several questions: Hiding NotInList popup form, Revising entered records, switchboard

[mollycase]

Hi all - I appreciate all the help I've gotten on this forum!
My library catalog database now works so that I can enter book information and do reports etc.

Now, I would like to make it better. Please bear in mind I have no training whatsoever. I barely understand VBA but I can muddle through.

First - my users are an elderly couple. My goal is to make this is as easy as possible for them to use. Because of the nature of the Author field, I have to use a popup form for the NotInList event. Is there a way to hide it? The AuthorLastName and AuthorFirstName are carried over to the popup form and the tab control is set to the cmd button that closes the form so all you have to do is hit enter when the popup form pops up. However, I think it's an unnecessary step for someone who isn't tech savvy (or anyone really)- it is redundant.

I'd like to disable all the message boxes except for one at the end that would say "Would you like to add this book now?". But whenever I start fooling around with them, things go wrong in all sorts of ways.

Second - How do I go back and edit records? For example, they would like to add a note to Book A, like "original edition" or "loaned to Jane". How do you edit the record without creating a new one?

As I said before, when I start messing around with things that seem simple, I find out that Access and I have very different ideas about what stuff should do!

Third - I'd like to add a switchboard so when they open the db, they can click what they need. I can make it work for the frmBookInfo, but I can't make it work for the reports. I'd like a button for each report they might want, like "Fiction, Alphabetized by Author". Then they click the button and a Print Preview comes up and they click "Print". Or nothing comes up, it just prints. Either way is fine.

Any help appreciated. DB attached in 2002-2003 format, I use 2007.

Molly

 

[mollycase]

answered one of my own questions! the one about editing entered records.

i'm not sure if this is the correct way, so let me know:

I made a copy of the frmBookInfo (which is used to enter info and has data entry set to Yes). I changed the data entry to No. I use the nav arrows to move through records. I change something, it is updated, no new records, just old one updated.

Man, it's so nice to do something that SEEMS easy and then turns out TO BE easy instead of a two-day long headache while I curse myself for thinking that just because I know Excel so well I could do an Access db. I just got a job in an IT dept (staff assistant, no tech knowledge required ) and the guys are telling that MySQL is the way to go. Great, something new to learn! ha ha

 

[mollycase]

thanks, pat.

let me explain - i have an Authors table that has AuthorID, AuthorLastName, and AuthorFirstName. In order to add a new author when inputting a book, the popup form has to be used (at least that's what worked after many other tries). The user enters it as LastName, FirstName so the code takes it apart and puts in the table then requeries the cbo when the popup closes to go back to the main form. But since the info passes to the popup, there's nothing to do with the popup except hit enter. It seems like an extra step that just makes it more confusing to someone who doesn't use a computer all the time.

As far as the switchboard, I have used the switchboard manager. When I attempt to have it set up to open reports, it does not work. It gives an error message that it can't find what it's looking for.

molly.