Hello All!
Using Access 2010, I am trying to determine the best practices for distributing a form.
I plan to split the database into a frontend and backend.
Once I have the frontend, is there a good way to simplify what a user experiences?
I am not concerned with security, in the sense that someone may see some data that they should not, but I am concerned with someone accidentally editing or changing something.
The workflow is currently as follows:
When frontend database opens, the form that is needed to launch the report opens.
I have all queries and reports hidden.
The userfills out the form and clicks a button that says "run report".
The report opens in a new tab, next to the "form" tab.
The user either looks at the generated report and then exits the report (using a close report button that I have made) or prints the report by going to file > print.
Although all of this works, I can not help but think there must be a way to simplify everything that the user sees.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to "best practices" or improvements that I could use?
A few areas that I see that I think could be improved on are:
1) As it stands now, there are two tabs open and visible. It would be great if when a user hit "run report" the form tab disappeared. Likewise, if a user clicked the "close report" button, the form should reappear.
2) The "close report" button is printed right along with everything else. It would be great if it could be hidden during printing.
3) Going to "file > print" is okay, but having a print button right on the top of the report would be even easier.
4) Hiding all of the top ribbon options and any options outside of my form and report would be great, assuming that there was someway that I could still get back to them as the person that will be maintaining the database/form/report.
Thank you for any guidance!