To Change Font Type: Select the control and select the font from the Font list on the Formatting toolbar.
To Format Text with Bold, Italics, or Underlining: Select the control and click the Bold, Italic, or Underline button on the Formatting toolbar.
Changing Text Alignment
To Change Text Alignment: Select the control and click the Align Left, Center, or Align Right button.
Using AutoFormat
To Format a Form or Report with AutoFormat: Display the form or report you want to format in Design View, click the AutoFormat button on the Report Design toolbar, select one of the AutoFormats from the list, and click OK.
Changing Colors
To Change a Control's Colors: Select the control and click one of the following buttons on the Formatting toolbar:
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Fill/Back Color
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Font/Fore Color
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Line/Border Color
Applying Special Effects
To Apply a Special Effect to a Control: Select the control, click the Special Effect button list arrow, and select the desired special effect.
Using the Format Painter
To Copy Formatting with the Format Painter: Select the control with the formatting options you want to copy, click the Format Painter button on the toolbar, and select the control where you want to apply the copied formatting.
To Copy Selected Formatting to Several Locations: Select the control with the formatting options you want to copy, double-click the Format Painter button, select the controls where you want to apply the copied formatting. Click the Format Painter button when you're finished.
Adding Pictures and Lines
To Insert a Graphic: Click the Image button on the Toolbox, move the image pointer onto the form or report, then click and drag to draw a rectangle placeholder for the graphic. Select the graphic file you want to insert and click OK.
To Draw a Line: Click the Line button on the Toolbox, move the line pointer onto the form or report, then click and drag to draw the line. Hold down the Shift key as you drag to draw a straight line.
Aligning Controls with One Another
To Select Multiple Controls: Do any of the following:
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Press and hold down the Shift key as you click each object that you want to select.
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Use the arrow pointer to draw a box around the objects that you want to select.
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If the controls are aligned along a horizontal or vertical line, click the horizontal or vertical ruler above or to the left of the controls.
To Align Objects with Each Other: Follow the above steps to select the objects you want to align, then select Format » Align and select an alignment option from the menu.
Changing a Control's Formatting Properties
To Format a Control Using the Properties Dialog Box: Display the form in Design View, select the control and click the Properties button on the toolbar, click the Format tab and make the desired formatting changes.
Quiz
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Fonts are measured in points. The larger the number of points, the smaller the size of the font. (True or False?)
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You select a control and then click the Align Left button on the Formatting toolbar. What happens?
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The control is aligned to the left side of the form or report.
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Nothing - the alignment buttons on the Formatting toolbar are used to determine the position of the form or report on the screen.
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The text inside the control is aligned to the left side of the control.
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Nothing - you must also select the control that you want to use to align the selected control with.
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AutoFormat automatically applies formatting options as you type. (True or False?)
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The Fill/Back Color button on the Formatting toolbar applies color to:
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The text in the selected control.
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The background of the selected control.
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The border of the selected control.
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All aspects of the control.
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What does the Special Effect button on the Formatting toolbar do?
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It applies a 3-D effect to a selected control.
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It lets you select a transitional effect for how a form opens and closes.
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It lets you add animation to your forms and reports to make them more entertaining and amusing.
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None of the above.
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Which of the following are reasons why you might want to format a control using the Properties dialog box instead of the Formatting toolbar? (Select all that apply.)
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You want to show off your Microsoft Access expertise to do things the hard way.
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The Properties dialog box offers every formatting option available for the controlsomething the Formatting toolbar doesn't have.
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The Properties dialog box gives you greater control over how a control is formatted.
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You can change the language used in a control using the Properties dialog box. For example, you could select Spanish or French instead of English.
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You want to insert a graphic of your company's logo on a report. How can you do this? (Select all that apply.)
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You can'tMicrosoft Access won't let you insert graphic files.
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Click the Image button on the Toolbox and drag on the report to draw a placeholder for the graphic.
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Select Insert » Picture from the menu.
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Select Tools » Insert Picture from the menu.
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How can you align several controls with each other?
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Select the controls by holding down the Shift key as you click each object, then select Format » Align and select an alignment option from the menu.
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Select the controls by holding down the Ctrl key as you click each object, then select Format » Align and select an alignment option from the menu.
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Select the controls by holding down the Ctrl key as you click each object, then click the appropriate alignment button on the Drawing toolbar.
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Select the controls by holding down the Shift key as you click each object, then click the appropriate alignment button on the Drawing toolbar.
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Homework
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Start Microsoft Access, open the Homework database, and open the Test Answers form in Design View.
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Use AutoFormat to apply the International preset formatting style to the Test Answers form.
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Change the back color of the Grade text box field to light yellow.
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Change the font size of the Grade field to 10 pt.
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Use the Format Painter tool to copy the formatting from the Grade field and apply it to the two remaining fields on the Test Answers form.
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Resize the controls as necessary to make room for the new font size.
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Save the changes to the form.
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Close the Homework database, and exit Microsoft Access.
Quiz Answers
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False. It's true that fonts are measured in points; however, the larger the number of points, the larger the size of the font.
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C. The text inside the control is aligned to the left side of the control.
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False. AutoFormat lets you quickly format a form or report using a set of predefined formatting options.
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B. The Fill/Back Color button on the Formatting toolbar applies color to the background of a selected control.
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A. The Special Effect button applies a 3-D effect to a selected control.
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B and C. The Properties dialog box gives you more control and options over how a control is formatted.
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B and C. To insert a picture on a form or report, click the Image button on the Toolbox, and drag on the report to draw a placeholder for the graphic, or select Insert » Picture from the menu.
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A. To align several controls with each other, select the controls by holding down the Shift key as you click each object, then select Format » Align and select an alignment option from the menu.