Mark A Matte
markamatte at hotmail.com
Thu Dec 30 10:14:38 CST 2004
Erwin,
I've done something similar in 2 different apps. Both were done
dynamically. Both customers can add questions and answers to the app
without needing something done to the code. Here are the 2 approaches I
took:
1st approach:
I used subforms on a tab control. Each subform was set to continuous. In
this approach the answers were predefined. Tab1 answers were
1,2,3,NA...Tab2 answers were Yes,No,NA...tab 3 answers were Sometimes,
always,never,most, etc. When the user added a new question, they must
select what tab they want it to appear on...where the answers were already
set up.
2nd approach:
This was an order form...the goal was to pick a product, then the
attributes, and then the attribute values. The problem was that some
attribute values had a specific limit, others would need to be free text but
they would probably type the same thing over and over again, and the third
was basically random descriptive words or numbers. Again I used subforms
set to continuous, 3 this time...each set up with a different kind of answer
(attribute value) box. (the words in quotes are just titles I chose for the
explanation to the customer)The first was just a text box ('FreeText')...the
second was a combo ('DropDown' that used its own source to populate)...and
the third was a combo ('LimitToList' used an attribute table to populate and
was limited to the list). So now when the customer adds a new product or
attribute to the app he has to decide what type of attribute they are adding
(FreeText,DropDown, or LimitToList) and the app places the new in the right
category...and of course if they chose LimitToList...the app prompted them
for the acceptable choices.
Don't know if this helps at all...but it sounded similar. Each time I just
separated my questions by answer type...if I had 4 answer types...I ended up
with 4 subforms...and so on. The benefit of this is I could walk away after
they got up and running, unless something just broke.
Good Luck,
Mark A. Matte
>From: "Nicholson, Karen" <cyx5 at cdc.gov>
>Reply-To: Access Developers discussion and problem
>solving<accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
>To: "Access Developers discussion and problem
>solving"<accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
>Subject: RE: [AccessD] Creating controls on a form table data based
>Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 09:55:47 -0500
>
>Yikes.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
>[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Erwin Craps -
>IT Helps
>Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 9:47 AM
>To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
>Subject: RE: [AccessD] Creating controls on a form table data based
>
>
>
>I have 73 question with in total 372 posible choices/answers.
>And its a dynamic thing, so questions will be added by the user, and the
>forms need to adapt.
>Showing a popup per question is not an option because this needs user
>interaction (73 times) and slows down te data entry.
>
>So I dont see any other solution then generating unbound forms on the
>spot and add controls (questions, answers, formatting and code) to them.
>Each form will have its maximum height depending on the number of
>questions/answers, so probably i will end up with 10 forms or so.
>
>I already noticed that I can not generate a report for this in Access
>due to the limit in detailsection height, don't know if creating
>sections can help in this. So I supose I will need to generate the
>printed report in Word from Access, which is fine for the customer.
>
>Hehe, tuff nut to crack...
>
>Erwin
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
>[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Nicholson,
>Karen
>Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 12:35 PM
>To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
>Subject: RE: [AccessD] Creating controls on a form table data based
>
>We just did a similar application, I thought that conditional formatting
>would be my ticket, but alas, it is not powerful enough to change the
>visibility of controls on a continuous form. So, what we did was create
>one form for each question. Each question has different fields for the
>answer - some are yes no, some need comments, etc. So, we had about 15
>questions. I had one form with 15 forms plopped on the one form. Looks
>like a continuous form to the user but it is lots of forms all tied by
>the unique identifier. We used one table for the questions and answers,
>on the form we just display those relevant to each question. Pain in ze
>butt butt it worked.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
>[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Erwin Craps -
>IT Helps
>Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 6:10 AM
>To: accessd at databaseadvisors.com
>Subject: [AccessD] Creating controls on a form table data based
>
>
>Yes it is an AccessD, my mistake.
>
>No, not one question at the time. That's just the point.
>I first proposed that, but after discussing this with the customer, we
>decided that this goes way to slow for data entry at location with a
>tablet pc in the hand walking around.
>
>
>Erwin
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
>[mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Gustav Brock
>Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2004 11:46 AM
>To: dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com
>Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] Creating controls on a form table data based
>
>Hi Erwin
>
>First, isn't this an AccessD topic?
>
>Then, couldn't you use a continuous form where you display one question
>at a time?
>If so, you could define the type of question (yes/no, amount, etc.), the
>question itself etc. dynamically.
>
>/gustav
>
> >>> Erwin.Craps at ithelps.be 30-12-2004 11:16:26 >>>
>Hi
>
>I developing an app for a tablet pc, that will be uses by an expert to
>estimate real estates.
>The target is that the expert gets out his tablet pc in the building and
>starts clicking predifined answers to descibe the estate.
>Additional comments per answer must be posible (example wooden floor =
>yes, comment= slightly damaged) For reasons of speed and overview the
>several questions and respective answers need to be on a minimum of
>forms to avoid form switching They now use a paper form.
>The difficulty lies in the fact that questions and there choices/answers
>can vary over time.
>So the only solution to achieve this looks like creating forms and their
>controls programaticaly on the spot.
>
>So I got in to creating x number of controls on x number of forms, but
>I'm tumbling in to problems like a limited form length, how to entry
>code (programaticaly) after a control, etc etc.
>
>The answers are not straigtforward yes/no but can be any of these Yes/No
>(boolean) amount (Euro) number simple text long text (memo) multiple
>choice (option group) 1 choice only multiple choice (option group)
>multiple choices
>
>So I'm getting scared not beeing on the right track here, or not posible
>in a reasonable time.
>Some great webpage on this material would help me with some guidelines
>how to achive this.
>
>
>Thanks
>
>
>
>Erwin Craps
>
>Zaakvoerder
>
>www.ithelps.be/onsgezin
>
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