How to use it
The J-Walk Enhanced Data Form is a general-purpose data entry form that works with any worksheet database. A worksheet database is a range of cells that contain fields (columns) and records (rows). The cells in the database can contain values, text, dates, logical values, or formulas. The first row of the database should contain field names.
Displaying the Enhanced Data Form
- For Excel 2007 Users:
When the Enhanced Data Form add-in is installed, the Excel 2007 Data tab displays a new group DataForm, and this group contains one icon: J-Walk Enhanced Data Form. Select any cell in your worksheet database table, and then select the Ribbon command.
- For Users of Excel 97 - 2003:
When the Enhanced Data Form add-in is installed, Excel's Data tab displays a new menu item: J-Walk Enhanced Data Form. Select any cell in your worksheet database table, and then select the Ribbon command.
The figure
below shows the Enhanced Data Form. The exact configuration depends on the
number of fields, the field names, and whether the Data Form has been
customized. When the dialog box is displayed, it
will show the record that corresponds to the active cell. In addition, the
database row will be highlighted in the worksheet.
Notice that the dialog box has two tabs: Data and Criteria. The Data tab is used for viewing, editing, and entering data. The Criteria tab is to specify search criteria that will enable you to locate specific records.
Changing the size of the form - NEW FEATURE
You can easily change the size of the Enhanced Data Form. Click the lower right corner of the form and drag. You can make the form taller, shorter, wider, or narrower. The width of the data entry fields change accordingly (but the width of the descriptive field names remain fixed).
To adjust the width of the field labels, see Customizing the Data Form.
Viewing data
The horizontal scroll bar (at the bottom of the Enhanced Data Form) is used to quickly activate a particular record. The label below the scroll bar displays the current record number and the total number of records (for example, Record 195 of 905). You can change the current record (row) by using the horizontal scroll bar, or by using the Previous or Next buttons. The data is displayed in the dialog box, and is also highlighted in the worksheet.
Editing data
To change the data displayed in the Enhanced Data Form, activate the appropriate field and use standard editing techniques. Note that you can use the Tab key (and Shift+Tab) to cycle among the fields. If all of the fields are not visible, use the vertical scroll bar. This scroll bar is not present if all fields are displayed. After you've edited the field(s), click Next or Previous to store the changes in the worksheet. Press Enter (or click Close) to close the dialog box.
Adding new data
To add new data to your worksheet database, click the Insert button or the New button. Clicking the Insert button inserts a new row above the current row. Clicking the New button adds the data to the end of the database table. After you enter the data in the dialog box, add it to the worksheet by clicking Next, Previous, Insert, or New.
When a new record is added, the text [NEW] is entered into the first field. This is done in order to maintain the integrity of the database table.
If your database is an Excel 2007 table (created by using the Insert - Table command), the table is automatically expanded to include new data.
Deleting data
Click the Delete button to delete the current record. Subsequent records will be shifted upward to eliminate the gap caused by the deleted row.
Undoing operations
After you've made a change to your database, you can undo the change by clicking the Undo xxxx button. This button will display the operation that will be undone. For example, it may display Undo Delete. There is only one level of undo. The following operation can be undone:
- Insert
- New
- Delete
Entering search criteria
In some cases, you may want to locate records that meet certain criteria. To enter search criteria, click the Criteria tab of the Enhanced Data Form dialog box. You'll see the same field names listed in the Data tab -- but the background color is different to remind you that you're in the Criteria tab.
Enter the data to find in the appropriate fields. For additional information about searching, click the Tips button.
After you've entered your search criteria, click the Data tab. You'll find that the dialog box has changed in three ways:
- The Next button now displays Find Next. Use this button to display the next record that matches your search criteria.
- The Previous button now displays Find Prev. Use this button to display the previous record that matches your search criteria.
- The Criteria tab now displays <<Criteria>>. This is just a reminder that search criteria are in effect.
To cancel this search mode and return to normal, click the Criteria tab and click the Clear button.