Starter… Draw a data dictionary for these entities: TEAM(teamID, Name, League, Founded) KIT(kitID, teamID, size, type, season, price) EntityKeyNameData TypeSizeValidation Rule TEAM KIT teamID Name League Founded kitID teamID Size Type Season Price

G057 Lecture 08 Form Designs Mr C Johnston ICT Teacher

Session Objectives Know what makes a good form design, Understand common techniques used to design system input screens, Know when to use mainform and subforms.

G045 Recap…. What Makes A Good Form? Form Features?

Input Screen Designs (1) Input screens are used to enter data into a computer system, They are usually forms with controls on them which allow users to type or select the data to enter, Sometimes values will appear automatically or as a result of another entry, Validation rules on entry forms prevent users from leaving key fields blank or entering data of the wrong type – if setup within the database table these rules will be transferred.

Input Screen Designs (2) Form Controls What is each control used to enter?

Input Screen Designs (3) The forms need to ensure they use standard design techniques including Clear layouts with meaningful labels so data can be understood Clear heading and subheadings Tabular / column layouts Fonts and colours being consistent Details of any buttons which will appear on the screens Details of any validation routines

Input Screen Designs (4) What Makes A Good Input Form Layout? Fields need to be in a natural order, Fields need to be large enough for data to be entered, Fields need a suitable label, If using columns we work left to right top to bottom, each column at a time, Group data items with common theme together e.g. personal details, medical details, bank details, Use pastel colours so you don’t give the person who is entering data eyestrain – avoid bright green at all costs, Should have an add record button and a close button.

Input Screen Designs (5) Designs for forms are plans which show how the finished form should look, For high marks the forms should include enough detail so another person could make them, Sketch the forms on graph paper is the quickest way although could use a vector drawing package (e.g. Microsoft Visio) to create them, Sketches need to include: Location of database fields, labels, buttons, pictures Sizes of database fields, labels, buttons, pictures Details of where the fields are coming from Notes of what any buttons do Annotation of your forms is not only good practice but essential.

Sub Forms A subform is a form within a form, It is generally used whenever you want to display data from multiple tables where there is a one-to-many relationship, For example you would use a subform if you wanted to display an order with the order details - in this case, the order information would display on the "main" form and the order details would display on the subform, Think of some other situations where we could use a main form, sub form combination…..

Example Input Screen Student ID Coursework Mark mark Student Details Student ID Tutor Group Student Name Tutor Group Student Name Student ID Coursework Mark Coursework Name courseworkName mark Close Add Student Find Student Main Form – Data from the student table Sub Form – Data from the courseworkMark table Hidden courseworkName mark

Challenge Design a form to allow the entry of data into these tables EntityKeyNameData TypeSizeValidation Rule TEAM KIT PK FK teamID Name League Founded kitID teamID Size Type Season Price

Input Screen Designs (4) Think about the forms which you need to design for Pukka Pizza. Create a planning sheet to assist your design. Form Purpose Fields To Include

Mark Scheme Band 1 (0-3 marks) You produce a simple user interface with simple but correct data input forms that allow the user to input data, Band 2 (4-6 marks) You produce a user-friendly user interface. You apply appropriate validation rules to some input data. Data input forms are well laid out and user friendly, with suitable labels, instructions and pull-down lists for limited data sets; Band 3 (7-9 marks) You make use of the facilities available in the database management software to create a fully customised solution that hides the underlying database from the user; Your database will include input forms with sub-forms that allow the entry of data into multiple tables.