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Mark O'BrienFlag for United States of America

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Need way to extend view in MS Access

Hi Techs, in the pic here, I am wondering if there's a way to extend the view of this box so I dont have to use the slider at the bottom.  There has to be a way....
Thank you
Mark88User generated image
Avatar of crystal (strive4peace) - Microsoft MVP, Access
crystal (strive4peace) - Microsoft MVP, Access

is this a subform? go to the design view of the form and click once on the subform control to select it. You will see resizing handles in the middle of each side and on the corners.  If you double-click a resizing handle, it will best-fit, but for continuous forms, you may want to make the height taller by dragging one of the bottom handles (like the one in the middle so it doesn't also change width) down.

If a best-fit makes it too wide, you may want to drag it in a bit -- and then remember to also drag in the right boundary of the form.  You can also set Width on the Format tab of the Property sheet (Alt-Enter to toggle display).
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ASKER

what's a subform
When I chose Design View, the whole thing closes out
What about making the columns more narrow?
Then I cant see whats in those columns
Alt+Enter doesnt do anything
Maybe you can display the fields in the currently selected row in a more vertical fashion to the side of the grid.
.. extend the view of this box so I dont have to use the slider at the bottom.

What about making the columns more narrow?
Then I cant see whats in those columns

Then what do you imagine could be a possible solution?

/gustav
Right, what else can I do?
if you make the columns narrower and need to see more in a particular control while looking at data, press Shift-F2 for the zoom box.

> "Alt+Enter doesnt do anything"
toggles the display of the property sheet on and off.

> "what's a subform"

a subform is form on another form.  I thought maybe it was because your screenshot shows a command button.  If this you want the WINDOW the form is in to be bigger, you can drag it by moving the mouse to an edge when the cursor changes to a double-headed arrow.
You will have to rethink how data is presented for the user in the different situations the user will need access to these data.

/gustav
Is there a way to get to Design View that wont close the program?
With just a screen shot of the form view, it is hard to know what you have.  Perhaps you can post a screen shot of the DESIGN VIEW? As Gustav noted, perhaps the data should be presented differently. Maybe you want a single-form with one record per screen. Maybe you want a continuous form with multiple lines per record You would have to modify the design after the wizard creates something for you if that is how this was made).  If this is a Datasheet form, all you can do is resize columns.

> "Is there a way to get to Design View that wont close the program?"
right-click on the title bar or tab and choose Design from the shortcut menu

You can also right-click on the form name in the Navigation Pane and choose Design
You an change the font size of the text, to make it smaller.

How you do this depends on what version of Access you are using and whether this information is being displayed in a form, table, or query.

If you click on the upper left corner of the form/query/table, it should select all of the rows and columns of the object.  You can then change the font in those columns in the Home tab of the ribbon control.

You can also change the default size of text in datasheet view in the Access Options section of the database, under Datasheet, Default Font.

But if this is simply the results of a table or query, then you could create a form based on that table/query and display the controls almost any way you want on that form.
> right-click on the title bar or tab and choose Design from the shortcut menu You can also right-click on the form name in the Navigation Pane and choose Design

Nothing happens when I do that
User generated image  Here's another shot of the whole form
the form within the main form is called a subform.  In the design view, you can change the size of the subform control by selecting it and dragging a resizing handle.

It looks like the subform is a Datasheet.  There are other type of forms that will probably work better for the information that you have, as previously mentioned.
I am not in control of the form and I didnt create it, but Id like to resize that field
Since this is a datasheet, when you are looking at the data, you can resize a column by moving the mouse to the right boundary of the label in the column header and (1) click and drag, or (2) double-click to best-fit for what is currently displayed on the screen when the cursor changes to a vertical line with double-headed horizontal arrow ... just like in Excel ~
I need to resize the whole box - the one in my first screenshot
then you need to resize the subform control in the design view  -- re-read my first comment

the subform control specifies the name of the form that will be displayed (Source Object), its size (Width, Height) and position (Left, Top), how it will be linked (LinkMasterFields, LinkChildFields), etc
Looks like the form was designed for a monitor which is taller and narrower than your screen.  Do you know the person that created the application?  If so, they can probably make the modifications you ask for.

Do you have the original file (???.mdb or ???.accdb), or are you running opening this database with an extension of something like (.accde, .mde, .accdr)?
> then you need to resize the subform control in the design view  -- re-read my first comment

Please reread my comment first.  When I click Design View, the program closes
I am making a copy off the server .accdb.
perhaps other people are using the database.  Are the tables linked? When you look at the Navigation pane, do the tables each have an arrow in front of the table icon? If not, then the database needs to be split into a front-end and back-end so each person who is using it has their own copy of the front-end.

Front-end has forms, reports, queries, and code. Front-end links to tables stored in the back-end.

Back-end has all the tables.
huh?
The main types of objects in an Access database are Tables, Queries, Forms, Report, Macros, and Modules. Tables can be linked to and shared.

While Access CAN be set up to be multi-user, it is not that way by default.  Something needs to be done. I am assuming since you couldn't go to the form design that either others have the database open or, perhaps you don't have privileges where it is located.  It also could be that the form design is protected and you need a password.
With a form or subform in datasheet view, you can size the control by making it wider or taller or even rearranging the columns.  It works just like Excel.  Move your cursor to the line between the labels and watch it change shape.  Do the same at the left edge and move over the line between rows and watch the cursor change shape. However, the nice feature in older versions of Access that saved user settings is missing so for newer versions of Access, you would need to resize every time you open the form unless you can get the developer to make the changes permanent for you.

The quick alternative is to use the zoom box which as others have pointed out is shift-F2.

Please comment on these two ideas.  Both have been mentioned by others but you seem to have ignored them.
I tried the f2 thing and changed the font size, but it didnt change in the form
moving the columns doesnt help me.  ok........... I really need to extend the size of that box please.
"that box" is called a subform. To change it, you have to be able to change the design of the form.  If you cannot get into the design view, you cannot change it and will have to do as Dale suggested and talk to whoever made it for you.
The form creator isnt going to change it.
Now Ive done something to break it.  It doesnt call up Outlook email anymore :(
Oh, that's probably b/c my email was missing in my last order.
What a nightmare
Before you make changes, always make a copy of the database. I realize that doesn't help you now ...

Access keeps a history of things that were done. If you modified code, go back to the code and press UNDO on the toolbar as many times as it can be done. Perhaps the code just needs to be compiled: from the menu in the code: Debug, Compile (the name of your database). If it highlights a line, there is a problem with it and you can fix it.

Don't change anything else till you back it up and note the date and time in the filename of the backup

Maybe your network team can get it the way it was from the last backup -- then you can replace the user interface stuff (queries, forms, reports, macros, modules) and leave the tables as they are since I am assuming they may have had records added or changed.
No one said the zoom box would change the form.  Using it simply lets you see what is in the box without using the scroll arrow.

If you are not in control of the form - YOU CANNOT CHANGE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That means that the methods that have been recommended do NOT change the form.  They simply make it easier to see.  Did you try increasing the height of the row?  Below are three pictures.
1. default
2. heightened rows
3. zoom boxUser generated image
- unless my copy is just a copy off the server
Can you upload a sample or copy of the db so we can look at it more closer?

ET
Pat, what did you type in there to make it do that?
What did I type in where?
Pic 1 is the default view
Pic 2 - I moved the cursor to the grey box on the left and as you get it over the dividing line between rows, the pointer changes shape to a double headed arrow and you just click and drag down to make the row taller.  This is EXACTLY the same way Excel works.
Pic 3 - I clicked into the RateClass field - you can see that in the background form, it is still selected and I pressed shift-F2 to open the zoom box.
I dont think work would let me upload the db.  That has proprietary info in it.
Mark,
Please try to respond to questions.  You specifically asked me a question that I tried to answer but without knowing what "that" is, it is impossible so I just guessed.  Where are we now?
It appears that I dont have the permissions to resize that subform.
Am I right?
<<<I dont think work would let me upload the db.  That has proprietary info in it.>>>>

Create a sample db with a few sample records that will re-produce the problem with your form.  That would take less time the all the back and forth plus guessing everyone is doing.  IJS

ET
no idea how to do that
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PatHartman
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if you cannot change the design yourself:
you need to go back to the developer anyway ... to resolve the #Name? error -- while there, ask that the subform be made wider and suggest how much wider ... 150%, 200%, etc -- based on how much more the monitor can show (get your ruler out)
thank you