Unlinked Forms - Unbound Forms

[Mylton]

Good Morning

I'm trying to start studies on unlinked forms.

where could I get articles, books or texts on the subject?



Thanks

 

[Gasman]

Do you mean Unbound?

 

[Mylton]

irst I apologize for the language.
I don't speak English well.
unboud??

when I refer to unlinked forms, I try to inform you that, as far as I know, the information obtained from the forms is stored in a table, which may or may not be linked directly to the form or through coding.
what would you like to learn and how to record this information obtained from forms not linked to the table.

 

[Mylton]

Do you mean Unbound?

Yes

 

[Gasman]

Well with Access, that is pretty much going agianst how it works?
There are times when an unbound form might be needed, but I believe few and far between. I myself have never used them.
I understand that it takes a bit of getting used to at first, it did for me, but then as I mentioned, I have not used unbound since starting to code with Access.

I will let the experts tell you more about why not.
Basically you do all the hard work that Access would normlly do for you, using queries and recordsets I expect.

 

[Mylton]

I will wait then.
thanks

 

[ebs17]

Informations from forms that are not linked to tables are simply pieces of information and should be treated as such. There are no records as such, there is no automatic loading of information from tables, and no automatic saving back to tables.

Everything you want to start you have to program yourself. An empty desert where you can develop freely.

 

[Mylton]

Informations from forms that are not linked to tables are simply pieces of information and should be treated as such. There are no records as such, there is no automatic loading of information from tables, and no automatic saving back to tables.

Everything you want to start you have to program yourself. An empty desert where you can develop freely

 

[Mylton]

I understand.
but where do I look for books, texts, ebooks... that can help with this learning process?
thanks.

 

[Gasman]

With a picture being worth a thousand words

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=access+unbound+forms

 

[ebs17]

I don't think there are any specific tutorials. Unbound controls also appear in regular bound forms. You should understand object models and their tree structure like

Application-Form-Control

All of these elements can have properties, methods and events. In the object catalog (=> F2 from VBA editor) you will find the important information.
My experience is that learning is easiest with a small practical example. So make your own clear project.

There are also many collections of tips and example databases:
Welcome to Allen Browne's tips for Microsoft Access and many many more.

​

 

[Mylton]

I don't think there are any specific tutorials. Unbound controls also appear in regular bound forms. You should understand object models and their tree structure like

Application-Form-Control

All of these elements can have properties, methods and events. In the object catalog (=> F2 from VBA editor) you will find the important information.
My experience is that learning is easiest with a small practical example. So make your own clear project.

There are also many collections of tips and example databases:
Welcome to Allen Browne's tips for Microsoft Access and many many more.

​

 

[Mylton]

I will start then.
thank you all.

 

[MajP]

what would you like to learn and how to record this information obtained from forms not linked to the table.

There are lots of ways to display data to an unbound control. Having unbound controls on a bound form is extremely common. You can have unbound controls on bound forms or unbound forms. Having a pure unbound form is less common, and having an unbound form that saves data back to the table is even more uncommon. To write information back to the table you need to learn how to

1. Manipulate recordsets in DAO
Here is a link

How to work with recordset (Dao) in MS Access

Tutorial on how to use DAO recordsets in MS Access - create a recordset, add or edit records, etcetera.

www.codevba.com

2. Learn how to code an Insert and Update Query in vba

How to Use SQL- Insert Into Statement – iAccessWorld.com

HOWEVER. Most people I see trying to build unbound forms in Access are creating lots extra work because they think they are going to "out smart" access. Most of the times it is a failure. Access does a great job of managing add/edit/delete of records with little code. This is the real magic of access. So if you plan to do unbound forms you should have a good reason. Yes, there are times it makes sense, but just make sure it does.

 

[ebs17]

See also here in the forum:
Microsoft Access Reference

 

[Mylton]

Thanks you all

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I think part of your problem is that with Access, most of its power relates to bound forms - i.e. the form's content is bound to - i.e. intimately associated with - an "underlying" recordset. The form becomes a window to the associated recordset. The automation of handling records, storing them, updating them, displaying them in specific formats, and generally doing a lot of data work for you is what you find in most of the Access books because that is considered its strong point. Access was designed to do a lot of things for you in automation.

You are seeking information on something that is used less often - unbound controls or forms. As MajP and others have explained, it is common to have a few unbound controls on a bound form. However, a totally unbound form is found somewhat less often, and that explains why you were having issues in finding any references.

 

[Mylton]

I think part of your problem is that with Access, most of its power relates to bound forms - i.e. the form's content is bound to - i.e. intimately associated with - an "underlying" recordset. The form becomes a window to the associated recordset. The automation of handling records, storing them, updating them, displaying them in specific formats, and generally doing a lot of data work for you is what you find in most of the Access books because that is considered its strong point. Access was designed to do a lot of things for you in automation.

You are seeking information on something that is used less often - unbound controls or forms. As MajP and others have explained, it is common to have a few unbound controls on a bound form. However, a totally unbound form is found somewhat less often, and that explains why you were having issues in finding any references.

Yes.

 

[Mylton]

Yes.
I managed to make you understand.
the aim of seeking the way, from what I have read,
I will have more work to develop the unlinked system, however, it is to guarantee the quality and security of the information as well.

I've also read, that using classes facilitates this approach.
would use Classes to define and assign methods and procedures for certain records.
Ex.:
A Customer Registration form would use a Customer Class, and this class would contain all the methods, properties and procedures of this registration.
Classes are a way to organize the system too and maintenance is easier to do too.
I believe that working with classes is more for an intermediate/advanced level, but if I managed to be a doctor, I don't think I'm a 7-headed animal to learn.
Hence the request for literature to read.
Which I appreciate all the help because it is welcome.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I will have more work to develop the unlinked system, however, it is to guarantee the quality and security of the information as well.

This may be an illusion. Access is inherently powerful - but security is not its strong suit. Using unbound forms won't make anything much more secure. Might not even improve security at all. We love Access for many things - but we also know its limitations. Assuring the quality of data can be done with bound forms as well. You just have to recognize that there is a time and a place for everything including data validation, and then plan and program accordingly. If you are going to do a lot of extra work for unbound forms and then have the extra work of trying to assure data quality AND attend to security, you are making a huge lot of work for yourself.

You can search this forum for articles on database security, but you should understand that if you have serious security concerns, Access is not that hard to hack. If you are planning to use Access as a front-end to a more secure SQL-based server as the back-end, there you might have better opportunities for security.