How to Create Switchboards in Microsoft Access on Windows 11
Posted on 20th June 2023
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What is a Switchboard?
A switchboard is a customisable menu form that provides shortcuts to various commands, functions, and other objects in Microsoft Access. A switchboard can also include images to make it more visually appealing. You can use a switchboard to open forms, run macros, and open links to reports and other Access objects.
Creating a Switchboard
1. Open Access and click “Customize” on the “File” menu.
2. Click the “Switchboard Manager” button in the “Customize” dialog box.
3. Click the “New…” button in the “Switchboard Manager” dialog box.
4. Enter a name for the new switchboard in the “Switchboard Name” text box and click “OK.”
5. Click the “Add” button in the “Switchboard Items” dialog box.
6. Select the type of switchboard item you want to add from the “Item Type” drop-down list.
7. Fill in the information for the selected switchboard item type and click “OK.”
8. Repeat steps 5-7 for each switchboard item you want to add.
9. Click “Close” in the “Switchboard Manager” dialog box.
Your new switchboard should now be listed in the “Customize” dialog box. You can now open it by clicking the “Open” button in the “Customize” dialog box.
Microsoft Access provides you with the ability to create custom switchboards that can make your database more user-friendly. You can use the switchboard to provide your users with a list of options that they can select from, and you can customize the switchboard to match the look and feel of your database.
In this article, we will show you how to create a switchboard in Microsoft Access on Windows 11.
First, open Microsoft Access and click on the “File” tab. Then, click on the “New” option.
In the “New File” dialog box, select the “Blank Database” option and click on the “OK” button.
Next, you will need to give your database a name. For this example, we will name our database “Switchboard”.
Once you have given your database a name, you will be taken to the “Access Options” dialog box. Here, you will need to select the “Current Database” option.
On the “Current Database” options page, click on the “Switchboard Manager” button.
This will open the “Switchboard Manager” dialog box. Here, you can add, edit, or delete switchboards.
To add a new switchboard, click on the “Add” button.
In the “Add Switchboard” dialog box, you will need to give your switchboard a name. For this example, we will name our switchboard “Main”.
After you have given your switchboard a name, you will need to add some switchboard items. To do this, click on the “Add” button.
In the “Add Item” dialog box, you will need to select the “Form” option and click on the “OK” button.
In the “Select Form” dialog box, select the form that you want to add to your switchboard and click on the “Open” button.
After you have added your form to the switchboard, you will need to add a title. To do this, click on the “Title” field and type in the title that you want to use.
Next, you will need to add some text to the “Text” field. This text will be displayed on the switchboard.
Finally, you will need to add an “Action” to your switchboard item. To do this, click on the “Action” field and select the “Open Form” option.
After you have added your switchboard item, you can add more items by repeating the steps above. When you are finished adding items, click on the “OK” button.
Your switchboard will now be created and you can test it by clicking on the “View” button.
A switchboard is a graphical user interface (GUI) in Microsoft Access that you can use to open forms, reports, and other Access objects. You can also use switchboards to run macros and open links to data stored outside of Access, such as on a SharePoint site.
Switchboards can be customized to better meet the needs of your organization. For example, you can add or remove buttons, change the order of the buttons, or change the text that appears on the buttons.
To create a switchboard, you first need to create a new form. To do this, open the Access database in which you want to create the switchboard. Click the “Create” tab on the ribbon, and then click “Form” in the Forms group.
In the Form Designer, click the “Switchboard Items” button in the Toolbox. This will insert a Switchboard Items control onto the form.
Click the “Switchboard Items” control, and then click the “Property Sheet” button in the Toolbox. In the Property Sheet, click the “Data” tab.
In the “Row Source Type” drop-down list, select “Table/Query”. In the “Row Source” text box, type the name of the table or query that contains the switchboard items.
Click the “Format” tab in the Property Sheet. In the “Column Widths” text box, type the widths of the columns in the switchboard, separated by semicolons.
In the “Column Count” text box, type the number of columns that you want to display in the switchboard.
Click the “Layout” tab in the Property Sheet. In the “Default View” drop-down list, select “Datasheet”.
Click the “Control Name” text box, and then type a name for the switchboard. This name will be used to reference the switchboard in code.
Click the “Save” button in the toolbar, and then type a name for the switchboard.
To add a button to the switchboard, click the “Button” button in the Toolbox. This will insert a Button control onto the form.
Click the “Button” control, and then click the “Property Sheet” button in the Toolbox. In the Property Sheet, click the “Data” tab.
In the “Control Source” text box, type the name of the macro that you want to run when the button is clicked.
In the “Caption” text box, type the text that you want to appear on the button.
Click the “Format” tab in the Property Sheet. In the “Special Effect” drop-down list, select the effect that you want to apply to the button.
Click the “Size” text box, and then type the width and height of the button, separated by a semicolon.
Click the “Save” button in the toolbar, and then type a name for the button.
To add a link to the switchboard, click the “Hyperlink” button in the Toolbox. This will insert a Hyperlink control onto the form.
Click the “Hyperlink” control, and then click the “Property Sheet” button in the Toolbox. In the Property Sheet, click the “Data” tab.
In the “Link Destination” text box, type the URL of the link that you want to open.
In the “Text To Display” text box, type the text that you want to appear on the button.
Click the “Format” tab in the Property Sheet. In the “Special Effect” drop-down list, select the effect that you want to apply to the button.
Click the “Size” text box, and then type the width and height of the button, separated by a semicolon.
Click the “Save” button in the toolbar, and then type a name for the button.
Your switchboard is now complete. To test it, click the “Run” button in the toolbar.
