criteria.

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The Macro window
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Single-Stepping a macro

• When you run a macro, the series of actions are
  executing one after the other.
• When you are testing a macro, sometimes it is
  useful to run the macro one step at a time.
• This is called single stepping and causes the
  macro to perform one action, then waits for you
  to step to the next action.
• This allows you to gain a clearer view of how the
  macro is working.
• When you single step through a macro, Access
  displays a dialog box called the Macro Single
  Step dialog box.

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Use the Macro Single Step dialog box

• This Macro Single Step dialog box displays
  details about the next action in the macro.
• You have three choices as to how you want to
  respond
• You can step through the macro one step at a time
• You can halt the macro
• You continue the macro
• Single-stepping is used to help you determine if
  you have placed the actions in the right order
  and whether the actions are working as you expect
  them to.

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The Macro Single Step dialog box
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Create a macro

• Start with a blank macro and then add the actions
  to it.
• Drag an action from the database windows into the
  macro window.
• Each type of object has a default set of
  arguments.
• For example, if you drag a table into the macro
  window, the default arguments are to open the
  table in datasheet view in edit mode.

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Create a macro

• Drag as many objects as you want to the macro
  window.
• You can either accept the default arguments or
  you can edit them to meet your needs.
• Run the macro and observe the results of the
  macro.

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Actions created by dragging specific objects
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Tile windows to improve efficiency
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Add a command button to a form

• On the toolbox, you have a command button tool
  that allows you to place a command button on a
  form.
• You can use the Command Button Wizard to help you
  place the command button or you can simply place
  the command button yourself.

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Add a command button to a form

• Click the command button tool on the toolbox,
  move your mouse to the form and draw a box where
  you want the command button to appear.
• The default text on the command button will
  appear however, you can change this and other
  properties on the command button's property sheet.

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An Access Form with a command button
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Attach a macro to a command button

• Once you have added a command button to a form,
  you can attach a macro to it.
• In most cases you will attach the macro to the
  command button's OnClick property.
• Whenever the user clicks on the command button,
  the attached macro will be executed.
• To attach the macro to the command button, right
  click the command button and then click on
  Properties to display the command button's
  property sheet.

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Modify a macros property settings

• You can change the OnClick property to the name
  of the macro you want to run when the user clicks
  the command button.
• In the property sheet you can change the Caption
  property, which represents what is printed on the
  command button.
• If you prefer to have a picture on the button,
  you can choose one from the Picture Builder
  dialog box.
• For example, if the button will print a record,
  you might want to add a picture of a printer on
  the button.

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The Picture Builder dialog box
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Create a dialog box form

• A dialog box is actually a form with which the
  user interacts.
• You can add many different controls to the form
  such as command buttons, list boxes, text boxes,
  labels, etc.

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Create a dialog box form

• To create a dialog box, you begin by adding a
  blank form.
• You will probably want to change some of the form
  properties before you begin adding controls to
  the form
• To change the text that appears in the form's
  title bar, enter a new value in the form's
  caption property
• There are several other properties that you might
  want to set for the form depending on the
  particular application
• Each property can be set on the Property sheet

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An example of a dialog box
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Dialog box properties, settings, and functions
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Add a list box to a form

• On your dialog box, you might want to offer the
  user a list of choices.
• A list box is a control that displays a list of
  values that a user can brows through.
• You will usually add a label close to the list
  box to indicate what is contained in the list
  box.
• To add a list box to a form, choose the List Box
  tool on the toolbox and then move your mouse to
  the form in the position where you want the list
  box to appear.
• Once the list box is on the form, it can be sized
  and moved around just as you would any other
  control.

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A list box on a form in Design View
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Use an SQL statement to fill a list box with
object names

• The standard language for querying, updating, and
  managing relational databases is SQL (Structured
  Query Language).
• Whenever you create a query in Access, Access is
  creating SQL statements to display datasheets
  according to the Query specification.
• If you want to view these SQL statements for a
  query, you can choose SQL view from the View
  menu.
• SQL uses the SELECT statement to specify what
  data is retrieved from a database and how it
  presents the data.

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Understanding SQL statements

• Just like any other language, there are rules of
  the language called syntax.
• In order to program in SQL you need to learn the
  rules.
• However, you can read an SQL statement created by
  Access and get a pretty good idea of what the
  statement does.
• The SQL statements match up with the query
  specifications every choice made in the design
  window is reflected in the SQL statement.

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An example of an SQL statement
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Use the Switchboard Manager to create a
switchboard

• First, create all the macros you will need for
  the switchboard and then create the switchboard
  that will execute the macros.
• You can use the Switchboard Manager to help you
  create the switchboard.
• The Switchboard Manager allows you to specify
  what buttons should be on the switchboard and
  identify the command to execute when each of the
  buttons is clicked.

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Switchboard considerations

• The Switchboard Manager allows you to create only
  one switchboard for a database however, the
  switchboard can contain multiple pages.
• The main page of the switchboard will display
  when the switchboard opens.
• You can place buttons on the main page that will
  cause other pages in the switchboard to open.
• The switchboard manager is available on the
  Database Utilities option on the Tools menu.

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An example of a macro group to be used for a
switchboard
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The Switchboard Manager dialog box
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The completed switchboard