Guide to the Access 2007 user interface 3

The Ribbon

The Office Fluent Ribbon is the primary replacement for menus and toolbars and provides the main command interface in Office Access 2007. One of the main advantages of the Ribbon is that it consolidates, in one place, those tasks or entry points that used to require menus, toolbars, task panes, and other UI components to display. This way, you have only one place in which to look for commands, instead of a multitude of places.

When you open a database, the Ribbon appears at the top of the main Office Access 2007 window, where it displays the commands in the active command tab.

The Ribbon contains a series of command tabs that contain commands. In Office Access 2007, the main command tabs are Home, Create, External Data, and Database Tools. Each tab contains groups of related commands, and these groups surface some of the additional new UI elements, such as the gallery, which is a new type of control that presents choices visually.

The commands on the Ribbon take into account the currently active object. For example, if you have a table opened in Datasheet view and you click Form on the Create tab, in the Forms group, Office Access 2007 creates the form, based on the active table. That is, the name of the active table is entered in the form's RecordSource property.

You can use keyboard shortcuts with the Ribbon. All of the keyboard shortcuts from an earlier version of Access continue to work. The Keyboard Access System replaces the menu accelerators from earlier versions of Access. This system uses small indicators with a single letter or combination of letters that appear on the Ribbon and indicate what keyboard shortcut actives the control underneath.

When you have selected a command tab, you can browse the commands available within that tab.

Select a command tab

1. Start Access.
2. Click the tab that you want.

-or-

1. Start Access.
2. Press and release the ALT key.

   The keyboard tips appear.

3. Press the key or keys shown in the keyboard tip on or closest to the command tab that you want.

You can execute a command a number of different ways. The quickest and most direct route is to use the keyboard shortcut associated with the command. If you know the keyboard shortcut used from an earlier version of Access, it should also work in Office Access 2007.

For more information on keyboard shortcuts, see Keyboard shortcuts for Access.

Execute a command

1. Start Access.
2. Click the appropriate tab for the command. The following table shows a representative sampling of the tabs and the commands available on each tab. The tabs and the commands available change depending on what your are doing.

   Command Tab	Common things you can do
   Home	Select a different view.
   	Copy and paste from the clipboard.
   	Set the current font characteristics.
   	Set the current Font Alignment.
   	Apply rich text formatting to a memo field.
   	Work with records (Refresh, New, Save, Delete, Totals, Spelling, More).
   	Sort and filter records.
   	Find records.
   Create	Create a new blank table.
   	Create a new table using a table template.
   	Create a list on a SharePoint site and a table in the current database that links to the newly created list.
   	Create a new blank table in Design view.
   	Create a new form based on the active table or query.
   	Create a new pivot table or chart.
   	Create a new report based on the active table or query.
   	Create a new query, macro, module, or class module.
   External Data	Import or Link to external data.
   	Export data.
   	Collect and update data via e-mail.
   	Work with offline SharePoint lists.
   	Create saved imports and saved exports.
   	Move some or all parts of a database to a new or existing SharePoint site.
   Database Tools	Launch the Visual Basic editor or run a macro.
   	Create and view table relationships.
   	Show/hide object dependencies or the property sheet
   	Run the Database Documenter or analyze performance.
   	Move data to Microsoft SQL Server or to an Access (Tables only) database.
   	Run the Linked Table Manager.
   	Manage Access add-ins.
   	Create or edit a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) module.

3. Click the control that represents the command. Alternatively, if you know the keyboard shortcut for the command from an earlier version of Access, enter the keyboard shortcut by using the keyboard.

   -or-

   Press and release the ALT key.

   The access keys appear.

   Press the key or keys shown in the keyboard tip associated with the command that you want.

Contextual command tabs

In addition to the standard command tabs, Office Access 2007 employs a new UI element in Office Professional 2007 called the contextual command tab. Depending on your context (that is, which object you are working with and what you are doing), one or more contextual command tabs might appear next to the standard command tabs.

Activate a contextual command tab

• Click the contextual command tab.

-or-

1. Press and release the ALT key.

   The access keys appear.

2. Press the key or keys shown in the access key that appears on or closest to the contextual command tab.

The contextual command tabs contain commands and features that you need to work in a specific context. For example, when you open a table in Design view, the contextual tabs contain commands that apply only when you are working with a table in that view. As another example, when you open a table in Design view, a contextual command tab named Design appears next to the Advanced Tools tab. When you click the Design tab, the Ribbon shows the commands available to you only when the object is in Design view.

Galleries

Another innovation that is part of the new Office Access 2007 user interface is a new control called a gallery. The gallery control is designed to work with the Ribbon and focus your attention on getting the results that you want. Rather than merely show commands, the gallery control shows the result of using those commands. The idea is to provide a visual way for you to browse and see what Office Access 2007 can do, with a focus on the results, rather than focusing solely on the commands themselves.

Galleries come in different shapes and sizes. There is a grid layout, a menu-like representation that drops down, and even an on-Ribbon layout that places the content of the gallery itself on the Ribbon.

Hiding the Ribbon

Sometimes, you might need a little more space to devote to your work area. For that reason, the Ribbon can be collapsed so that only the bar with the command tabs remains. To close the Ribbon, double-click the active command tab. To open it again, double-click the active command tab again.

Hide and restore the Ribbon

1. Double-click the active command tab (the active tab is the highlighted tab).

   

2. Double-click the active command tab again to restore the Ribbon.

Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access Toolbar is, by default, a small area adjacent to the Ribbon that allows one-click access to commands. The default set of commands are those that you rely on often, such as Save, Undo, and Redo. However, you can customize the Quick Access Toolbar to include the commands that you use most often. You can also modify the placement of the toolbar and change it from the default small size to large size. The small toolbar appears next to the command tabs on the Ribbon. When you switch to the large size, the toolbar appears below the Ribbon and extends its full width.

Customize the Quick Access Toolbar

1. Click the rightmost drop-down arrow in the toolbar.
2. Click Customize Quick Access Toolbar, and then click More Commands.
3. In the Access Options dialog box, select the command or commands that you want to add, and then click Add.
4. To remove a command, highlight it in the list on the right, and then click Remove. Alternatively, double-click the command in the list.
5. Click OK when you are done.

Information From http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access/HA100398921033.aspx