![openoffice databases openoffice databases](https://www.comfsm.fm/~dleeling/ca/ooobase01.png)
Which arrangement you choose is mostly a matter of whether you want the labels of the field to the left of the entry fields or above them, and whether each entry field is the same length or reflects the number of characters it may have. On the fifth page, you select how entry fields will be arranged on the form and whether they will be left- or right-aligned. You can skip the next three pages of the wizard, where subforms are created (they're a topic for another day). On the first page of the wizard, you select the table for the form from the drop-down list, and the fields to include in the form by selecting them and moving them from the Available fields pane to the Fields in the form pane using the arrow controls in between the two panes. This selection opens both the Form Wizard and the Design View, where you can see the form taking shape as you progress through the wizard. To use the Form Wizard, select Forms from the Database pane, followed by Use Wizard to Create Form in the Tasks pane in the top middle of the window. The easiest way to design a form is using the Form Wizard. If tables seem a forbiddingly cold way of working with a database-a good example of why you've shied from databases in the first place-you may prefer to design a form for editing records.
![openoffice databases openoffice databases](https://wiki.openoffice.org/w/images/4/4b/SelectSubformFields.png)
Because records are far more flexible than fields, you can change how records are viewed by using the icons on the right of the toolbar to sort all records in the table, in ascending or descending order, or to display only those you set in a filter. Otherwise, just as when you edit fields, you add new entries at the bottom. With this selection, you see the fields listed at the top of columns and the individual records in rows. If you want to add a record to the database, select Open from the context menu in the Tables pane, or double-click the table to open the editing window. You also can alter, delete or move existing records using the same technique. When you are done, right-click on the gray left-hand column to select the new field, and use the context menu to cut and paste it into the position you want. In addition, back in the main window, you have the option of adding a brief description of the new field in the unnamed third column. You also can enter the field properties in the window of the pane that opens below the main editing window, setting whether the field is required, the number of characters it can contain and, optionally, a default value and example. As with other fields, you need to enter a name in the first column and a field type in the second column. Click the first vacant role to start adding a new field.
![openoffice databases openoffice databases](https://wiki.openoffice.org/w/images/e/ef/Prjctcnt_1.png)
If you want to add a field to the database, select Edit to open a view of the table. Then, select the Table in the Tables pane, and right-click for the context menu. To edit a table in a database directly, open the database and change the view in the Database pane on the left side of the window to Tables. It is not hard to do, but some users find it intimidating and may prefer one of the other methods. Whichever way you create a form, you can then use it as a more user-friendly way to edit your database.Įditing a table directly is the purist's way of adjusting a database. If you created a database using an existing Calc or MS Excel spreadsheet, you must edit the spreadsheet itself-in Base, the database will open read-only, and you will be unable to edit it.įor other databases, you have three choices: editing the tables directly, using the form wizard to create a form or using the design view to create a form. Once you have a database set up, sooner or later you will want to edit its tables or add a new record.