computer icon MYOD - Make Your Own Database a Tutorial
by Cindy O'Hora

Planning

Begin

Define Fields

Radio buttons

Pop-up Menu

Date

Value List

Checkbox

Number

Summary

Grand Summary

Sort & Page view

Data Entry

Harnessing

Loverly Layout

New View

Find

Find by date

Calculating Radio Buttons

Fields: Name, address, phone, grade, gender, school, teacher/advisor, project name, category (I'll explain this one when we make this field). Other data: Entry date, fee paid, paper work received, ranking / award.

Step 5. Making the database. Creating Fields. Pop-up Menu

Sometimes the field's data is a list. School is an example. The data to be entered will be limited to the schools that can participate in the science fair. Harness the Pop-up field to ease data entry and assure consistent entries.

Why is this an issue?

We should always use computer features to decrease the amount of redundant keyboarding that is necessary. Additionally, typos can result in records not sorting correctly or not being included in finds and reports. This can also help errors or confusion when two participating schools have similar names like Conestoga and Conestoga Valley.

By making the field a Pop-up field you give the entry person a constant set of choices.

To resume adding fields:

1. Go: Layout .. Define Fields

2. Enter School in the Field Name.

3. Change the Field type Pop-up menu to Pop-up Menu. Click Create.

4. The Options for Pop-up Menu dialog box will open.

Pop Menu dilog box

 

5. Click Item 1 in the Items for Control box.

6. Enter Elementary in the Item Label box.

7. Click Modify.

8. Item 1 should change to Elementary.

9. Enter Middle in the Item Label box.

10. Click Create.

11. Continue adding more schools as indicated.

12. Click OK.

13. Click Done.

14. Save your database. command key .. s

You may choose to set Automatically enter as you see fit. If you anticipate the majority of entries will come from elementary schools, then make Elementary the default.

You might choose to add another Pop-up menu list to your database that offers the specific name of the school. So if you have Washington Elementary and Jefferson Elementary, you can use that menu to distinguish between the entrants from these two schools.

If the fair is open to more than your district you can use this kind of field again: Public, Private, Parochial, and Home school.

These added menus will be very handy when you craft a report about the event to your Board.

More about Pop-up menus in my Database site

Next - Special field Date (Radio Bullet, Popup Menu, Value List, Auto Date, Checkbox, Number)

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Copyright 3/2004 Cynthia O'Hora All Rights Reserved. Posted 3/2004 by Cindy O'Hora