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Lesson 12 Use the Toolbox to add controls
Objective Identify the toolbox buttons and use them to add controls to a form.

Use Toolbox to add Controls to your Access Form

In the last lesson you learned how to add a bound control with a label to your form. But there are more types of controls than the label and text box you create using that method. The toolbox buttons enable you to create any type of control for your form.

View the Table below to see a chart of some of the more common types of controls.

Access Toolbox

Toolbox button name Button Control description
Label label Contains text such as a title or caption; this is a static (unbound) control
Text box The relationship between eBusiness and eCommerce Displays data from a selected field; this is a bound control
Check box Check Box Displays a checkbox bound to a Yes/No field
Combo box Combo Box Displays a drop-down list for possible entry into the selected field; a field defined with the lookup wizard will automatically appear on a form as a combo box
List box List Box Displays a list of values from which the user can choose; a list box may be bound or unbound
Image Image File Displays an image from an image file on the form; this is an unbound control
Unbound Object Frame Unbound Object Frame Displays an image or other object on the form; this is an unbound control
Bound Object Frame Bound Object Frame Displays an image or other object on the form; the source for the object must be stored in a field; this is a bound control
Page Break Page Break Inserts a page break at the location of this control; affects only the printing of the form
Subform/Subreport Subform-Subreport Inserts a subform into the main form
Line Line Displays a user-defined line in the form
Rectangle Displays a user-defined rectangle in the form Displays a user-defined rectangle in the form

Microsoft Access
Microsoft Access
Although you have a variety of control types to choose from, the actual action of placing a control in a form is not difficult. First make sure that the toolbox is displayed by clicking the Toolbox button on the toolbar. The toolbox icons may appear anchored to one side of the Access window. The first two buttons, Select Objects and Control Wizards, should be selected.
The following SlideShow demonstrates the process of using the toolbox to add a control to a form.

1) Toolbox 1 2) Toolbox 2 3) Toolbox 3 4) Toolbox 4

If you chose one of the more complex control types, like a List box or Object Frame a wizard or dialog box will spring open to guide you through the process of creating the control. The next lesson will discuss how to format your form controls.