Launching A Web App Access 2013

When you are creating your Web App, you can modify and adjust what is contained in the application, but it is not until you launch the app that you can enter data and explore how to interact with the app through your web browser. 

When you view your data in a browser, you can see the action bar, which enables you to add, delete, and save changes to your data. An exception is in the Datasheet view, where changes are recorded when you click onto a new record. Otherwise, you need to use the action bar to save changes to the record you are editing. 

Launch a Web App:

1. Click Launch App from the Home tab of the ribbon. 
2. Click a table in which you want to enter data. 
3. Type data in some of the available fields. 
4. On the action bar, click to save your changes. 

TIP: The action bar on a view can be customized to contain up to 10 icons. It is often a good idea to hide rather than delete icons that you do not want to show because, if deleted, these built-in icons cannot be easily added back to the action bar.

Adding A Blank Table Access 2013

As an alternative to using a predefined table template for your Web App, you can create individual tables and then relate these tables by using lookup's. Access allows you to either start with a completely empty Web App or add to an existing Web App you have created by using a template. 

The first field in any table is created automatically; it is called ID. This is an Auto Number field and cannot be removed because a Web App table needs a unique numeric field as a primary key. 

When you add a new table (for example, Countries), Access automatically creates two views (for example, Countries List and Countries Datasheet). 

Add a blank table:

1. Click Table from the Home tab of the ribbon. Then select Add A New Blank Table. 
2. Select an appropriate data type for each new field name. 
3. Change any appropriate field properties. When you click any field name, the lower area of the screen displays the properties for the field. 
4. Click Save to save the table. 
5. Type a table name, and click OK.

TIP: Although the ID field cannot be removed, you can rename this field. For example, in a Customer table, you could rename the field ID to Customer-ID if you think that this would help when you are working with the database structure, such as when designing queries.

Showing The Navigation Pane Access 2013

Similar to a desktop database application, a Web App provides a navigation pane, which groups your Access objects. This is similar to the desktop database interface and can be filtered easily to help you locate a specific design object. This means that you can use design features from both the table in the Table Selector and the table contained in the navigation pane. 

In the navigation pane, the views are listed under the heading Forms. This is because the terminology used in the navigation pane comes from desktop databases. 

Show the navigation pane:

1. Click the Settings/Actions charm in the Table Selector to see the available options. 
2. Click Navigation Pane on the Home tab of the ribbon. 
3. Use the Search box to filter the results. 
4. Right-click a table to see options similar to those available from the Table Selector. 
5. Click each view that is displayed for a specific table. These are the different views of the table that Access has automatically constructed.

TIP: If you select the Open shortcut on the Table Selector menu or select View Data from the options on the Table Selector, you can type data directly into your tables without the need to display the views in a web browser. 

TIP: After Access has automatically created views of your data, if you add new fields to the table, the views automatically change to include your new fields—a very powerful feature. But if you edit the views, this capability is lost. This balances the needs of people who want Access to control the layouts with those users who want finer control of the layouts. 

CAUTION: If you click Edit, you will not change the table design, but you will change the design of the selected view. We will look at the View Layout features in Section 3, “Modifying a Web App.”

Adding A Table Template Access 2013

When choosing a table template, you can type a noun representing the kind of data that you need to store. Access then attempts to match this with one of a large number of common designs. 

After a noun is matched and selected, one or more tables are added to your application. This is an extremely powerful way to get started because in addition to simply adding the tables, Access creates a set of views for interacting with the data and creates a menu system for navigating between the views. 

Add a table template:

1. Type a name for your table, and click the search symbol to see the matches displayed. 
2. Select a table from the available list. 
3. Click a table in the Table Selector to display a list of available views for the table. 
4. Click any item in the View Selector to display the associated view. 

TIP: Typing All and clicking the search symbol displays a list of all available templates. Take care as you scroll through the list because it is easy to click a table by mistake and thus unintentionally create the table. You will also find that sometimes when you select one table—for example, Orders—several other related tables are automatically created to assist you in building the database. 

CAUTION: The term view can be a bit confusing if you are familiar with SQL Server. In Access client terminology, view has the same meaning as form, and a query is equivalent to a SQL Server view. When you create a table template, Access will automatically generate at least two, and sometimes three, views (depending on the table). You will also find that lookup's to link together your views have been automatically added to the selected tables, depending on the tables that have been created.

Creating A Custom Web App Access 2013

Access 2013 allows you to create both desktop-based and Web App–based applications. The default choice is to create a custom Web App. In this section, we guide you through the steps to get you started with your first web application. 

Create a custom Web App:

1. After starting Access, choose the Custom Web App. 
2. Type the application name in the App Name text box. 
3. Type the URL for your Office 365 domain in the Web Location text box, or select your Team Site from the Available Locations list. 
4. Click Create. 
5. Sign in to your account. You can also select the Keep Me Signed In check box, which will keep you signed in; otherwise, you will be prompted again to sign in later when launching the Web App. 

If you have subscribed to Office 365, you have obtained a domain name as part of setting up your account—for example, mydomain. You will use that domain name when typing a web location to create an Access Web App—for example, https:// mydomain.sharepoint.com.

TIP: You might already see a list of available locations. If you see any locations referring to Team Site, you can use these as an alternative to typing the URL by selecting the location name.

CAUTION: If you cannot get to this point, remember that you need to create the appropriate Office 365 account before you can use this new feature. Otherwise, when you enter your details, you will not reach step 5.

Starting Access 2013

On the Windows desktop, scrolling to the right reveals the Office 2013 products that you have installed on the machine. When you start an application, the application opens on the desktop. 

Start Access:

1. On the desktop, scroll to the right. 
2. Click Access 2013. 

If you are using an older version of Windows, such as Windows 7, click the Start button on the task-bar, and then click All Programs | Microsoft Office | Access 2013.

TIP: When working on the desktop, if you point to the lower-left of your screen on the task-bar and click the miniatur­ized desktop Tile, you will quickly return to the Windows desktop, where you can start other applications.

Adapting Task Procedures For Touchscreens Access 2013

In this book, I provide instructions based on traditional keyboard and mouse input methods. If you’re using Access on a touch-enabled device, you might be giving commands by tapping with your finger or with a stylus. If so, substitute a tapping action whenever I instruct you to click a user interface element. Also note that when I ask you to enter information in Access, you can do so by typing on a keyboard, by tapping in the entry field under discussion to display and use the on-screen keyboard, or even by speaking aloud, depending on your computer setup and your personal preferences.

A Final Word

Access 2013 is preparing the road ahead for productivity in deploying data to be shared over the web. I hope you will share my enthusiasm both for the new technology features in the product and for the solid approach to developing solutions on the desktop.