Objective 1.3 Navigate through a database
- 1.3.1 Navigate specific records
- 1.3.2 Create and modify navigation forms
- 1.3.3 Set a form as the startup option
- 1.3.4 Display objects in the Navigation Pane
- 1.3.5 Change object views
OBJECTIVE 1.3: Contents
1.3.4 Display objects in the Navigation Pane
This section focuses on the Access Navigation Pane and how you can modify and organize it to display different views of the objects in a database. The ability to modify the Navigation Pane means that it can serve the needs of a range of users - from a database’s designer to its casual users.
The Northwind sample database provides examples of how you can configure the Navigation Pane. In the Northwind database, objects by default are arranged within several categories, not by object name or object type. Objects are grouped under headings such as Customers & Orders, Suppliers, and Shippers instead of headings such as Tables, Queries, and Forms. Headings such as Customers & Orders help clarify functional areas of the database and help users find forms and queries related to the area they are working with.
When you change how database objects are displayed in the Navigation Pane, you work with a menu that has several options. This menu arranges commands in two areas, marked by the shaded labels Navigate To Category and Filter By Group.
- The Navigate To Category area includes categories such as Object Type, Tables And Related Views, Created Date, and Modified Date. For each category, the Filter By Group area provides options that you can apply to display a subset of objects. For example, if you select Modified Date in the Navigate To Category area, you can then filter the list by selecting Today, Three Weeks Ago, Yesterday, Older, or All Dates. For the Object Type category, you can filter the Navigation Pane to view only objects of a specific type or view all objects.
- The Tables And Related Views category displays each table in the database together with other database objects that depend on it. Using this view is helpful when you make changes to a table’s design. For example, by choosing the Tables And Related Views category and then choosing a single table in the Filter By Group area, you can see which objects depend on the table, and you can review the design of those objects to be sure that the changes you want to make to the table won’t affect the other objects in ways you don’t intend.
You can also sort the list of objects in a category, showing them in ascending or descending order or by name, type, and date criteria. You can also change the level of detail that is shown for objects in the Navigation Pane. You can display a list of names with a small icon, show a larger icon next to the name of the object, or show details such as the created and modified date for the object.
The search bar at the top of the Navigation Pane helps you locate a specific object (or group of objects) by name. As you enter a text string, Access filters the list of objects and displays those that match.
As with the Northwind sample database, database templates often provide a specific category for viewing database objects by functional role. For example, the Task Management template provides a category called Tasks Navigation, which lets you filter by groups such as tasks and contacts. A blank desktop database includes a category named Custom that you can rename and use to build your own Navigation Pane view.
You can set up Navigation Pane categories and groups of your own in the Navigation Options dialog box.
Organize the Navigation Pane into categories and groups
The categories defined for the database appear in the list at the left, and each group defined for a category appears in the list at the right. You can hide a group from being displayed in the Navigation Pane, or select display options to show hidden and system objects in the Navigation Pane or to show or hide the search bar. By using the Open Objects With options, you can control whether an object opens when it is clicked (similar to a hyperlink) or double-clicked.
In the Groups For list is a group named Unassigned Objects, which is a built-in group that contains all the objects in a database. When you work with the default Custom category in a blank database, Access also provides a group named Custom Group 1.
Tip: You can reposition a custom category or group by using the arrows that appear beside an item’s name when you select it. You cannot place a custom category above the two built-in categories or place a custom group below the built-in group Unassigned Objects.
When you add a database object to a custom group, you add only a shortcut to that object, not the object itself. This means that you can delete a shortcut from a custom group without deleting the database object.
To create and modify Navigation Pane categories and groups
1. Right-click the Navigation Pane title bar, and then click Navigation Options.
2. In the Navigation Options dialog box, do any of the following, and then click OK:
• To add a category, click Add Item and then enter a name for the category.
• To rename the selected category, click Rename Item, edit the name, and then press Enter.
• To delete the selected category, click Delete Item, and then in the message box asking you to confirm the deletion, click OK.
• To add a group to the selected category, click Add Group, and then enter a name for the group.
• To rename the selected group, click Rename Group, edit the name, and then press Enter.
• To delete the selected group, click Delete Group, and then in the message box asking you to confirm the deletion, click OK.
Tip: You can rename and delete only custom groups.
• In the Display Options area, select or clear the check boxes for showing hidden objects, system objects, and the search bar.
• In the Open Objects With area, click Single-click or Double-click.
To add objects to a group
1. In the Navigation Pane, display the Unassigned Objects group.
2. Right-click the object you want to add to the group, click Add to group, and then select the group.