Startup Screen Design

Introduction

A Startup Screen offers a great first impression for your application. Beyond showcasing your design skills, it also provides an opportunity to run essential daily routines—such as automatically backing up the database or verifying the connection status of linked tables from external sources—all quietly in the background.

Sample Design.

Let’s explore a simple design for a Startup Screen. The completed layout is shown below, featuring an animated Website Address Image prominently displayed at the center.

Click to Enlarge

We’ll now examine the form-level and control-level settings individually. Click on the image above to view its design in an enlarged window.

Note: All object dimensions and specifications on this site are provided in U.S. measurement units. If you use the metric system, please convert the values accordingly or change your PC’s regional settings to U.S. standards via the Control Panel.

Form Property Values.

Open a new Form and set the Detail Section & Form level Properties as given below:

1. Detail Section Height = 2.85"
2. Back Color = 16777215 (white)
3. Form Width = 5.45"
4. Default View = Single Form
5. Allow Form View = Yes
6. Allow Datasheet View = No
7. Allow Edits = No
8. Allow Deletions = No
9. Allow Additions = No
10. Data Entry = No
11. Record Selectors = No
12. Navigation Buttons = No
13. Dividing Lines = No
14. Auto Resize = Yes
15. Auto Center = Yes
16. Pop Up = Yes
17. Border Style = None
18. Control Box = No
19. Min Max Buttons = None
20. Close Button = No
21. What's This Button = No
22. Allow Design Changes = Design View only

Create a Label with the Caption as shown at the top of the design. Display its Property Sheet and change the following Properties:

1. Fore color = 12632256 (gray color, good for a shadow-like effect)
2. Border Style = Transparent
3. Font Name = Times New Roman
4. Font Size = 18
5. Font Weight = Bold
6. Text Align = Center

To create a shadow effect for the label text:

Copy the existing label and paste it again on the form. Position the new label slightly above and to the right of the original, so the original text appears as a shadow behind it. Then, set the ForeColor property of the new label to 0 (black) or any other bold color you prefer for the shadow effect.

Create another label below it as shown in the design with the caption indicating the Version Number of your Application.

Create a Text Box at the bottom of the design and write the text as shown to display the Copyright information. Set the Text Align property value to Center.

To create a double-lined border effect:

1. Select the Box control from the Toolbox and draw a box around your design.

2. Set the box’s Border Color to Red.

3. Copy the box, then click outside it to deselect the original.

4. Paste the copied box, and move it slightly up and to the right, creating a double-line border effect that adds depth to the layout.

Now we come to the centerpiece of the design.

At this stage, you can insert any visual element you like—such as your company logo, WordArt, or ClipArt—to enhance the look and feel of the form.

If you're inserting objects, like WordArt or graphics copied from other applications (e.g., Word or PowerPoint), they must be converted into static images after pasting them into the form.

To do this:

1. Select the inserted object.

2. Go to the Format menu and choose Change To > Image.

3. A warning message will appear, informing you that the object cannot be edited after conversion.

4. Click Yes to confirm and proceed.

This ensures better compatibility and consistent display within your Access form.@@@

In our design, I used a 3D text Design, which we explored in an earlier topic.

To incorporate it into the form:

• I displayed the 3D text on a white background,

• Captured it using Alt + Print Screen,

• Pasted the screenshot into MS Paint,

• Cropped the relevant portion,

• Saved it as a .jpg file,

• And finally, inserted the image into the form design.

Whatever object you insert, change the following properties to the values given below:

Image Properties.

1. Name = OLE1
2. Size Mode = Zoom
3. Picture Alignment = Center
4. Picture Tiling = No
5. Back Style = Transparent
6. Back Color = 16777215 (White color or change to your design background color)
7. Special Effect = Flat
8. Border Style = Transparent

Save the form with the name “Startup”.

When viewed in Form View, it will resemble the sample layout shown once the programmed animation completes. At first, the center image remains hidden. After a brief delay, it smoothly zooms in from the center and settles into its original position and size.

Click to Enlarge

Animation Code.

Reopen the “Startup” form in Design View.

To access the form’s code module, click the Code button on the toolbar or go to Tools → Macro → Visual Basic Editor. Once the editor opens, copy and paste the required VBA code into the form’s module, then save and close the form.

Option Compare Database
Option Explicit
'Global declarations
Dim i As Integer, h As Long

Private Sub Form_Load()
   Me.OLE1.Visible = False
   h = Me.OLE1.Height / 10
   Me.OLE1.Height = h
   Me.TimerInterval = 100
End Sub

Private Sub Form_Timer()
Dim x As Long
i = i + 1
Select Case i
   Case 1 To 5
      'do nothing
   Case 6
      Me.OLE1.Visible = True
   Case 7 To 15
      x = Me.OLE1.Height
      x = x + h
      Me.OLE1.Height = x
   Case 40
      Me.TimerInterval = 0
      i = 0
      DoCmd.Close
 End Select
End Sub

Private Sub Form_Unload(Cancel As Integer)
    DoCmd.OpenForm "Control", acNormal
End Sub

From the Tools menu, choose Startup. In the Display Form/Page dropdown, select your “Startup” form. To customize your application further, enter a title in the Application Title field—this will replace the default “Microsoft Access” title bar text. You can also assign a custom Application Icon, such as your company logo in .ico, or a small one .bmp format, to replace the default Access icon. If you prefer to hide the database window when the application runs, uncheck Display Database Window.

When the Startup Screen is closed, the last three lines in the VB Code will attempt to open the Application's "Control" Screen. You must have a Screen named Control (Switchboard), or you can change the name of the form you would like to open in the following code segment:

Private Sub Form_Unload(Cancel As Integer)
    DoCmd.OpenForm "Control", acNormal
End Sub

Try out your design. Close and open your application and see that your design works as planned.

Download Demo Database.

Download Demo Database

• Opening Access Forms
• Control Screen Menu Design

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Control Screen Menu Design

Introduction

On the earlier topic of Control Screen Design, we explored how to display multiple menus in the same location on a form. Now, let’s take a look at a simple design using two menus—one for Data Files and the other for Reports—and how they can be displayed interchangeably at the same position on the screen.

To implement this, we need two tables:

1. A table for the Data Files List.

2. A separate table for the Reports List.

If you've already created a table for the Opening Access Forms example, you can simply make a copy of that table and rename it as ReportList for this purpose.

The Design Task

1. Open a New Form in Design View.
2. Click on the Tab Control Button on the Toolbox and draw a Tab Control on the new form's detail section as shown below:
   

   Click to Enlarge the Image

3. Click on the second page of the tab control where page2 is shown, and display the property sheet. Type Reports in the Caption Property.
4. Click on Page 1 and Type Data Files in the Caption Property.
5. Now we need to create a List Box. Before clicking on the Listbox button on the Toolbox, ensure that the Control Wizard (the button next to the arrow button) is selected in the Toolbox.
6. When you point the arrow at the Tab control Page, after selecting the Listbox control, the Tab Control Page will highlight with a black background where you can position your Listbox. Draw a Listbox with the size of your choice.
7. The List box Wizard starts up. Select the Data Files Table and select Seq & Desc Fields from the Table, and click Next. Select the Seq field for sorting in Ascending Order and click Finish.

   🔧 Reorganizing the List Box and Tab Control.

   1. Delete the Child Label of the List Box:

      • Click to select the label attached to the List Box (not the List Box itself).

      • Press Delete to remove it.

   2. Select the Tab Control:

      • Click outside the Tab Control.

      • Then drag your mouse over the Tab Control to select the entire object.

        • Tip: You can also click on the area to the right of the tab labels (e.g., to the right of "Page2") to select the control.

   3. Move the Tab Control:

      • With the Tab Control selected, drag it toward the right.

      • Leave enough space on the left side to place Command Buttons in the future.

      • This is important in case you plan to add a navigation menu or control panel later.

   4. Resize the List Box:

      • Click on the List Box to select it.

      • Adjust its width and height as needed to suit your layout preferences.

   We are concentrating only on the designing aspect of the controls, not running its options from the Listbox, which we have already discussed under the topic Opening Access Forms.

8. Click on the Listbox and display its Property Sheet. Note down the following Property Values:
   • Left
   • Top
   • Width
   • Height

   Right-click on the Listbox on the first page and select copy from the shortcut menu.

9. Click on the second Tab (Reports) to activate it, then hold the Shift key, right-click on the tab page, and choose Paste from the shortcut menu. This will copy the ListBox from the first page to the second. To change its Row Source, open the Property Sheet, click on the Row Source property, and then click the build button (...) next to it. In the Query Design window, add the ReportList table using the Show Table option. Replace the fields and table name  DataFiles with those from ReportList. Once done, remove the DataFiles table from the query design and close the window to save the changes.
10. Display the Property Sheet of the Listbox on the 2nd Page, if it is not already visible, and change the values of the above properties (Top, Left, Width & Height) to the same value that we have noted down on the first page. Change the Fill Color and the Font Color to something different like blue background and white font color.
11. Select the tab control using one of the methods explained under item 7 (2nd paragraph text in bold italics) above and display the property sheet. Change the following Property values:
    • Name = TabCtl0 (Zero at the end)
    • Back Style = Transparent
    • Multirow = No (default)
    • Style = Buttons

    View the Changes Done So Far.

12. Save the form and open it in Form View. With the property changes applied earlier, the Tab Control now blends seamlessly into the form, making it almost unnoticeable. Click the buttons at the top to toggle between the Data Files and Reports menus. You'll see that both menus are displayed in the same space, switching smoothly based on your selection.
13. If you don't like the Buttons at the top, create two Command Buttons on the left side, one below the other. Name the First one as cmdDF and change its Caption to Data Files. Name the second Button as cmdRpt and change its Caption to Reports.
14. Select the first Command Button and display the Property Sheet. Add a line of code in the On Click Event Procedure:

Private Sub cmdDF_Click()
   Me.TabCtl0.Pages(0).SetFocus
End Sub

Write the following code in the On Click Event Procedure of the 2^nd Command Button:

Private Sub cmdRpt_Click()
   Me.TabCtl0.Pages(1).SetFocus
End Sub

Click to Enlarge

We need to make one more change on the Tab Control's Style Property Value = None.

To make the top Buttons disappear and then save the Form. Open it in the Form view and try out your design.  If you need more menus, you can add more Tab Control Pages

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Control Screen Design

Introduction

Originally, computers were designed for serious business use and were extremely expensive. However, this changed in the 1980s with the introduction of personal computers, making them more accessible. At the time, one of the most readily available types of software was computer games.

The Early Days of Personal Computing.

Owning a personal computer in the early days was a dream for many, and in some ways, it still is! I got my first one too: a Spectra Video machine from Taiwan. It was more of a glorified keyboard than a full computer by today’s standards. It had a processor speed of just 1.xx MHz and 84KB of memory. The system was connected to a TV as its monitor and used a cassette recorder to store BASIC programs and data.

Even today, you can find toy-like replicas of these early machines in the electronics section of supermarkets.

At that time, IBM PCs—which had a 4.77 MHz processor and 640KB of RAM—were considered top of the line. They were also prohibitively expensive and included cassette recorders for storage. Later, with the introduction of XT (Extended Technology) and AT (Advanced Technology) models, we saw the emergence of 5.25" floppy drives and the revolutionary 10MB hard disks—huge storage at the time!

From Serious Business to Side Dishes of Fun

What’s fascinating is that the plaything concept hasn't changed over the years. Even as computers became serious business tools, a touch of entertainment always tagged along—sometimes as a side dish, sometimes as a necessity. From BASIC games on early home computers to built-in Solitaire on Windows, the idea of combining utility with enjoyment has endured. Today’s systems continue that tradition, offering powerful productivity tools alongside gaming, multimedia, and countless creative outlets.

Adding Appeal to Serious Applications.

MS Access is primarily built for serious data processing tasks, but that doesn't mean your applications need to be dull or uninspiring. By thoughtfully incorporating elements like animations, slide shows, or contextual tips, you can make your application both engaging and informative. The key is not to overdo it—just enough to keep the user interested and prevent monotony.

Think of it like the reception area of a five-star hotel: elegant, welcoming, and staffed with helpful personnel ready to assist. It subtly communicates the quality of service you can expect. Your Access application can do the same—user-friendly, visually appealing, and designed to leave a lasting positive impression.

Focusing on the Control Screen

Our primary focus here is to explore a sample Control Screen that brings together all the essential components of an application—such as data entry forms, reports, data processing functions, and more—into a centralized and easily accessible interface.

While we won't be diving into the complete design of this screen just yet, we’ll begin by examining one simple but important aspect. The rest of the elements and their design strategies will be discussed in upcoming sections.

The sample Control Screen

Click to Enlarge

Control Screen Layout and Purpose

The header section of the screen is visually enhanced with the company logo and the application title displayed in 3D Text, accompanied by the version number positioned just below it.

Beneath the header, the main control area is neatly organized into three primary categories:

1. Data Files

2. Reports

3. Data Upload Control

This application is specifically designed to monitor vehicle service expenses under service contracts maintained by the company. It also supports audit checks by providing structured and timely data.

The ‘Data Upload’ Command Button triggers procedures that import monthly vehicle service data from IBM AS400 mainframe systems into the application for further processing and reporting.

When the Data Files command button is active, its corresponding menu appears prominently in the center of the screen. On the right-hand side, you’ll find a vertical row of buttons representing different vehicle categories.

Clicking any of these category buttons dynamically updates the center window to display the relevant menu options for that category, seamlessly overlaying the previously displayed menu.

A common question that may arise is: Why are there separate data files and menus for different vehicle types? Why not store everything in a single table?

In reality, there is only one main data table, but the data is organized into categories to manage access rights effectively. This approach allows the system to provide different user groups access only to the data relevant to them, while restricting access to other groups.

The right-side command buttons, representing various vehicle categories, are dynamically enabled or disabled based on the user who logs in. The current user's name is displayed in a small text box just below the ‘Quit’ command button on the left side. According to that user's access rights, certain buttons are made available while others remain inactive.

When the ‘Reports’ command button on the left side is clicked, a similar set of menus and command buttons appears in the same central area of the screen—again governed by user-level security controls. In total, up to 15 different menus, including the one linked to the ‘Upload’ command button, can be displayed in this space.

We will explore how to organize and switch between these menus effectively under the Control Screen Menu Design topic.

At the bottom of the screen, there's a white strip displaying blue-colored, continuously scrolling text, resembling a news ticker. This serves as a dynamic reminder to the user, listing details of vehicles whose service contracts are due to expire this month.

Just below the ticker, the total number of such vehicles is displayed prominently, prompting the user to take timely action on renewals or follow-ups.

As you have already noticed, this Screen doesn't have any default control buttons on the top (Min, Max, Close) or the title bar.

The system opens with a Startup Screen (learn more about its design under Startup Screen Design) and then transitions to the Control Screen. This Control Screen appears to be seamlessly pasted into the application's background, maintaining a clean and uncluttered look until it is closed via the File → Close menu or by clicking the Quit command button on the screen.

The form has no border style, no resizing options, and presents a flat, paper-like appearance. This is achieved by applying the following Form Property settings:

Form Property Settings.

1. Default View = Single Form
2. Allow Datasheet View = No
3. Allow Edits = Yes
4. Allow Deletions = No
5. Allow Additions = No
6. Data Entry = No
7. Scroll Bars = Neither
8. Record Selectors = No
9. Navigation Buttons = No
10. Dividing Lines = No
11. Auto Resize = Yes
12. Auto Center = Yes
13. Pop Up = No
14. Modal = No
15. Border Style = None
16. Control Box = No
17. Min Max Buttons = None
18. Close Button = No
19. What's This Button = No

Write an Event Procedure on the On Load event:

Private Sub Form_Load()
    DoCmd.Restore
End Sub

When you open your control screen with the above property settings and with the On Load Event Procedure, it will look as if the screen is painted in the Application Background.

• Next: Control Screen Menu Design

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