Switchboards- Different things on different pages?

[jim84]

This is the first time ive used the switchboard so hopefully this will be just a quicky!

Bascially i have a main switchboard which has 3 buttons. These buttons all link to different switchboard pages.

THE PROBLEM :- I have labels on the main switchboard and these are all appearing on the consequent switchboard pages. Is there a way of assigning these just to the main switchboard and not the other pages?

Thanks, any advice would be most appreciated!

 

[Guus2005]

The problem is unclear. Did you hack into the Switchboard table?
The default switchboard form works ok and doesn't show you something it didn't was designed to do.

Save your Switchboard Item records and create a new switchboard.

Or did you make the labels yourself?

 

[jim84]

Yes these labels are ones i've made myself and added onto it. The default labels change, as named within the switchboard manager, but my added ones dont. Can i set these to appear visible on specific switchboard pages only?

 

[Guus2005]

Yes, you can, but you have to dig into the sourcecode of your switchboard. Each time you make a choice, values are retrieved from the database. You have to react upon the values it retrieved.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Rather than adding your own controls, why not use the switchboard manager to add them properly? The Switchboard form gets the items it displays from the Switchboard Items table. You can update the table directly but make sure you understand what you are doing.

There's a lot of code behind the Switchboard form. I do occassionally add things to it but if you are not comfortable with VBA, I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Guus2005]

Perhaps in Acc2007 the switchboard wizard changed but to my knowledge in Acc2003 and earlier you can't add labels using the wizard. Ofcourse you can fake them using a menu item which you don't use. In that case, start a function which does nothing. Now you have a label which you can use (and a button which does nothing).

Enjoy!

 

[Pat Hartman]

Let me be a little more precise.

The switchboard form contains 8 controls which can be mapped to forms/reports, etc. or another switchboard so you essentially have the ability to add an infinite number of sub menus but you can have only 8 choices per page. If you can live with that restriction, you don't need to add additional controls.

You can modify the code in the switchboard form to support more items per page but you'll have to work with the item numbers higher than 8 by opening the table itself. The switchboard manager only expects 8.

 

[jim84]

Thanks for the advice guys

I've given up on it now, I found it a bit limited so created my own nav system by linking forms together so no problems now.

 

[gemma-the-husky]

jim

i dont know if you are still reading this, but basically the switchboard items (labels and buttons) refresh themselves when you navigate to a new menu page. If you add extra labels they are just "on the form", like the title or an image, and won't change at all.

I added extra buttons and actually use 17 item menues (2 columns of 8, and a return at the bottom)

you also have to have an item1 on each menu - the switchboard manager doesnt like it otherwise.

i do a few other things as well - the switchboard manager is a useful starting point.

 

[statsman]

I rarely use switchboards as the 8 itmes per page is too limiting.

I normally will create a blank form and add command buttons to perform the tasks.

 

[Pat Hartman]

It is easy enough to expland the switchboard to show more than 8 items. You can no longer use the switchboard manager but updating the table directly is easy enough or create your own form. I also add features that the switchboard doesn't support directly such as opening a form in datasheet view.

 

[Guus2005]

I am not sure how many levels you can have with the build in switchboard, but 8 items should be enough. You can always say Next>> to switch to the next set of items on the next page.
I always use the switchboard for the build in functionality. It is very flexible.

Enjoy!