Using radio buttons or combo box to decide which form to open next (1 Viewer)

Hello all,

I am building a new database, and want the end-user to only be presented with forms, and navigate between them using buttons or similar tools.

On the 'Home' form, I want the user to choose an option from Category A and another in Category B, then hit a button which will open a form based on those choices.

For example, in Category A, the user can choose 'Bike' or 'Car'. In Category B, the user can choose 'Red', 'Blue', or 'Silver'.

When the user clicks a 'Go' button, I want 1 of 6 forms to open based on their selection. (About a red car, or a silver bike, etc, etc...). How do I do this?

The categories are set up as Option/Radio Buttons, but don't have to remain so.

As I want this database to be usable (and fixable!) by multiple people, I would prefer to avoid using macros or VBA to do this. These tend to harder to diagnose and fix when they fall over; and the target audience for this db is not particularly familiar with these techniques. (The end users are engineers, but all have limited or no experience with Microsoft Access).

Thanks in advance,

Tom

I would prefer to avoid using macros or VBA to do this

Click to expand...

No choice in the matter. If you want to click a button and open a form, you must use VBA.

Also, how generic is your example? Because with what you've provided it doesn't sound like you need 6 forms, but instead 1 form that can be opened in many ways. I don't really understand what the difference would be between a Red Car form and a Blue Car form that would necessitate 2 different forms. You would simply open the Car form and then apply the Red or Blue attribute to it.

With all that said. I would recommend drop downs instead of option buttons. A drop down can be populated via a table, so when you add a Yellow, you simply have to add 1 entry into a table instead of 2 options (Yellow Car, Yellow Bike)

You probably will have to use VBA to restrict your non-database savvy users from messing things up. Only let the have access to the forms you provide. This will enable you to stop them from entering incorrect data, and deleting things they shouldn't.

Most applications use a switchboard or menu form to route users around. I would avoid the inbuilt navigation forms as they are not very friendly once you get into stuck them.

I would also make sure that you don't design your forms to narrowly. If you have a form for Cars and a form for Bikes but are storing the same basic information, then your data should all be presented on one form, and you then let the user filter the records to only show cars or bikes. Similarly for the colours. Designing a form for Red Bikes means having to duplicate it when they bring out a Pink Bike... etc etc.

Have a read about Normalisation.

plog said:

No choice in the matter. If you want to click a button and open a form, you must use VBA.

Also, how generic is your example? Because with what you've provided it doesn't sound like you need 6 forms, but instead 1 form that can be opened in many ways. I don't really understand what the difference would be between a Red Car form and a Blue Car form that would necessitate 2 different forms. You would simply open the Car form and then apply the Red or Blue attribute to it.

With all that said. I would recommend drop downs instead of option buttons. A drop down can be populated via a table, so when you add a Yellow, you simply have to add 1 entry into a table instead of 2 options (Yellow Car, Yellow Bike)

Click to expand...

Plog -> It is run by VBA, but the wizard window sets that up for me, I don't have to type any code. However, I take your point, all the solutions to similar problems I've found online so far involve some amount of code.

It is a very generic example. In reality it's an internal project for work - this first form defines the product variation that the company makes. There could in theory be 6 combinations, from two 'field types' if you like.

I was planning 6 forms, not one, as there will be third and fourth tiers, going down to the individual components,. Therefore, the links/buttons on the second tier page, (the one we are trying to open now), will vary depending on the options chosen on the first page.

I take your point on the drop-down boxes, I will alter accordingly....

Minty -> I will look up Normalization over the long weekend coming up.

Have a good weekend, especially if it's a 4-day weekend like here in Britain!

Tom

Tom,

I recommend you visit the info/articles in this link re database and design.

Don't be too quick to jump into physical Access - get clear picture of WHAT you are trying to solve before setting out HOW it should be done.

Good luck.