UI Builder vs. the Microsoft Access Switchboard Manager

Menu navigation is a key element to any frequently used Access database.  The database window (Access 2003 and earlier) and navigation pane (Access 2007 and higher) provide a basic navigation scheme for developers, power users, and for small databases.  The Microsoft Access Switchboard Manager is a free utility within MS Access to create simple menus to help simplify navigation for uses.  UI Builder is commonly used to replace and improve on the Microsoft Access Switchboard Manager. This page provides a comparison of the two menu options to help you decide which is right for you. 

	MS Access Switchboard	UI Builder for Access
Menu Buttons	8 per page	8 main menu buttons
Submenus	None.  Cascading menu pages used	5 per main menu button
Menu button commands	8 commands	26+ pre-defined commands available
Form presentation	Each opens in a separate window, users will not see the switchboard menu while their form is open	Displayed within the main menu, users do not need to leave the main menu to view their form
Search	Ctrl+F Access search	Google-like search available to all your forms without coding or macros
Color schemes	Requires form customization	User-configurable color schemes
Layouts	One.  Adjustments require form customization	7 menu layouts to choose from
Company logo	Requires form customization	Configurable in the UI Builder administration screen
Hover-over effects	None	Built-in
User-level menus	No	Enterprise Edition feature
Look and Feel	Windows 95	Web-2.0

UI Builder includes many more features than the standard Access switchboard manager, but we've summarized the areas that are primarily direct comparisons here.