Access - Chapter 4 - Working with

Forms and Reports

Adding Fields to a Form in Layout View

In 2021, Microsoft released an update to how contextual tabs are named. This page has
been revised to reflect the update.
If you are starting with a blank form, you will need to add controls to display field data. The most common
type of control is the text box control. Text box controls can display text, numbers, dates, and similar data. A
text box control that displays data from a table or query field is called a bound control because it is
connected (bound) to the field. Unbound controls are not connected to field data directly.
Adding a field to a blank form places two controls in a stacked layout. A label control displays the name of
the field on the left and a bound text box control displays the field data on the right.
To add a field to a form in Layout view:
1. If necessary, on the Form Layout Design tab, in the Tools group, click the Add Existing Fields button to
display the Field List pane.
2. In the Field List pane, click the + in front of the table or query that contains the field(s) you want to add. If
the table you want is not visible, click the Show all tables link in the Field List pane.
3. Double-click a field name to add it to the form. A new bound control is automatically created at the top of
the form, along with a label control.

FIGURE AC 4.12

4. To add a second column to the stacked layout, click a field name in the Field List, and drag it to the right of
the field you just added. Access displays an I-bar shape to indicate where the controls will be placed.
 FIGURE AC 4.13

If you double-click the field name instead of dragging it, Access will maintain the single-column stacked
layout and add the new controls below the currently selected control.
5. Continue adding fields and editing labels until your form is complete. You can add fields to any space in
the layout grid using the click-and-drag method. If you look closely, you can see the dotted lines outlining
the grid. Use these lines as a guide when you are dragging fields to the layout.

FIGURE AC 4.14

6. To edit the text in a label control, double-click the control to place the cursor within the text. Edit the text
normally.
 FIGURE AC 4.15

7. Save the form, and then switch to Form view to verify that it looks and behaves as you expect.

FIGURE AC 4.16

tips & tricks

You don't have to start with a blank form. Use these same techniques to add fields to any form.

tell me more
To delete a control, click the control once to select it and then press Delete or Backspace . If you delete a
bound text box control, Access will delete the associated label control as well, if there is one.

another method
If you prefer working in Design view, you can add fields using the same procedures as described for
working in Layout view.
let me try Live!
If the database is not already open, open the data file AC04-06-Spa and try this skill on your own:
1. If necessary, open the AppointmentDetails form in Layout view.
2. If necessary, display the Field List pane.
3. Add the ApptDate field from the Appointments table to the form.
4. Add the ApptTime field from the Appointments table to the form, creating another layout column to
the right of the ApptDate control.
5. Add the LastName and FirstName fields from the Customers table so they appear below the ApptDate
controls. Hint: Click and drag the fields from the Field List to control the placement.
6. Add the ServiceName field from the Services table so it appears in the same column as the ApptTime
controls in the same row as the LastName controls.
7. Change the text in the ApptDate label control to: Date
8. Change the text in the ApptTime label control to: Time
9. Save the form.
10. Switch to Form view and observe the new form.
11. Close the form.

Page(s)
ID ac21_sk_04_06