CS302, Fall 2008
Assignment #6
Due today by midnight
You will continue working in STARS2_XXX.accdb and submit your work when you have finished with this assignment.
Part 1
We need a form to enter students. Copy the Student form you created in the STARS_XXX database, or create a new one. Do not include a subform that connects this student to classes.
Part 2
We will be creating a switchboard to use as the main user interface for this form.
Click on the database tools tab, then on Switchboard manager.
Access will prompt you as below to allow the Switchboard manager to create a new switchboard. Click on Yes.
You will now be presented with the Switchboard manager dialog box as below. If you accidentally close this form, you’ll need to return to Database tools-> Switchboard manager to bring it back up.
Your initial switchboard manager should look like the image below:
Click on the New button. A new dialog box will appear. Type in Department Head options… and click on OK.
Repeat the step above to create another new Switchboard named Registrar options…
Select the Main Switchboard and click Edit. Change the name of the switchboard to STARS options…
Next we’ll add some commands to this switchboard. Click on New in this dialog box. The following dialog box will appear:
Change the text to Registrar options…
Leave the command the same
From the combo box for Switchboard, choose Registrar options…
We’ve just created our first command that will open the Registrar switchboard.
Repeat the above steps to create a second option that opens the Department Head options… switchboard.
Now create another new command. Name this one Exit database. From the command combo box, select Exit Application and then click on OK.
We’re finished with this first switchboard, so click close to return to the initial switchboard manager dialog box.
Select the Registrar options… switchboard and click on Edit. We’ll then add the commands listed below:
Text / Command / Option (if any)View Current Classes / Open form in Edit mode / View current classes
Add Student / Open form in Add mode / Student
Back to main switchboard… / Go to Switchboard / STARS options…
Now close this form, click on Department Head options... and click on Edit.
Add the following commands:
Text / Command / Option (if any)Assign Instructors to Class / Open form in Edit mode / Assign Instructors to Class
View Current Classes / Open form in Edit mode / View current classes
Back to main switchboard… / Go to Switchboard / STARS options…
Check that your final switchboard manager looks like the form below:
You may now close out of the switchboard manager completely.
Test your switchboard by opening the switchboard form and testing all the buttons.
Part 3
Now we’ll improve the switchboard’s appearance by adding a logo and changing the background colors.
One work of warning: do not delete objects from the switchboard form; you will break the Visual Basic code that makes it work.
Copy the logo from one of your other forms in design view. Paste it onto the switchboard form in design view. You’ll have to resize the headers, etc. to make things look nice.
Set the background colors of the header and detail sections to a purple color similar to Western’s purple. You should have a form that looks like the one below when you’ve finished.
Part 4
We now have a reasonable user interface for our database. We will want to add more options later on so that the database can do more than it does now. For the time being we’ll alter the database so that the switchboard always appears when you open the database.
Click on the Office button.
Now click on Access options:
Next click on Current Database:
In the Display Form combo box, choose Switchboard.
Click on OK. Close the database and reopen it to make sure this is working properly. The Switchboard should automatically open if you have done this correctly.
Part 5
Submit your work for Assignments 2-6 via email. Make sure you have attached the files before sending.
You should submit Northwinds and the STARS2_XXX databases.
Remember: email is inherently unreliable. You must CC yourself the files as well in your email to me (I want to see your email address in the CC field). This is a receipt of your submission. If you have no receipt, you have no proof that you sent it. Keep this copy until I have graded the files.
My email address is .