Form Design Aesthetics in Microsoft Access - How to Make Professional Looking Forms

In this video I will show you how to make your forms look more professional with the look and feel of custom designed controls, backgrounds, and images.
Jannette from California (a Developer Student since 2018) asks, "My boss says my forms look too blocky. Is there a course that goes over form design for advanced developers?"
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Silver Members and up get access to an EXTENDED CUT of this video which covers additional examples. That video covers creating buttons using custom images. You'll learn how to use VBA to control the mouse hover and click appearances too.
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ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS:
microsoft access form design
advanced form design
techniques for desiging forms
create forms
powerful database forms
eye catching forms
how to make forms look professional
access forms examples
form design templates
making forms attractive
QUESTIONS:
Please feel free to post your questions or comments below. Thanks.

[@appleintosh]

Wow, this video gave me a lot of ideas. I think I'm going to play around on Canva and make a modern looking webpage design, and then import it as the background of my forms.

[@frankie_goestohollywood]

Thank you for such great tutorials!!!

[@599CD]

Welcome

[@duanemckitterick3450]

I use to take standard reports from my organization, scan and insert as an image into my reports. I could keep the same look everyone was use to seeing, but it was much easier than trying to create the report using access tools.

[@599CD]

Like this: 599cd.com/PrintDocuments

[@edwardsapu2032]

Sir, really enjoying it....

[@599CD]

Glad to hear that

[@user-gv3bq9fz7l]

Usefull trick

[@yousefalhendi2638]

you can use option Fram , to get the shape you need

[@599CD]

Thanks

[@Affenhirte]

Are you sure about that? "Change Shape" is greyed out for everything except when I select a button. How would you change the frame shape of an option group?

[@jeremymcquade979]

I've always used an option group, then deleted the contents and put the text box in the group area when it was in requirements for the label over the square piece.

[@599CD]

Good tip.

[@Affenhirte]

If you want the 'First Name'-label with transparent background on top of the frame, but obviously don't want the frame's border line visually cross your label's text - and you are working with this kind of gradient background image - you could probably just use one or two horizontal lines in the right purple shade and put them between the label's and the frame's layer.

[@599CD]

Certainly. :)

[@Affenhirte]

Someone in the comments said that you could get the round shaped frame by using an "Option Group"-frame, but for me the "Change Shape"-option in the "Control Formatting"-section is greyed out for everything except the buttons, just like in the video. But you could also just take a button, make it's background transparent and otherwise change it's appearance to your likings by using "Change Shape", "Shape Effects", etc. and then just turn it into a decorative element by switching it's 'Enabled"-property to FALSE. This way you can also take advantage of the few decently nice effects like shadow or glowing. Although the very few shapes provided by ACCESS don't include that exact style you imported from EXCEL.

[@599CD]

Yeah, Access doesn't have anywhere near as many options as Excel, Word, or PowerPoint do.

[@HusnaSadat-fo4zt]

Please can you teach us how to copy Excel in Access

[@MohamedAli-rd7rn]

Hey again computer coach. I have a problem with typing. especially the speed. What will recommend me to do? Thank you so much for your terrific help.

[@599CD]

I would recommend a typing class, or just practice. I'm self taught.

[@jenn9579]

I learned how to type in high school. I type 120 words a minute. Practice, practice, practice and you will get faster.

[@ryanw7814]

Ctrl and arrow keys in access designers will nudge controls much finer than snapping to grid.

[@599CD]

Yep. Thanks for the tip.

[@Affenhirte]

Also you could just always select the control element and write into the "Top" and "Left" properties under the "Format"-tab.

[@tdp2190]

I use canva to design the forms I want and import them, send them to back and place the fields where I want them. Thank you so much

[@599CD]

Good idea

[@lostfarm497]

Good day Sir! I just want to ask on how to limit number of person per Room in a Dormitory fo Example I have 10 Rooms per floor? TIA and more power!

[@599CD]

You'd have to DCOUNT the current number Before Insert. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3u3mIVtpM-qq7s

[@ehteshamshah]

Sir Will u plz Help me how can we add Webcam or Digital Camera control in our Access forms....

[@599CD]

Not sure if it's possible. I've never done it before.

[@Missjonsey19]

How about resizing the form when you switch from laptop to monitor? I always thought the size difference made access look less professional.

[@599CD]

It's possible with some good code to dynamically resize forms based on monitor size, however I've found it's more work than it's worth. I'd just make multiple forms.

[@rabidfollower]

Windows display settings can automatically adjust the sizes of your forms (or any apps). Choose the right percentage under "scale and layout" (in Start, Settings, System, Display) and your forms and everything will look the same in 3840x2160 or 1920x1080. The only things you need to resize manually are background pictures for buttons, because they can't "stretch" the way they can on image controls. If you put pictures on buttons, you need to have small and large versions of them. You probably need VBA to check screen resolution (advanced topic) and assign the right picture to each button. Even the built-in button pictures from Access can't stretch: they look tiny at higher than 1920x1080.

[@selvarajandiappa3143]

Hi good day .. Need your help.. In Microsoft access if we want the form to display total in numbers.. For example the total of new job, total of pending jobs, total jobs waiting for spare parts and so on.. Is it possible

[@599CD]

599cd.com/FormFooterTotals

[@priscillaekpe2130]

Please do you have videos on login with only macros

[@599CD]

You mean setting up user logons? I do cover that in my Security Seminar, but it involves more than just macros. 599cd.com/Security

[@aschmitt89]

Pretty sure the element you're looking for was the "XYZ" element under "Design", controls, the drop-down, and right underneath the arrow... Timestamp is 9:05. I think it's called a section? At least, that's what it is in powershell gui...

[@aschmitt89]

Also, background for the form itself, can't you just click blank area in the form, go to format>background image?

[@599CD]

Oh sure (Form Properties > Picture on the Format Tab). There are always several different ways to do things in Access. I like dropping image objects. You get more control over them. Good tip though.

[@aschmitt89]

@@599CD that definitely makes sense! Excellent content, by the way! I enjoy watching your videos! I don't get to do much in access these days, so it's always fun to keep up to speed on it! Like an old friend.

[@jebakhan6661]

Hi Richard, From India. Can you please do A tutorial on how to make a query tracker with a lot of different drop downs in Access form?

[@599CD]

None of this makes sense. :) What do you mean by "query tracker?" "Drop downs" of what?

[@Death_maker09]

I have created a simple database with a main table. To begin with I only have basic information which the admin colleague will add via a main form, to include a unique ID number. I want other colleagues then to add more information onto the main table via a form but do not know how to do this. Please help! Thank you

[@599CD]

Hi there. Your question is way too vague for me to help you. I'd suggest starting with my Beginner Level 1 course and learning the basics of form design: 599cd.com/acb1 and then after that if you have questions you can submit them here: 599cd.com/TechHelp

[@Death_maker09]

@@599CD thank you, this is the real problem with self teaching, it is hard to know the right questions to ask. I have looked at your other clips, they have been a great resource while I am teaching Access to myself. What i need to do is for colleagues to fill in extra fields on individual records of a database that I have already created.

[@599CD]

You're right. One of the hardest things about learning is knowing what questions to ask, and one of the hardest things about being a teacher is trying to understand those questions from people who don't speak the same language (not English, but the language of Access). In this case, it sounds to me like you want to create a table (let's call it CustomerT) and you want to fill in SOME of the information (like FirstName, LastName) but you want other people to bring up the records that are missing some other data (like Phone, Address) and then fill in those blanks. That's not super hard. You need to set up a query with some criteria to determine what fields are empty (or NULL in database terms). I cover query criteria here: 599cd.com/criteria. Then you make a form based on that query.

[@tigerdataimarticus7088]

Hi Richard, lot of love from India. I made production tool for my team. 30 people in my team. There is 2 database task receive & production compile But I am facing one problem that if I assign 10 task to anybody they receive 10 but when they start doing production and finish assign work for the day after that total task showing less in the production compile database. Please help me to resolve this issue. All team members do production in their separate production tool at same login time

[@599CD]

Feel free to submit your questions at 599cd.com/TH. Members get priority.

[@piamorcozo4678]

why am i enjoying this tutorial so much??? hahahahahha

[@599CD]

Because it's FUN! :)

[@dbdatasolutions4827]

I never get that type of feedback from clients, they want function over form too, especially when paying $$ by the hour. Couldn't you just take the image and "send to back"?

[@599CD]

Oh sure. See 599cd.com/CustomFormBackgrounds