Using Access's Tab Control to Create a Multipage Form

Question: How do I use Microsoft Access's Tab Control to create a multipage form ?
In Microsoft Access, the Tab Control provides a highly effective way to create multipage forms, ensuring a streamlined and well-organized user interface. This functionality allows for multiple data entry sections or views to be presented within a single form but on different tabs. Here's a comprehensive step-by-step guide on how to utilize the Tab Control to create a multipage form.

1. Step 1: Open the Form in Design View:
   Begin by identifying the form you wish to add the Tab Control to. Open this form in Design View. This can be done by right-clicking the form in the Navigation Pane and selecting "Design View" from the context menu.
2. Step 2: Add the Tab Control to the Form:
   In Design View, navigate to the "Design" tab on the Ribbon. From there, click on the "Tab Control" button in the Controls group. Your cursor will change into a crosshair, indicating that you can now draw a rectangle on the form where you would like the Tab Control to be located. Left-click and drag to draw this rectangle, defining the size and position of your Tab Control.
3. Step 3: Add Pages to the Tab Control:
   Once the Tab Control is placed, you can add pages to it. Each page will act as a container for other controls, like text boxes or drop-down lists. By default, Access provides two pages when you insert the Tab Control. If you need to add more pages, right-click on the Tab Control and select "Insert Page" from the context menu.
4. Step 4: Rename the Tab Pages: To rename a tab, right-click on the tab you want to rename and choose "Properties" from the context menu. In the Property Sheet, under the "Format" tab, change the "Caption" property to your preferred name. Close the Property Sheet when done.
5. Step 5: Add Controls to the Tab Pages:
   With the Tab Control and pages set up, you can now add controls to each page. Make sure the correct page is selected, then go back to the "Design" tab on the Ribbon and choose the desired control from the Controls group. As before, your cursor will change into a crosshair, allowing you to draw the control on the selected page of the Tab Control. Repeat this process to add all necessary controls to each page.
6. Step 6: Bind Controls to Data Source:
   If the controls you added need to display data from a table or query, you need to bind them to the data source. Select the control, open the Property Sheet, and under the "Data" tab, set the "Control Source" property to the field you want to display.
7. Step 7: Save and View the Form:
   Finally, after adding all necessary tab pages and controls, save your form and switch to Form View to see the result. The Tab Control should now display separate pages, each with its own set of controls.

To navigate between the tabs, simply click on the tab name. Each tab will present its own set of controls, thereby functioning as a multipage form within a single Access form.
In conclusion, using the Tab Control in Microsoft Access provides a robust solution for presenting and interacting with complex or abundant data sets in an organized, user-friendly manner.

One of the best features added in Access 97 was the Tab control

found in the Form Design toolbox. In Access 2000, the Tab control continues its role of allowing you to organize multiple pages of related information on a single form. It also allows you to move from page to page by clicking the tabs at the top of the Tab control. You can see two pages displayed in the next two figures:

To add a Tab control to a form, you need to:

1. Click on the Tab control in the toolbox.
2. Drop the control onto the form you desire. You will then be presented with two pages by default.
3. Open the property sheet by clicking on the Property Sheet toolbar button.

Once you have added the Tab control to a form, you can change the caption of each of the pages by clicking on the current caption of the page you want, then changing the Caption property located on the Format tab of the property sheet.

To add information to the individual pages, click the caption of the page in which you want to place the information, then place the controls on the Tab control as you would on the form itself.

There are other ways to work with the Tab control, such as adding, deleting, and moving pages. To do this, right-click on the Tab control, and you will see this menu displayed:

Click the Exercise link below to practice creating a form and adding the Tab control.
Creating Multipage Forms - Exercise
In the next lesson, you will learn how to use the Chart Wizard to add a chart to a form.