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Lesson 5 Accessing a form’s property sheet
Objective Know the ways to view a form’s properties.

Accessing Form's Property Sheet

One of the features I like best about Access is that it is so customizable. Each form can be customized to perform whatever task is needed. As with tables, fields, and queries, forms have properties that affect different aspects of the form. These properties are contained on a form’s property sheet.

Opening the property sheet

To change a form's properties, you need to use the form's property sheet. To open a property for a form, click the Properties toolbar button
Properties toolbar button
Properties toolbar button

An alternative way to get to the property is to choose Properties from the View menu.
Once the property sheet is opened, you will see four tabs on it: Format, Data, Other, and All. On the top of the property sheet should be the word Form. This will tell you that the property sheet is indeed pointing at the form's properties, rather than at section or control properties. There are two ways to make sure you are pointing at the form's properties.

Pointing at the form’s properties

The first way to point to a form’s property with the property sheet open is to click on the Form Selector button
Form Selector button
Form Selector button

located in the top left corner of the form itself. The other is to pick the word Form from the drop-down Object list
Bottom, which is the first control on the Form Design toolbar.
Bottom, which is the first control on the Form Design toolbar.

To see where all these objects just mentioned fall into play, locate them on the MouseOver below.

Apply, Filter, Sort
  1. Clicking here moves the property sheet's focus to the form's properties
  2. Clicking here moves the property sheet's focus to the form's properties.
  3. Pick Form from the drop-down list that opens in to move the property sheet's focus to the form's properties.
  4. Toggles the property sheet being opened or closed.
  5. Contains properties that affect the formatting of an object.
  6. Contains properties that allow you to specify record sources for forms and reports and control sources for controls.
  7. Allows you to attach macros for different events that occur.
  8. Miscellaneous properties that don't fall under the other tabs.
  9. All the other nonevent tabs combined in one list.
Form Property Eements
In the next lesson, you will learn how to modify various properties of a form.

Working with Access Forms - Quiz

Click the Quiz link below to answer a few questions about working with forms.
Working with Access Forms - Quiz

Accessing Forms Property Sheet - Exercise

Click the Exercise link below to practice opening a form’s property sheet and making it point to the form's properties.
Accessing Forms Property Sheet - Exercise