FAQ

Frequently asked questions for self help.

Please take a quick look at common questions (and answers) in the default list. If you can't find what you're looking for, start off by selecting your Ability Office version and then narrow it down by entering search text and/or category.

Knowledge base article 103

How to create a control panel (or switchboard) in Database

Suppose you want a form that acts as a central point to the user and allows him to choose other forms or tables or run macros. Here is a guide on creating such a form:

  1. From Database Manager, select Create form using wizard
  2. Pick any table (or create a dummy table - it does not matter)
  3. Add one field and Finish the wizard
  4. In Form Design mode, delete the field since all we want the user to see is buttons and text
  5. Select Insert/Macro Button and draw out the button on the form
  6. Right click over the button and select Properties
  7. Set an appropriate caption and click on Macros
  8. In the Events column, select Click
  9. Click New Macro and give it a name to match its function
  10. Repeat steps 5 to 9 as required
  11. Save the form and in Database Manager, select Macros
  12. Click on each of the new macros in turn and right-click and select Edit
  13. You can rename the default "MacroName" to something more meaningful
  14. Add code to open a form or table or report. Examples:
    • DBForms.Open("SomeFormName")
    • Tables.Open("MyTableName")
    • Reports.Open("Report1")
    • Quit

Note that the above are all single line macros - you can make them as simple or complex as you want. The last of the above examples exits the database application.

You can now edit the form and add text (and pictures) to make it more user friendly.

See also Knowledge Base Article 100: Start Database and open a form for details on how to open the form automatically.