From the course: Access 2019 Essential Training “ - The Navigation pane on the left side of the screen is the table of contents for your database. It displays all the objects. The tables, queries, forms, reports and macros that make up the database. And it also allows you to filter and search through those objects to get to the ones you're looking for quickly. Right now the navigation pane is in it's default configuration. Now it starts out a little too narrow for my tastes. So, I'm going to go
over to the right hand side of it's edge and I'll click and drag it open to give it a little more breathing room. It says all access objects up here at the very top. This means that it's currently displaying all the objects in the database. Below we have a search box. This will allow me filter out my objects to those with specific names. For instance, if I type the word room I can see all the tables, queries and reports that include the word room. To clear the filter, just click on this button
here with the filter or the X. Below, each of our objects are listed underneath collapsible headers. All of tables for instance, can be classed by clicking on this button here to the right. I'll go ahead collapse those, then collapse queries, forms and reports. Then when I want to work on my queries I can open that up. Work on the querie objects. Go ahead and collapse it again. Expand my tables to work here and so on. Let's go ahead and review all those once again. That can be a useful technique
when you have lots of objects to move through. At the top of the navigation pane is a dropdown menu that'll give us additional options. It's split into two parts. We have navigate to category and filter by group. You can make a selection in each of these different sections. Now, I personally think that the top group that says navigate to category should just say grouping. Right now, we're grouping our objects by type. Which is why we're seeing all the tables, queries, forms and reports grouped
together. We can also choose to group them by their modify date, created date, tables and related views or choose some custom grouping options. I'll go ahead and leave mine set to object type. In the bottom half of the menu that says filter by group, we can choose to display only a single object type. Right now we're seeing all access objects but I can filter it to just show me my tables. When I do that, you'll notice the top says tables, now, instead of all access objects. Let's go back into
that menu and switch it back. There's also a right click menu at the top of the navigation pane with some additional options. If I right click, we'll see the same category and sorting options that we just had but we can also take a look at some view by options. Right now we are viewing our objects by list. Which is a compact view. I can switch it to icon which will increase the size of the icon there. Or I can switch it to details which will show me some created dates and modified dates for each
object. Let's go ahead and switch it back into the list view which is a view that I prefer since it allows me to see more objects here in the navigation pane. Finally, if you need more working space in the main area of the interface you can collapse the navigation pane all together using the shudder bar open close button which is this one right here on the right side. When you click it, it reduces the navigation pane to just sliver on the left. Go and click it again to lock it open. Now, one of
the most useful keyboard short cuts in all of access is the F11 key. When you tap it, it reduces the navigation pane in size. Tap it again and you'll reveal it. This will allow us to quickly get the navigation pane off the screen so that we have more area to work on the main interface. So that's the navigation pane It's the central hub for the entire database. Getting around your objects using the navigation pane is really easy. And with so many options to group, sort and filter your objects to
meet your exact needs, means that you could be moving around from object to object in the most efficient manner possible. ContentsIn this article
Overview of the Navigation PaneThe Navigation Pane, new in Microsoft Office Access 2007, is a central location from which you can easily view and access all your database objects (database objects: An Access database contains objects such as tables, queries, forms, reports, pages, macros, and modules. An Access project contains objects such as forms, reports, pages, macros, and modules.), run reports, or enter data directly in tables. The Navigation Pane replaces the Database window, which was used in earlier versions of Access. When you open a database in Office Access 2007, the Navigation Pane is displayed to the left of any open database objects or the workspace. You can customize how the Navigation Pane is displayed in the following ways:
In the Navigation Pane, all the objects that are defined in the database are displayed as categories. In the preceding figure, All Access Objects is the category, and Tables, Queries, Forms, and Reports are the groups. Each category is organized into groups that are displayed as bars. Group names change, based on the category view that is selected, and a group can contain one or more database objects.
Select a category viewWhen you create a new database in Office Access 2007, the category name that is displayed in the Navigation Pane is All Tables. Access 2007 also creates a category named Custom that you can use to create a custom view of your objects. In addition, Access 2007 provides three more predefined category views that you can select, according to the way in which you want the objects to be displayed:
For example, in the Northwind 2007 sample database that is installed with Office Access 2007, if you display the All Tables category, you can see how various objects are related to a table. In this view, within each group, the table is always listed first, followed by all the objects that depend on the data in that table. In the following figure, the Employees group displays the Employees table followed by the objects related to the Employees table, and the same occurs with the Shippers and Customers groups. Each time that you select a predefined category, Access includes a global group that contains all the objects in the database. You can easily locate the global group for a category by looking for the word All in front of the group name. For example, if you select the Tables and Related Views category, the global group is called All Tables.
Display and sort objectsYou can select the way in which the objects in the database are displayed in the Navigation Pane. For example, you can include the creation or modified dates, or display objects as icons or lists. By default, Access sorts the objects in the Navigation Pane by object type in ascending alphabetical order, but you can also change the sorting to suit your needs. To specify how objects are displayed and sorted, do the following:
Find objects in a databaseWhile you type text in the Search box, Office Access 2007 searches within the category for any groups that contain an object or object shortcut that meets your search terms. Any groups that don't contain a match are collapsed. Note Access searches for objects only in the categories and groups that are currently displayed in the Navigation Pane. Tip To search the whole database for a specific object, select one of the predefined categories in the Navigation Pane, such as Tables and Related Views or Object Type. This helps make sure that all the groups are visible in the Navigation Pane. Use the Search box to find database objects or shortcuts
While you type characters, Access searches and eliminates any group headings that don't contain a match.
Note When you clear the Search Bar box, the Navigation Pane again displays all of the available objects.
Create and modify custom categories and groupsWhen you create a new database without using a template, Office Access 2007 automatically creates a custom category, which displays one group that contains all the objects that are defined in the database. You can rename the custom category, create more custom groups in it, and assign objects to those groups. The default sorting option for groups is All Tables. When you view custom categories and groups from the Navigation Pane, you always see the shortcuts to the objects. Shortcuts can be identified by a small arrow next to the lower-left corner of the object icon. When you open a shortcut, you open the object it points to. However, if you delete a shortcut, Office Access 2007 does not delete the object in the database that the shortcut points to. You can also hide and rename shortcuts without changing the data that the shortcuts point to in the database. One way to customize the objects in a database is by creating custom categories. For example, you can create a custom category when you want to create a form with specific types of buttons or links that you can use to navigate the database. When you create a custom category, it applies to the current database only. You cannot transfer custom categories and groups to other databases. You can create a custom category by either renaming the default Custom category that Access provides or by creating a new custom category. Limiting the number of custom categories and groups in your database can make it easier to locate data. Note Although you can remove objects from a custom category or group, you cannot remove objects from a predefined category or group. Use the Navigation Options dialog box to create and manage custom categories and groups. The dialog box displays a list of all the categories that have been defined in the database, and shows the groups for a selected category. Create a custom categoryWhen you create a new custom category, groups named Unassigned Objects and Custom Group 1 are created for that category. By default, Office Access 2007 does not put any objects in the Unassigned Objects group. Instead, all the objects in a category that are not assigned to any group are displayed in the Unassigned Objects group in the Navigation Pane.
A new category appears under Categories in the Navigation Options dialog box.
Rename a custom categoryIf an unused custom category is available, you can rename it instead of adding a new custom category.
After you create or rename a custom category, you need to create custom groups under each custom category. Access automatically creates a Custom Group 1 and an Unassigned Objects group under each new category. Objects that are not assigned to groups are automatically put in the Unassigned Objects group. You can either create a new custom group or rename the Custom Group 1 group to the name that you choose. Create a custom group
Rename a custom group
After you have created a custom group in a custom category, you add or move objects, such as tables, into the custom group.
Add objects to a custom groupYou can add objects to a custom group in several different ways, such as dragging an object to create a shortcut, copying and pasting, and importing objects from external sources. However, if you choose to cut an object from a group, be aware that this can cause problems. We do not recommend cutting an object because a database is a set of components that work together, and if an object is deleted from that set of components, it can break part or all of the functionality of the database.
Copy and paste objects
Importing tables from other databases or data from other programs (such as text files and Microsoft Office Excel workbooks) is another way to add objects to your database. For more information about how to import external data, see the links in the See Also section of this article.
Remove and restore shortcuts in custom groupsWhen you view custom objects in the Navigation Pane, you are actually looking at shortcuts to those objects. An object icon with a small arrow next to its lower-left corner indicates that it is a shortcut or pointer to the actual object. If you remove or delete a shortcut from the Navigation Pane, you are only removing the pointer to that object and not removing the object from the database. When the shortcut of an object is removed from a custom group in the Navigation Pane, the reference to the object is removed from the custom group, and the object appears in the Unassigned Objects group in the Navigation Pane.
Important Although you can delete (that is, permanently remove) predefined and custom groups, we do not recommend doing this because it can cause problems in the database. Databases are sets of components that work together, and if an object is deleted from that set of components, it can break part or all the functionality of the database.
Hide objects and groupsHiding an object or group can be a better option than deleting it when the object or group is not used or you want to restrict access to it. Hiding an object does not change the database, whereas deleting an object or group (even if it appears to be a duplicate) can break part or all of the functionality of the database. To hide an object or group in the Navigation Pane, do one of the following:
To hide an object or group that appears dimmed in the Navigation Pane, do the following:
Unhide objects and groupsTo display hidden objects or groups without providing access to them, do the following:
If the hidden objects and groups appear dimmed in the Navigation Pane, they are not enabled. To make these dimmed objects or groups available from the Navigation Pane, do the following:
What types of categories are in the navigation pane?The Navigation Pane holds a list of all of the objects in the database: Tables, Queries, Forms, Reports, Macros, and Modules. This pane replaces the database window that was used in earlier versions of Access. The pane comes with several different ways to display the objects in the database.
What is the navigation pane in Access?The Navigation Pane is the main way you view and access all your database objects and it displays on the left side of the Access window by default. Note The Navigation Pane can be customized in a variety of ways. For more information, see Customize the Navigation Pane.
Which pane is a list containing every object in your database?Within Access there are four major objects: Tables, Queries, Forms and Reports. The Navigation Pane: The Navigation Pane is a list containing every object in your database.
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