Appending Extra Options to a List Field in OpenOffice Base

Many forms have at least one drop down field that provides a list of choices, with one option being an “other, please specify” type field. In OpenOffice Base, the source providing the list of options could be another table. In this case, you do not want to add an entry into the source table just to represent other. In such a case, you can use a macro to make the option appear.

Starting with Form in OpenOffice Base

As with setting up the tables, you can choose to use a wizard to create a basic form or from scratch. To create a new form from scratch, select Create Form in Design View. This should bring up a window with a blank document. There should be a toolbar on the left, containing the controls that can placed on the form. Should the toolbar be missing, you can turn it on by selecting View -> Toolbars -> Form Controls. Controls are placed by selecting the type of control and selecting the area where you want to place it.

Starting with Tables in OpenOffice Base

When you create a new database using OpenOffice base, you will need to setup one or more tables to store and organise your data. If you are already familar with other database systems, like MySQL or PostgreSQL, you already how to use tables and should be able to do this part yourself. If you wish, you can always use the wizard to create a table.