Toggling between Design and Data views

When you're building a database, you will frequently switch back and forth between the Design View where you build the structure of the table, form or report and it's data view, where you actually use it. Access gives you a variety of methods of moving back and forth between the two. When you double-click on an object, let's say a table in the Navigation pane, it defaults to opening in Data View, handy for working on your data immediately. If you need to switch to the Design View to work with the structure of that table, go up to the very first button on the Home Ribbon. You will see a button with an architect's triangle and a pencil on it.

Click on this button, right on the triangle and your view will switch to Design View. To go back to the datasheet, simply click that button again. You will notice that the button has a dropdown arrow underneath it. Click on that dropdown and you also have options to switch to a PivotTable or a PivotChart View, as well as Design View. These two options are available when you're working on a table. Let's open up the form to see how this works on a form. I want to scroll down to the Forms and I will choose my Product Split Form. I will double-click on it and it opens, and now the button in the corner gives me the option of going to the Layout View or back to the Datasheet View and if I click on the dropdown, I also have the option of going straight to Design View.

So as you can see, each of the different objects types, Tables, Forms, Queries and Reports will all have two main views to toggle with the top half and a wider variety with the dropdown arrow. But that's just the first way to move between the two. Here are a few more. Look down in the lower right-hand corner of your window. There are little buttons down here to toggle between each of your views. If you don't see these buttons, right- click on the bar and put a check mark in front of View Shortcuts. If you right-click on an Objects tab, you can also change the view from there and if you right-click on an object in the Navigation pane, you can also open up directly into the view that you like.

I use that technique a lot. If you're working in the contextual ribbons, the ones that open when you are in Design View or Layout View, the first tab will always have a toggle to go back and forth between your views. And when you're working on a form in Design View here is one more powerful option. See this little box in the upper left -hand corner between the horizontal and vertical ribbons. If I right-click on that, I also have View selectors there as well. Note however that that option only shows up in the Design View on Forms and Reports.

It doesn't work on Tables or Queries on in Datasheet or Layout Views. Knowing a variety of methods to toggle between your object views will definitely speed up your development time.