Why Switchboard

[perrymans]

Why should I use a Switchboard for a start=up screen rather than a Form? I currently have a form which is selected to run at start-up withh the command buttons to take the user where they want to go. What the advantage of a switchboard? Will I run into any problems with the form? Sean.

 

[Sameal]

A switchboard IS a form. If you have your own already built don't worry about it. Just to to Tools -> Startup and define your form as the startup form.

 

[andrewvanbeck]

The Switchboard wizard makes modifying menus easier, because all the details are stored in a table. There is nothing really clever about Switchboards, you could design your own forms etc instead, they are there basically for people who use Wizards and don't want to do a lot of form design.


Regards,

Andrew.

 

[perrymans]

Thanks for the input Fellers. I appreciate it. Sean.

 

[ChrisBelzona]

I find this hard to believe but I'm going to stick up for the switchboard. A couple of months go I was a non believer in the switchbaord until I created a database where 50 users needed all different parts of the database.

I had used in built security functions and ones I had developed myself but it all got rather messey, so with a little bit of tweaking I am able (via a form) to list menu's buttons,users and then tick which buttons can see, so if I create new forms I just add them into the switchboard table and tick which users can view them its all very simple and beats adding buttons and coding for new menu forms.

I am now a complete convert to the switchboard

That's my view on them anyway, but in the end its whatever youre happy with.

Cheers

Chris Russell

 

[JimHorton]

Chris,
Sounds like what you're really a convert to is the use of table-driven programming. The same concept behind switchboards is applicable all over an app, for conditioning anything from security/object access issues to form/report design, virtually anything. I've used this down to the level of what error/status message text a user sees, based on their departement, etc.

I even had a request for 'themed' messages while a process was running--so that, in this example, instead of the status box saying 'Record 100 of 20,000 processing...', I use the mod function and every 100 or so records pop up the next line of, say a Burma-Shave ditty or, right now, they see the next line to 'Jingle Bells' every couple seconds. All the ditty's and songs are stored in a table, with a recordset reading the next record in that songs group each 100th record. It's not that I have too much time on my hands--this was a request by the client, and I'm getting paid for this!
--Jim