DataRibbon Toolbar and Menu

The dataribbon is the principal interface utilized for data navigation, creation and maintenance. Common to most of the floor tabs, there are eight (8) standard buttons or items, and one multipurpose button.

Move or Navigation Buttons

The four (4) innermost standard buttons or items are the First, Previous, Next, and Last. Applied to records of the database, pressing the buttons correspondingly move the database pointer to the first record, previous to the current record, next, and last record. Applied to fields, pressing the buttons similarly move the field pointer to the first ordinal field, and so on. The same is true to the sort definitions or indexes. For the purpose of this section, the term record may apply to database record, field, or index.

Creation and Maintenance Buttons

The four (4) outer standard buttons or items are the Apply (like a forward slash), Add (plus), Delete (minus), Edit (backslash). One or more buttons may be disabled and unavailable at times.

Edit and Apply

To edit a particular record, press the Edit button. To cancel current changes, unpress the Edit button. To commit the changes, press the Apply button. The latter can also be achieved by pressing one of the four navigation buttons. Pressing other buttons may likewise cancel the operation.

Please note that the Edit button remains pressed until unpressed. That means edit mode is turned on; and records may be edited and confirmed conveniently using the move buttons. This is normally desirable during the editing of several records.

Add and Apply

To add a new record, press the Add button. Enter entries to the fields, and press the Apply button to commit or confirm the addition.Likewise, the confirmation may also be achieved by pressing one of the four navigation buttons.

To cancel the addition, unpress the Add button. Pressing other buttons may likewise cancel the operation.

Delete and Apply

To delete a record, press the Delete button and press Apply to confirm. Again, the second action may be done by pressing one of the four navigation buttons.

To cancel the deletion, before confirming it, unpress the Delete button. Pressing other buttons may likewise cancel the operation.

Database Menu

The menu provides items to interface with functions responsible for the creation and update of the database parameters.

Create Item

When the user issues a new database command by pressing the New File button or item in the File menu, the software will merely clear its memory of the previous database file, but does not yet create a new file.

Please click this item to create the database file. A database creation dialog will pop up, as shown below:

Two parameters are necessary: The Locale for Collating Order which will be use to decide how texts are supposed to be sorted; and the Jet Version of the database file to be created. Right now, the latest is version 4.0, which is the default and supports UNICODE encoding.

One more beneficial parameter allows for encryption of data, which hides the data stored from other softwares not capable of opening mdb files.

Refresh Item

The database file currently handled by the software may be simultaneously edited by more than one users. To reflect the latest state of the database, please click this item.

Tables And Queries Menu

This is responsible for the creation, removal, or update of tables and queries.

Two approaches are provided to achieve this. The first approach is with the aid of a table or query wizard; and the second is th regular unaided table or query creation.

Wizards

At this time, only one wizard ia available, the Deck Maker. Click the item and the Deck Maker dialog will show up like the one shown below:

Regular Table and Query Creation

Not yet active. Please refrain from using it because it still has undesirable effects.

Database

General Parameters

Data List

Fields List

Sort Definitions (Index)

Edit Data

Edit Field

Edit Sort Definitions