Access 2007 UI: How to view multi tables/queries at once?

[Graham Wideman [Visio MVP]]

Hi folks:

After 13+ years of intensive use of MS Access, I'm just now looking at
Access 2007 and am generally flumoxed to a standstill.

However, how do I view multiple tables and queries at once? Right now they
are stuck in tabs, so you can only see one at a time, which is fatal. I
expected there to be a way to tear off the tabs into separate floating
windows, but that doesn't seem to work.

Also this post:

http://blogs.msdn.com/access/archive/2005/11/21/better-navigation-in-less-space.aspx

"SDI is the default option for new databases but your old databases will
still default to the MDI window style."

mentioned that there is (was?) a setting to turn on MDI, which is probably
what I want, but I can't find it anywhere, and "MDI" doesn't show up in
help.

What am I missing?

Graham

 

[bcap]

1. Hit the office button (it's the big pizza at the top left corner).

2. Click the "Access Options" button

3. Click "Current Database"

4. Near the top, click the "Overlapping Windows" radio button.

5. Click "OK" and restart.

 

[Graham Wideman [Visio MVP]]

bcap:

Thanks! This was driving me so crazy that you just saved me a trip to a
psychiatrist (and an uninstall of Access 2007).

Moving on... do you have any suggestion how to get the now-liberated
datasheet windows to open to a sensible size, or to remember the last size
they were set to?

What is rather ironic is that the option is called "overlapping windows",
when it in fact permits exactly the opposite -- separate windows that are
NOT overlapping, unlike the tab arrangement where they are TOTALLY
overlapping.

But just because the option is misnamed "overlapping", doesn't mean Access
should deliberately make the datasheet windows as large as possible to
ensure that they DO overlap.

OK, I'm griping for effect -- this is no worse than in Access 2003 -- it's
just that after seeing MS spend all this money, time and effort on
superfluous gradient fills and ribbons of debatable usefulness, these basic
usability features STILL don't work. I see that the SQL editor still lacks
even the editing capability of Notepad, such as Ctl-A, has no choice of font
(monospace is often useful), and does not automatically format SQL in a a
readable way, (let along do -- gasp -- syntax coloring!) nor even retain
previous formatting (thus requiring copy/paste to other editors... thus
making the Ctl-A ommission the more tedious -- gaaaaa!).

La plus ca change I guess!

Graham

 

[bcap]

I share your pain, Graham, they really should've fixed what they already had
before bolting even more stuff onto it (and you will not be surprised to
hear that almost all the new stuff is buggy too - and will probably never be
fixed, just like the stuff we've been complaining about for a decade or
more!)

Having said that, if you want a form to open at the size you darn well
designed it for, set it's Auto Resize property to true. n.b. this only
works in single form view, in datasheet or continuous forms view, it opens
at whatever size you last saved it at.

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

I see that the SQL editor still lacks
even the editing capability of Notepad, such as Ctl-A, has no choice of font

shift-ctrl+end to highlight all text always worked in notepad for me.
(and it also works in the sql editor)

And you can change the font.

office button->access options->object designers

You see the query design options to set the font + font size.

I am hoping the sql editor will be improved in the future. At least we now
get context help in the sql view when you hit f1 for help.

 

[Graham Wideman [Visio MVP]]

I share your pain, Graham,

I have more if you'd like to share that too

Having said that, if you want a form to open at the size you darn well
designed it for, set it's Auto Resize property to true.

Right -- but wearing my data analyst hat, I spend 99% of my (Access) time
viewing raw tables and dynamically creating and viewing queries, (or using
raw VBA modules) so unless I'm mistaken, this doesn't apply?

-- Graham

 

[Graham Wideman [Visio MVP]]

Thanks Albert, nice to know!

-- Graham

 

[bcap]

I have more if you'd like to share that too


Right -- but wearing my data analyst hat, I spend 99% of my (Access) time
viewing raw tables and dynamically creating and viewing queries, (or using
raw VBA modules) so unless I'm mistaken, this doesn't apply?

-- Graham

Indeed not.

 

[LindaSD]

Graham - after 2 weeks with 2007 Access, I'm physically sick. I too use
Access and Excel together to do extensive data analysis and 90% of my work
days are reviewing tables and queries and Excel Pivot tables.

The fact that tables and queries open showing something like 10 blank fields
when there are only two in a table (example) is very annoying. I'm
constantly resizing the windows. Queries resized and saved keep that resize,
but tables seem not to to that. I have posted this question and gotton no
reply that solves the issues.

I typically will have 4 tables and two queries open working back and forth
between them. The new version is horrible for this and like you, I am close
to having it uninstalled except for my company's policy to move towards 2007.

The fact that when you opens the navigation pane and select a table, the
table opens to the small space to the right. To get more room I collapse the
navigation pane and the tables move over to the left. But of course when I
need the navigation pane again, it moves the tables over, plus it doesn't go
to the last place I opened in the pane. Very very irritating.

I agree that maybe "normal" users find this new version better, but for
anyone who doesn't care about the pretty stuff, it is far worse and
confusing. I'm getting used to it but my work output has slowed
considerably, my eyes hurt (from hunting across ribbons for things) and I'm
cranky.

If you find an answer to how things open and better usability of the
windows, please let me know. LindaSD

 

[John W. Vinson]

Right -- but wearing my data analyst hat, I spend 99% of my (Access) time
viewing raw tables and dynamically creating and viewing queries, (or using
raw VBA modules) so unless I'm mistaken, this doesn't apply?

Nope. But Forms (and Reports) are designed for data presentation, and have
tools such as Auto Resize which support that function. Tables and Queries are
not designed for data presentation; they're "under the hood" and the
assumption is that developers using them are indifferent to such things. <g>