Help with Legacy Switchboard – Can't Find Source or Add New Section

[yrstruly]

I'm working with a legacy Access database that uses the classic Switchboard Manager. The database has a main switchboard and several submenus like 2.3.0 Virus Switchboard, which dynamically displays items like "Capture Virus Test Results" and "Elisa Letters".
What I'm struggling with:

• I can't find the actual form for 2.3.0 Virus Switchboard in the navigation pane.
  
• When I open the Switchboard form in Design View, it jumps back to the main menu (1.0 Switchboard), not the submenu I'm trying to edit.
  
• I added a new menu item (2.3.9 New Virus Form Entry) directly to the [Switchboard Items] table, but I got Run-time error 2465 ("Can't find the field 'Option9'...").
  
• I realised it’s because the form name I used (frmYourNewFormName) doesn’t exist — but it also exposed how tightly this setup is wired to the table and code.

What I want to do:

1. Understand how this dynamic menu system is constructed so I can navigate it properly.
   
2. Add a new section/menu item safely, and link it to a working form.
   
3. Ideally: replace this outdated switchboard with a modern, user-friendly navigation form where I can fully control layout and buttons.

Any advice, tools, or examples would be appreciated!

SwitchboardID = 17
------------------------------------------
ItemNumber | ItemText                                   | Command | Argument
0          | 2.3.0 Virus Switchboard                    | 0       | 0
1          | 2.3.1 Capture Virus Test Results           | 3       | FrmElisaTestCaptureExp
2          | 2.3.2 Elisa Letters                        | 3       | FrmRptBlocksElisaLetter
3          | 2.3.3 SPR Elisa Blocks Tested              | 7       | McrSPRElisa
4          | 2.3.4 Virus Results                        | 7       | McrVirusResultTwo
5          | 2.3.5 Active Blocks Not Tested             | 7       | McrVirusBlocksNotTested
6          | 2.3.6 SPR Elisa                            | 7       | McrElisaSPV
7          | 2.3.7 Blocks Query with Virus Grid Details | 7       | mcrBlocksQuery
8          | 2.3.8 Return to Blocks Switchboard         | 1       | 2

I attempted to add a new menu item (2.3.9) manually by inserting a row directly into the [Switchboard Items] table:


SwitchboardID = 17
ItemNumber = 9
ItemText = 2.3.9 New Virus Form Entry
Command = 3 (Open Form)
Argument = frmYourNewFormName


However, this caused Run-time error '2465' when I clicked it:

[Minty]

From memory the original switchboard only had 8 buttons, so adding an item number 9 would probably cause a problem.
The main menu form is almost certainly simply called switchboard or similar. The text for item 0 doesn't indicate the form name, just the menu title.

You can add another sub menu quite easily but I would need to see the existing menu table to guide you through that, as I don't know the numbering sequences used.
You can also add more buttons if you name them correctly and adjust the code slightly.

[Welshgasman]

I just had submenus.

[Micron]

I agree with #3 on your want list. If you build your own, consider using a mix of combos, listboxes, grouped option buttons and perhaps a tab control. Maybe even subforms. Combos can provide a lot of items (e.g. report names) in a small space. Tab control can compartmentalize functions (and you don't have to preload every tab if doing so slows things down). I suppose you could use a navigation form as well. Just be aware that when you choose another tab of a nav form, whatever you were looking at doesn't just hide itself. It closes, and people often try to reference something on the closed form and wonder why they can't.

[yrstruly]

See attached.

[Minty]

Actually I'm in total agreement with Micron - Number 3 is the answer.
You can make some pretty modern swish looking dashboard/switchboards these days.

[mike60smart]

Just get rid of the Switchboard and create your own

[Welshgasman]

Just get rid of the Switchboard and create your own

Easier said than done Mike, as it is data driven?

[yrstruly]

Steps I Took to Solve It:

1. I copied the working form (right-click → Copy → Paste) and renamed it to a clean version (e.g. frmFilteredResults_Copy).
   
2. Opened the copied form in Design View and:
   
   
   • Cleared all Control Source values in textboxes and combos.
     
   • Removed the Record Source at the form level.
     
   • Cleaned out VBA references to other forms or external controls (e.g., Forms!frmElisaTestCapture!Count).
   
   
3. Instead of adding a brand new menu entry, I reused an existing menu item from the switchboard (2.3.6 SPR Elisa) and amended it to match my new form:
   
   
   • Changed the ItemText to my desired name (2.3.6 Virus Forms)
     
   • Changed the Command to 7 (Open Form)
     
   • Updated the Argument to point to the new cleaned form (frmFilteredResults)

After that, everything worked perfectly �� — no errors, no broken references.