This article describes the Access user interface elements, and provides links to more information about these elements and how to customize your experience. Show
In this article
OverviewThe three main components of the Access user interface are:
These three elements provide the environment in which you create and use databases. The ribbonThe ribbon is the primary replacement for menus and toolbars. It primarily consists of tabs that have groups of buttons. The ribbon has main tabs that group related commonly-used commands, contextual tabs that appear only when you can use them, and the Quick Access Toolbar, a small toolbar that you can customize with your favorite commands. On the ribbon tabs, some of the buttons provide you a gallery of choices, while others launch a command. The Backstage viewThe Backstage view contains commands and information that apply to an entire database, such as Compact and Repair, as well as commands that were on the File menu in earlier versions, such as Print. The Navigation PaneThe Navigation Pane helps you organize your database objects, and is the main means of opening or changing the design of a database object. The Navigation Pane is organized by categories and groups. You can choose from a variety of organizational options, and can also create your own custom organization scheme in the Navigation Pane. By default, a new database uses the Object Type category, which has groups that correspond to the various kinds of database object. The Object Type category organizes the database objects in a similar fashion to the default Database Window display from earlier versions. You can minimize the Navigation Pane, and you can also hide it, but you cannot obscure the Navigation Pane by opening database objects in front of it. The Backstage viewThe Backstage view occupies the File tab on the ribbon and contains many commands. The Backstage view also contains other commands that apply to an entire database file. When you open Access but do not open a database (e.g., you open Access from the Windows Start menu), you see the Backstage view. In Backstage view, you can create a new database, open an existing database, and perform many file and database maintenance tasks. Create a new blank database
Access provides a number of templates with the product, and you can download more from Office.com. An Access template is a predesigned database complete with professionally designed tables, forms, and reports. Templates give you a big head start when you create a new database. Create a new database from a sample template
You can download additional Access templates from office.com directly from the Backstage view. Create a new database from an Office.com template
When you open (or create and open) a database, Access adds the file name and location of the database to an internal list of the most recently used documents. This list is displayed on the Recent tab of Backstage view so that you can easily open your most recently used databases. Open a recently used database
Open a database from Backstage view
Top of Page The ribbonThe ribbon is the primary replacement for menus and toolbars and provides the main command interface in Access. 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 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 Access window, where it displays the commands in the active command tab.
The ribbon contains a series of command tabs that contain commands. In Access, the main command tabs are File, 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 that are available on the ribbon also reflect 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, Access creates the form, based on the active table. That is, the name of the active table is entered in the new form's RecordSource property. Moreover, some ribbon tabs only appear in certain contexts. For example, the Design tab only appears when you have an object open in Design view. 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 when you press the ALT key. These indicators show 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
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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. For more information on keyboard shortcuts, see Keyboard shortcuts for Access. Execute a command
Contextual command tabsIn addition to the standard command tabs, Access also has contextual command tabs. 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
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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 The ribbon also uses a kind of control called a gallery. The gallery control is designed to 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 Access 2010 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 ribbonSometimes, 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 hide the ribbon, double-click the active command tab. To show it again, double-click the active command tab again. Hide and restore the ribbon
Quick Access Toolbar (QAT)The Quick Access Toolbar is a toolbar adjacent to the ribbon that allows one-click access to commands. The default set of commands include Save, Undo, and Redo, and you can customize the Quick Access Toolbar to include other commands that you use 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
Top of Page Navigation PaneWhen you open a database or create a new one, the names of your database objects appear in the Navigation Pane. The database objects include your tables, forms, reports, pages, macros, and modules.
To open a database object or apply a command to a database object, right-click the object and select a menu item from the context menu. The commands on the context menu vary according to the object type. Open a database object, such as a table, form, or report
Note that you can set an option to open objects with a single click in the Navigation Options dialog box. The Navigation Pane divides your database objects into categories, and these categories contain groups. Some categories are predefined for you, and you can also create your own custom groups. By default, the Navigation Pane appears when you open a database, including databases created in earlier versions of Access. You can prevent the Navigation Pane from appearing by default by setting a program option. The following set of steps explain how to take each action. To show or hide the Navigation Pane
Prevent the Navigation Pane from appearing by default
For more information about the Navigation Pane, see the article View and manage objects by using the Navigation Pane. Top of Page Tabbed documentsFor everyday interactive use, you may prefer the tabbed document interface. You can enable or disable tabbed documents by setting your Access Options (see Show or hide document tabs, later in this article). However, if you change the tabbed document settings, you must close and reopen your database for the new settings to take effect.
Show or hide document tabs
Top of Page Status barYou can display a status bar at the bottom of the window. This standard UI element continues to be the place to look for status messages, property hints, progress indicators, and so on. The status bar also takes on two standard functions that you will also see in the status bar of other Office programs: View/Window switching and Zoom. You can quickly switch the active window between one of the available views by using the controls available on the status bar. If you are viewing an object that supports variable zoom, you can adjust the zoom level to zoom in or out by using the slider on the status bar. The status bar can be enabled or disabled in the Access Options dialog box. Show or hide the status bar
Top of Page Mini toolbarYyou can format text more easily by using the mini toolbar. When you select text for formatting, the mini toolbar automatically appears above the selected text. If you move the mouse pointer closer to the mini toolbar, the mini toolbar fades in and you can use it to apply bold, italic, font size, color, and so on. As you move the pointer away from the mini toolbar, the mini toolbar fades away. If you don't want to use the mini toolbar to apply text formatting to a selection, just move your pointer a few pixels away and the mini toolbar disappears.
Format text by using the mini toolbar
Top of Page What is the Access object that organizes data into fields and records?A table is the database object that stores data organized in an arrangement of columns and rows. Each row is a record and each column is a field within each record.
Which database object is used to store data and is organized by fields and records?- Tables are collections of data organized into fields and records.
What is the database object that stores the data and which is the foundation of an Access database?Table: The database object that stores the data, and which is the foundation of an Access database. Record: A table row that contains all of the categories of dat apertaining to one person, place, thing, event, or idea.
Which Access object contains all of the data in the database group of answer choices?Tables contain all of the raw data in the database. Access information can be printed from forms, queries, and tables.
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