Showtime Database Instructions - Handling Data

Modifying the Bookings Form with a Combo Box

This next stage adds a "Combo" box to the booking form to look up the customer who is renting a video.

A combo box is a drop down list of options that you can choose from

• Open up your database from My Documents if you haven't already done so
• Go in to Forms and open up the "frmbookings" form in design view
• Make the window bigger so that you can see all the available parts of the form

• Select the customer number lable and press delete then select the customer number control and press delete.
  
  
• Then click once on the "combo box" button on the tool box (if the tool box is not visible it is easy to locate it)
  
  
• Then click on your form where you want to combo box to go. You can move it later if you wish.
  
  
• In the next window select that you wish to look up a value in a table or query. Then click Next
  
  
• In the next window choose the table "tblcustomers" and then click Next

• Click on the > button to move the Customer Number field, the First Name and the Surmame Name fields to the right hand part of the screen which is the selected fields list. Then Click Next
  
  
• Choose to sort the order ascending by surname in the next window then click Next
  
  
• Then un-tick the "hide key column" box in the next window and click Next
  
  
• In the next window select Customer Number as a value to store and then click Next
  
  
• Select "store this value in this field" option and choose the "customer number" field in tblbookings table before you click Next
  
  
• Label the combo box "Select a Customer" and then click Finish
  
  

• You can then click on the "save" icon on the top tool bar. Put your form in to "view" mode and see if it works...
  
  You should be able to choose a customer from this drop down combo box
  

You can now do a similar thing to set up a combo box to look up the values in the "Video Reference Number" field

You can also delete any fields that you do not want to see on this form (i.e. any that are repeated)

This is the last step in setting up the Bookings Form

You can now enter all the booking details for customers who have rented videos using this bookings form...

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