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
When the Enhanced Data Form add-in is installed, Excel's Data menu displays a new menu item: J-Walk Enhanced Data Form. Select any cell in your worksheet database, and then select this menu 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.
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 34 of 1452). You can activate (view) data 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.
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. After you enter the data in the dialog box, add it to the worksheet by clicking Next, Previous, Insert, or New.
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.