Double-click on Form 1 in the Contents of Application window. A blank form appears and the control palette becomes active on the tool bar. Double-click on the form to edit its properties, shown in Figure E. Form properties determine an end-user's ability to enter, edit, and delete data.

FIGURE E

Form properties specify the linked table and user permissions. Click picture for a larger image.

Name this form Orders and link it to the Orders table. Add controls by selecting them from the toolbar. You might add a title control, some edit and text controls, a check box, a drop list, and a time/date stamp. Each control has properties that manage its behavior and link it to underlying data. Link some controls to the columns of the Orders table. The drop list control is particularly interesting, and its properties are shown in Figure F. The drop list is dynamic, drawing data from the Customers table, rather than from a static list. It also manages the foreign key relationship between Orders and Customers, displaying customer name, but storing customer number in the Orders table.

FIGURE F

The drop list retrieves data from the Customers table and manages the foreign key relationship with the Orders table. Click picture for a larger image.

The simple Orders form is shown in Figure G.

FIGURE G

The Orders form incorporates several different types of controls. Click picture for a larger image.

Adding navigation and data manipulation with actions
Many applications consist of multiple forms, and users need the ability to navigate among them. Select Insert Form from the Edit menu to create a second form. This form, Line Items, is shown in Figure H.

FIGURE H

The Line Items form lets users enter the order details Click picture for a larger image.

It is linked to the Line Items table and lets users enter the products, prices, and quantities associated with an order. The unbound control, Total, will be calculated later. To enable users to navigate between the forms, add a button to the Orders form and edit its properties, setting "Action when Clicked" to jump to the Line Items form, as shown in Figure I.

FIGURE I

Actions simplify form and record navigation. Click picture for a larger image.

In addition to form navigation, actions can perform record navigation (go to first, next, previous, last record) and data manipulation (create, delete record), launch other applications, and run scripts.

Managing data presentation with filters
Often, you may need to manage the data seen by the user. For example, a user who jumps from the Orders form to the Line Items form, should only see line items on the current order, and only add line items to the current order. To include this master/detail functionality, add a filter to the button that performs the jump.

Filters separate data based on specific criteria, limiting the records of a table to those that match the criteria. Figure J illustrates setting a filter on the Line Items table to a dynamic criterion, the current order number from the Orders form. This creates the master/detail relationship. Filters can also be used to initialize records with default values, build linked drop lists, and tailor different data to different users.