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  1. #1
    JohnB47 is offline Novice
    Windows XP Access 2007
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    Tab Control - odd behaviour related to 'Theme'

    Hi.

    My first post here.

    I could give you a load of background first but since I can reproduce this problem easily, let me give you the simple version.

    I am using Access 2007 on a Windows XP PC but I happen to know that this also happens in Access 2010 and is related to the Windows 'Theme' chosen. Please note that this has nothing to do with Tabbed Forms. To reproduce this problem, I do this:

    1. Open a new blank 2007 database.
    2. Create a new blank form and in design view, add a tab control.
    3. Add a few more pages to the tab control.
    4. Go into properties and change the 'style' of the tab control to 'buttons'

    Now, if the PC is set to Theme 'Windows XP', when you click along the various buttons, whether in design view or form view, the labels on one or more of the buttons you've just clicked go blank - in my case they just go white. But if you then hover the cursor over the blank ones, the labels reappear.

    If you change the Theme to 'Windows Classic', this problem goes away but my users don't want their PCs set to the Classic Theme just to suit Access.

    Similarly, the problem goes away if you change the Tab Control style to 'Tabs' (using any Theme you want), but the tab control behaves in a way that my users find frustrating. With multiple rows of tabs, the rows move position depending on what tab you click. My users want the tabs and tab rows to stay put - like they do when you select 'button' style.



    Has anyone else come across this? Is there a solution, rather than the imperfect workarounds I've discovered?

    Thanks in advance.

  2. #2
    June7's Avatar
    June7 is offline VIP
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    Can you make this project - or an extract of the objects of issue - available?
    How to attach file: http://www.accessforums.net/showthread.php?t=70301 To provide db: copy, remove confidential data, run compact & repair, zip w/Windows Compression.

  3. #3
    JohnB47 is offline Novice
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    Quote Originally Posted by June7 View Post
    Can you make this project - or an extract of the objects of issue - available?
    Thanks for the reply.

    I'll put together a simple form plus Tab Control and will try to attach that to my next reply. You would then just have to import it to an Access 2007 (or maybe 2010) database to see the problem. I'll post ASAP.

    Cheers.

  4. #4
    JohnB47 is offline Novice
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    OK, here is a small Access 2007 database, with just one form that shows the problem (at least for me).

    With the Windows Theme set to 'Windows XP', I can get tab labels to go blank when the tabs are clicked, one after the other, in design or form view. With the theme changed to 'Windows Classic', the problem goes away. Similarly when you change the tab controls style to Tabs, rather than buttons, the problem clears but the tab rows shift back and forth annoyingly (which is normal, I think).

    Oh, one other thing I noticed - opening the database seems to interact with the Theme chosen. E.g. With the database closed, set the Windows theme to 'Windows XP', then open the database - problem exists. Keep the database open but minimise the Access window, right click on the desktop, choose Properties/Themes, reselect Windows XP Theme and re-apply. Maximixe Access - the problem is gone. But close and reopen either Access and/or the database and the problem returns. So setting 'Windows XP' as the theme only works if you re-apply it after opening the database but setting the theme to 'Windows Classic' appears to be a permanent 'fix'.

    Any help to solve this (without resorting to using 'Windows Classic' theme, or 'tabs' style) would be much appreciated.

    Thanks.

  5. #5
    June7's Avatar
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    Thanks for posting the project. I thought it would have been more involved than this, I could have just built that myself. Anyway, I am also seeing this behavior. I had never set tab control to Button style but also never had to wrap tabs to multiple rows. Yes, that shifting is normal and what I usually see in apps that have tab objects and I don't mean just in Access projects. Looks like a bug issue. What fixes have you tried? Can you abbreviate the labels enough so that all tabs will fit on one row and then use the Tab style?
    How to attach file: http://www.accessforums.net/showthread.php?t=70301 To provide db: copy, remove confidential data, run compact & repair, zip w/Windows Compression.

  6. #6
    JohnB47 is offline Novice
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    Quote Originally Posted by June7 View Post
    Thanks for posting the project. I thought it would have been more involved than this, I could have just built that myself. Anyway, I am also seeing this behavior. I had never set tab control to Button style but also never had to wrap tabs to multiple rows. Yes, that shifting is normal and what I usually see in apps that have tab objects and I don't mean just in Access projects. Looks like a bug issue. What fixes have you tried? Can you abbreviate the labels enough so that all tabs will fit on one row and then use the Tab style?
    Thanks.

    Yes, it is simple to demonstrate.

    Well, as far as fixes go, I'm down to either using Tabs style or Windows Classic theme. Still, if you say shifting tab rows is normal, perhaps my users would find it OK (I find it annoying). And no, there are too many tabs to fit on one row, even keeping the labels brief.

    So there's no chance that this has been fixed? I've searched long and hard but can't find anything about this. Is there some way to stop the tab rows shifting?

    Thanks again.

  7. #7
    June7's Avatar
    June7 is offline VIP
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    I also checked this out in Access 2010 just to be sure. Still a problem. I don't know of any fix.

    I agree the shifting is annoying but I have never seen a multi-row tab control in any program that did not do this.

    So the users have a choice to get used to the shifting or the theme.
    How to attach file: http://www.accessforums.net/showthread.php?t=70301 To provide db: copy, remove confidential data, run compact & repair, zip w/Windows Compression.

  8. #8
    JohnB47 is offline Novice
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    Quote Originally Posted by June7 View Post
    I also checked this out in Access 2010 just to be sure. Still a problem. I don't know of any fix.

    I agree the shifting is annoying but I have never seen a multi-row tab control in any program that did not do this.

    So the users have a choice to get used to the shifting or the theme.
    OK, I guess that's where we leave this.

    Thank you for your help.

Please reply to this thread with any new information or opinions.

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