Computer Programming Concepts and Visual Basic David I. Schneider

344 Computer Programming Concepts and Visual Basic
2. (Optional) Specify a primary key for a table.
(a)Highlight the table name in the Database window.
(b) Press the right mouse button and choose Design to invoke the Table Structure
window (Figure 11-5).
(c) Press the Add Index button to invoke the Add Index window (Figure 11-6)
and follow the steps listed after the figure.
3. Place records into a table.
(Note: The VisData toolbar contains three sets of icons. This discussion
assumes that the left icon of each of the first two sets has been selected. These
are the “Table type Recordset” and “Use Data Control on New Form” icons.)
(a) Double-click on the table in the Database window to invoke the Table window
(Figure 11-7).
(b) Follow the directions listed after Figure 11-7.
FIGURE 11-5 Table Structure Window. (Invoked from the Database Window with the Right
Mouse Button by Choosing New or Design.)
How to use the Table Structure window
1. Type the name of the table in the Table Name text box.
2. Click on the Add Field button. (An Add Field window will be displayed.)
3. Type the name of a field in the Name text box.
4. Click on the down arrow of the Type combo box and select a type from the
dropdown list. (We use primarily the type “Text” for string, and “Single” or
“Integer” for numbers.)
5. If the data type is “Text,” type the length of the largest possible string needed
in the Size box. (For instance, length 20 should suffice for names of cities. The
length must be no longer than 255 characters.)
6. Press OK to add the field to the table.
7. Repeat Steps 3 through 6 until you have added all the fields to the table. When
you are through, click on the Close button to return to the Database window.
8. To delete a field, highlight the field by clicking on it in the list box and then
press the Remove Field button.