Database for a Scout troop - attendance

joannelj

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I'm trying to build a database for my Girl Scout troop. I have lots of grand ideas and plans, and hope to learn Access and VBA along the way. But I'm having problems getting started. The book I bought shows me how to build a contact/address database, but doesn't really help me understand how to use this knowledge for other things. I want to start by being able to track attendance for our weekly meetings.

I have the following:
TableGirlInfo
GirlID (primary key)
FirstName
LastName
active (boolean)
and lots of other info such as address and phone number
TableMeetings
meetingID (primary key)
meetingdate
comments
TableAttendance
girlID
meetingID (these 2 are a joint primary key)

I am assuming I need a form, probably with a subform. What i want is a form that has a date (default to today's date) and a text area for comments about the meeting. Then it would list all the girls who are currently active, with a check box beside each name. And a "done" command button at the bottom.

I want to be able to set my laptop on a table, and as the girls come in, they will check the box beside their name. (I'm way too busy to be taking attendance!) Then after the meeting, I can add any comments, and hit done to update the attendance table.

Thanks for any guidance,
JoAnne
 
I'm trying to build a database for my Girl Scout troop. I have lots of grand ideas and plans, and hope to learn Access and VBA along the way. But I'm having problems getting started. The book I bought shows me how to build a contact/address database, but doesn't really help me understand how to use this knowledge for other things. I want to start by being able to track attendance for our weekly meetings.

I have the following:
TableGirlInfo
GirlID (primary key)
FirstName
LastName
active (boolean)
and lots of other info such as address and phone number
TableMeetings
meetingID (primary key)
meetingdate
comments
TableAttendance
girlID
meetingID (these 2 are a joint primary key)

I am assuming I need a form, probably with a subform. What i want is a form that has a date (default to today's date) and a text area for comments about the meeting. Then it would list all the girls who are currently active, with a check box beside each name. And a "done" command button at the bottom.

I want to be able to set my laptop on a table, and as the girls come in, they will check the box beside their name. (I'm way too busy to be taking attendance!) Then after the meeting, I can add any comments, and hit done to update the attendance table.

Thanks for any guidance,
JoAnne


This is a rather broad task. At this stage I think it would be worth you reading up on table design and normalization for starters. Once that's in place you can begin thinking about your forms.
 
I have been reading about table design and normalization. I've gone as far as I can go with the book I have. If you have a book recommendation, I'd appreciate it.

Are my tables not normalized? That's the one chapter of the book I thought was useful.

If my task seems to broad, I apologize - I was just trying to give all the background info. All I really want to know is how to make a checkbox form with all my girls listed.

joanne
 
I have been reading about table design and normalization. I've gone as far as I can go with the book I have. If you have a book recommendation, I'd appreciate it.

Are my tables not normalized? That's the one chapter of the book I thought was useful.

If my task seems to broad, I apologize - I was just trying to give all the background info. All I really want to know is how to make a checkbox form with all my girls listed.

joanne

This kind of database could easily be split into three or more tables. You would run into problems if you just have one table with all the records on. How many tables do you have at the moment?
 
3 tables - TableGirlInfo, TableMeetings, and TableAttendance. When I originally typed those in, I had them all nicely formatted with the fields indented. But once I posted it, the formatting went away.

:)
joanne
 
Ah, alright!

Your tables are looking good but I've just made a slight modification to your last table:

TableGirlInfo
---------------------
GirlID (primary key)
FirstName
LastName
active (boolean)
and lots of other info such as address and phone number


TableMeetings
-------------------
meetingID (primary key - autonumber)
meetingdate
comments

TableAttendance
------------------
attendanceID (primary key - autonumber)
meetingID_FK (Foreign key in this table linked to TableMeetings via meetingID)

Does this look correct?
 
I'd be suprised if there was not already something out there that already exists. Do a google search se how you get on. If nothing let us know.

David
 
I understand what you did to TableAttendance, but doesn't it also need the GirlID (as a foreign key) so I'll know which girl was present?

DCrake: I have tried every Scout database available - I was willing to pay for it, IF it did what I wanted. None of them lived up to my expectations. Most are designed for Boy Scouts (which are very different from Girl Scouts) and none approached the database the way I had envisioned.

I have googled, looking for help with the check box attendance portion of my database. I found LOTS of people asking for attendance help, and none that actually posted a final solution/file. Most attendance files i found online deal with schools, and different classes, teachers, sections - lots more complicated than what I need. Several of the files I downloaded wouldn't open or run, and lots of posted links no longer exist.

I do want to use this as a learning experience - I have lots of ideas for this database.

:)
joanne
 
That's correct, missed that out. GirlID_FK as foreign key in TableAttendance
 
Okay, i've built a query that returns active girls, and used that in a list box in my form. I'd rather have a check box, but since I can't figure that out, I'll go with a list box for now. So now i just need to figure out how to program my command box, which will update tableMeeting with the date and comments, and update tableAttendance with the appropriate girls.

Thanks for the advice so far - when i get stumped again I'll yell.

joanne
 
Okay, i've built a query that returns active girls, and used that in a list box in my form. I'd rather have a check box, but since I can't figure that out, I'll go with a list box for now. So now i just need to figure out how to program my command box, which will update tableMeeting with the date and comments, and update tableAttendance with the appropriate girls.

Thanks for the advice so far - when i get stumped again I'll yell.

joanne

Glad you're making steady progress. Look into an Append, Update and Delete query. Have fun!
 
If you make your list box multi select you can highlight all the attendees then when you want to update your attendance table you can run an update query based on the items selected in the listbox.

If you want to go down this route and need any help on this let me know.

David
 
Hi Joanne

In anticipation of your reply I have attached a sample mdb that deals with listboxes in various ways. I have added a further example that relates to your specific issue. If you refer to the last form you your example.

Hope this helps.

David
 

Attachments

Okay, i've built a query that returns active girls, and used that in a list box in my form. I'd rather have a check box, but since I can't figure that out, I'll go with a list box for now. So now i just need to figure out how to program my command box, which will update tableMeeting with the date and comments, and update tableAttendance with the appropriate girls.

Thanks for the advice so far - when i get stumped again I'll yell.

joanne

Hey Joanne, just wondering if you completed the Girl Scout Database and if so were you willing to share?
I like the way you think!!!
Thank you,
Carol
 
No, it was too much for me. I actually found a friend who is developing something for the ipad, which will be more convenient anyway.

Thanks!
 
No, it was too much for me. I actually found a friend who is developing something for the ipad, which will be more convenient anyway.

Thanks!

Thought it was too good to be true! Thanks anyway!:(
 

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