How to find a table or form in a big database
In Base by Zaweba, type in the navigation pane's search box and only the tables, queries, forms, reports and scripts whose names match are shown.
Type part of the name into the search box at the top of the navigation pane. In Base by Zaweba the pane lists every table, query, form, report and script in the database, and as you type it shows only the names that match. Double-click the one you want to open it.
In a database with dozens of objects, that turns a scroll and a squint into a couple of keystrokes.
What the navigation pane holds
The pane is the list down the side of the window. It shows everything in the database, grouped by kind: tables, queries, forms, reports and scripts. Double-click a table to open its datasheet, a form to open it in form view, a report to see it, or a query to run it. A saved action query (update, delete, append or make table) runs when double-clicked, after telling you how many records it will change and asking first, so take care which one you pick.
Right-click a form to make it the start-up form, the one the database opens on.
Searching well
The search matches names, so it works best when names are good. Type a word you know is in the name: "invoice" brings up the Invoices table, the Invoices form, an Unpaid invoices query and an Invoice report together. That grouping is handy when you're working on one area of the database and want all its pieces in view.
Naming things so you can find them
Good names do more for a big database than anything else. A few habits help.
Start related objects with the same word. Members, Members form, Members by town, Members report. A search for "members" then finds the whole family.
Say what a query does, not how. "Renewals due this month" is easier to find, and to understand six months later, than "qry3".
Mark action queries clearly, for example by starting them with Update or Delete, so nobody double-clicks one expecting a list.
Rename freely. Forms, queries and reports follow renamed tables and fields, so tidying names later doesn't break them.
When people shouldn't need the pane at all
If other people use the database, give them a menu rather than the full list. Create > Switchboard makes a form with a button for every form, report and query, and offers it as the start-up form. Trim it to the jobs they do, rename the buttons in plain words, and they'll rarely need to search.
Seeing how it all fits together
Finding an object is one thing; understanding how the pieces relate is another. The relationships diagram shows a box for each table and a line for each lookup, which is the quickest way to get your bearings in someone else's database. The SQL tab on any query shows exactly what it does.
A tidy file is a quick file
Large databases collect leftovers: test queries, old forms, a report for a meeting long past. Deleting what isn't used makes the pane shorter and the search sharper. Make a backup first with File > Back up now, so nothing is lost if you remove something that turns out to matter. Then Database > Compact and repair tidies the file itself.
With sensible names and the search box, even a large database in Base by Zaweba stays easy to find your way around.
