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Explorer-type User Interface

Here’s some Explorer-type interfaces for finding records in Access tables.

Q:  Tom Gerry asks:  “Is there any way to create an Explorer style cascading folders user interface to find records in an Access Table?”

A:  The closest to this would be a TreeView control used as a record selector.  I dealt with the TreeView control in Access Archon #103, and specifically with using this control as a record selector in my Code Sample #42.  Figure A shows the TreeView EBook Notes form from the EBook Companion database in that code sample.  When a book title is selected, information from the selected book record is displayed in the subform on the right side of the form.


Figure A.  A Treeview control used as a record selector. Click to see full size image.

Another possibility would be to use the Subdatasheet feature, assigning a table with linked tables as the record source of a subform.  Figure B shows a subform displaying the Northwind Customers table, which has subdatasheets because of the links between the Customers, Orders, Order Details and Products tables.


Figure B.  A subform showing linked tables with subdatasheets.  Click to see full size version

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