Lets talk about the defaults for Access
Hi, this is Crystal.
As soon as I install Access, I make certain changes.
To get to the Access defaults, click on File, Options
Starting with the General Category,
the Default File Format for a Blank Database:
If you are using Access 2007 or Access 2010, I wouldn't suggest 2003 as a default --
better to have a blank 2003 database stored (that you created in 2003), and open that to put objects into.
Default Database folder: I often change this depending on what I am doing.
the last thing I was doing (where a bunch of new databases went into one place) was documenting templates, so I changed my default database folder so they would just go there.
Here is your Username and Initials.
Current Database (Category): This is where you are going to set the defaults for just whatever is your current database, not your general defaults for everything.
So, in the current database, what is the Title of your application? This is always a good thing to set.
Application Icon: If you have an icon, which most of you probably don't, but if you are distributing a database, you may.
Display Form: What form you want to start when you first open the database.
I always make sure Display Status Bar is checked.
Document Window Options: Overlapping or Tabbed. I often come in here and I switch this.
At first when Tabbed documents came out, I thought they were really great, but now I usually use Overlapping Windows.
Use Access Special Keys: Whether or not you want to be able to use special keys in Access --
if you want to be able to press, for instance, F11 to get to the database window. I always leave this checked, but then I do not lock databases down.
Compact on Close: my advice: do not ever check this. I only compact a database when I open it, right after I back it up.
This is a volatile process. While it might seem handy to compact on close,
this is okay if it is just a front-end and you can always replace that front-end and you don't want to let someone's front-end get bloated, then checking compact on close is perfectly fine.
But if your users have made any queries, for instance, they are going to lose them if you replace the front-end.
Remove Personal Information from File Properties: this might be something to consider.
I am not going to go through everything.
Display Navigation Pane: I always do this but, once again, I don't lock my databases down.
Ribbon Name -- you can set options for defaults Ribbon and Shortcut Menu Bar.
Name AutoCorrect: as you can see, I have unchecked Track Name AutoCorrect.
However, I need to check it in order to uncheck Perform Name AutoCorrect, then I will uncheck this again.
Name AutoCorrect is sometimes called, not by Microsoft but by those who use Access, Name AutoCorrupt because it can cause problems.
I am not going to talk about the rest of these.
Datasheet (Category): On the default datasheet -- whether you want the columns widths to be 1" or something wider or narrower.
What size you want for the default font, and the weight, you can change that here.
Object Designers (Category): The default field type: when you make a new field, what do you want the data type to default to? Text is fine.
Text Size: I change the Default field size from 255 to 50. It always used to be 50, but in the later versions, Microsoft has gone to 255. I bump it back down to 50.
The default Number Field Size use to be Double precision. Now it is Long Integer, which is a much better default.
AutoIndex on Import/Create used to have stuff in there:
Code; Num; ID, Key. I removed them. I do not want Access AutoIndexing anything. If I want an index, I will specify it.
Show Property Update Options Buttons: I always uncheck this -- that is kind of a nuisance because
many times, you will set up a table, then you will go back into the table design and, for instance, change Field Descriptions to fill them out.
Do you want to have that little lightening bolt (pop up) everytime you make a single change? I don't, so I remove that.
Query design: (check) Show table names.
Output all fields: don't check this one. There might be temporary circumstances where you may choose to do it. As a default, forever, I wouldn't suggest it.
You can set the Font and Size.
SQL Server Compatible System: this is another gotcha. Sometimes people will check this, and
it does make queries behave differently. So if queries start acting funky and you have checked one of these, come back and revisit this.
Selection behavior: This is whether or not you want to lasso or touch things on form and report design (to select them).
Do you want to have to fully go around to select everything?
Or do you want to just have something selected if you touch it?
I like the default behavior. In fact, I love this default bahavior; it is a real time-saver.
You can also choose a Form Template and Report Template. These are handy -- I don't have these set right here.
Always use Event Procedures: when you are in a form or report, you are on the Property sheet,
you are on the Event tab, you click in one of the properties, and you click on the builder (...) button,
do you want to be prompted with those 3 things (macro, expression, code), or do you always want to use Event Procedures? (or maybe this is for the wizards?)
The reason I don't check this is because my habit is, I type [ and then press Ctrl-F2, which automatically takes me to a code sheet.
Error Checking: this is totally up to you. I have unchecked a couple of these. I sometimes uncheck more or less, this is up to you.
Proofing: I generally ignore this stuff but you might want to look through it -- oh, except I don't ignore AutoCorrect Options.
unceck Correct 2 Initial Capitals because if I am typing a code with MixedCase, I don't want Access saying, "Oh there are 2 letters at the beginning that are capital, that's wrong."
It might not necessarily be.
Capitalize First Letters of Sentences: I'll uncheck that one also because if there is a period, then Access thinks it is a sentence.
Capitalize Names of Days: that is probably okay.
Correct accidental use of Caps Lock Key is kind of like the first one with 2 Initial Capitals - I generally don't uncheck that but if I am typing a lot of codes, I might.
Replace Text as you type: these can be really handy. If you want a © symbol, and you don't know the ASCII code to get the copyright symbol
you can type (c) and Access will automatically replace it. Same with ® and ™.
Then come a bunch of common misspelled words and what they really should be. I have no problem leaving this on, so I will say OK on this.
Language (Category) is for choosing the Editing Languages and the Display and Help Languages.
Client Settings (Category): here is abother biggie.
Move After Enter: I have changed this. The default now (didn't used to be) is Next Field.
If you are in a datasheet view and you press TAB or SHIFT-TAB, you move forward or back one field.
If you press ENTER or SHIFT-ENTER, what used to be normal, and what is still normal in Excel, is to move down or up a cell, and that’s what I like.
I like to be able to press TAB and SHIFT-TAB to move left and right,
ENTER and SHIFT-ENTER to move up and down.
So I change this default to Next Record.
Behavior entering the field: whether you want the whole field selected, or just the Start of the field, or the End of the field.
I leave it at the default: Select the entire field
because, generally, if I TAB into something, and I want something else to be in there, I'm not going to edit the value, I will just replace it.
Arrow Key Behavior is whether it goes to the next field or the next character. I generally leave that on the default.
Cursor stops at first/last field: I don't bother to change this.
Default Find/Replace behavior: you may want to change this depending on certain circumstances; I generally leave it.
These next 3 (under Confirm) -- oh boy, lots of macros turn them off, and then they will be unchecked.
Access, I think, has recently begun to kind of correct this.
If you do a DoCmd.SetWarnings False, it actually doesn't maybe change these, it just temporarily sets them off.
However, I always make sure these 3 things are checked (Record changes, Document Deletions, Action queries)
because in the User Interface, I definitely want these to be on (unless I temporarily change, for instance, confirm Action queries).
Default direction: this has to do with your language. America, Europe, and a lot of countries write left-to-right.
There are languages, Arabic for instance, that write right-to-left. You can change this.
General alignment, Cursor movement -- some of these I am going to skip.
Show Number of Recent Documents: this you can bump up, you can really bump it up high.
Sometimes I go all the way to 50 -- yes, I want the max!
But I tend to NOT open things from the Recent documents list, unless it is just the last one,
because generally when I close an Access database, I back it up, and I change the name,
so I am not wanting to open from the Recent Documents because that won't have my new name.
These next 4: Status Bar (yes!), Show animations, Show Action Tags -- personal preference.
Printing: I always change the default Margins to something small.
I have a laser printer so I can print close to the edges of the paper,
so I go down to 1/4 inch just to save paper.
Then, on a case-by-case basis, I may bump it up.
Under General - these are personal preference.
Now lets go to Advanced.
Default open Mode: Shared or Exclusive. Generally, Shared is a better choice.
Exclusive is good for development and Compact/Repair.
Default Record Locking: I always take it off.
There are times where you may want to change the record locking.
The reason I take it off is because if 2 people are editing the same record at the same time, whichever person saves the record first is not going to see a message.
The 2nd person or the 3rd person to save that same record is going to get asked, "Do you want to keep your changes or Discard your changes?"
If you keep your changes, that means you are going to wipe out what whoever before you did.
I always suggest discard your changes because you know what you just did.
The first person that saved the record has no idea that you are coming behind and you might wipe it out;
whereas you know what you did so you can choose to Discard, grab the record again, and make the changes again.
That way, whatever the first person did is still there.
Then we have timeout information, DDE ...
Command-line arguments: if you want to open Access (older versions) and point to a workgroup file, you could do that here.
Customize Ribbon (Category): this is a great big topic and I won't go into it here.
Same thing with Quick Access Toolbar (Category): I have made a few changes to mine.
I normally have a lot more icons but I reset the QAT to do a video where I showed putting these icons on.
I always have my quick access toolbar Below the Ribbon because I've got icons all the way across.
Add-ins: I have Wayne Phillips' vbWatchdog, which is really a great error handler.
I generally put error handling in all my procedures.
Maybe I get a database and it is a mess and I just want to put an error handler on the whole database -- Wayne's utility is great to use.
Trust Center (Category): this is a big one. We need to talk about this. Go to Trust Center Settings.
I have all my drives trusted at the root,
which, by the way, you are not allowed to do anymore; you have to go down to at least one directory.
I also recommend you check Allow Trusted Locations on my Network
because if you don't and you have a path that is not on your drive, just a drive you can get to, sorry to say, it isn't going to be trusted.
Lets go to (Add new location) and Modify to see how these trusted locations work.
If I were to add a new drive at the root, J:\ for instance,
and I always check Subforlders of this location are also trusted,
oh gosh, it adds it --
well, 2013 won't do this, it makes you go to at least one level.
I always recommend anyway that you set up your own structure for storing data.
It is common we have stuff on the Desktop and in My Documents --
those are system directories and I don't recommend using them.
I at least put a directory called DATA on the ROOT, and I hang everything below that -- but as long as Access will let me trust the root, why not?
So that is the quick tour through settings.
There are other things in the trust center.
Privacy Options (Category): these you are going to want to look through and decide for yourself.
Message Bar (Category): I don't block anything from myself, but if you are rolling it out, perhaps you might.
DEP Settings: this is personal preference.
Macro Settings: Disable all macros with notification means that if you open something that is not in a trusted location,
you'll get an error message below the ribbon that allows you to Enable the content.
Personally I think, "Why have an Access database if you don't have code in it?"
So my thought is, "Trust it all!" because I am not going to open something unless I know where it came from.
ActiveX Settings (Category): Prompt is fine.
Trusted documents: if you don't want to go for trusted locations, you can trust specific documents.
Trusted Publishers (Category) lets you trust specific publishers.
That kind of takes us through all the defaults -- just a quick tour.
I hope this makes your ride more comfortable.