Back in 2002 I wrote an Access Archon article dealing with reference issues, among them the problem of certain references being upgraded when a database is opened in a higher version of Access, but not downgraded when it is again opened in a lower version. You might think that over the last 16 years Microsoft […]
The two procedures will let you easily clear up redundant Word documents, and alphabetize lists of declarations. Access versions: 2007-2013 Level: Intermediate Introduction The two procedures described in this article will let you easily clear up redundant Word documents, and alphabetize lists of declarations. When working on the 3rd edition of my Working with Word […]
Q: Susan H. writes that she has some standard code that creates a Word document and puts some Access data into it, using VBA Automation code. But sometimes the Word window is hidden behind other windows, either the Access window itself or some other window. A: This is a long-standing problem in Office Automation. Many […]
Q: Lou writes that sometimes when he clicks on a label in Design view, in order to change the caption, it displays with a dark back color, which is disconcerting. The Label control’s BackStyle property is set to Transparent, so it shouldn’t be displaying as a color. How can this be fixed?A: This can happen […]
Back in Access 2003, you could easily change the font name and size for a datasheet form by clicking the square in the upper-left corner of the datasheet (in datasheet view), and selecting the font and size from the selectors on the Formatting toolbar, or by selecting Font from the Format menu. But these features […]
If you need to create a filter string for filtering by a person’s name, or a city name, you may run into this error: This is because single quotes are used as the delimiter for Text strings, and there is a single quote in the city name. To get around this problem, make a calculated […]
Some great tips on table formatting. Joey Cherdarchuk has a nice posting on a very different table styling to the type that Microsoft prefers. Under the banner ‘Clear Off the Table’ he suggests getting rid of gridlines and colors to simplify the look of tables. In his example, Joey takes a standard Microsoft auto formatted table […]
Access Archon Column #230 – Making Concatenated Strings from Linked Tables and Multi-valued Fields Access versions: 2007-2013 Level: Intermediate Introduction Back in 2001, I wrote an Access Archon article (#89, Flattening Linked Data) which showed how to create a string of concatenated data from values in a one-to-many linked table. That technique is still useful, […]
Access Archon Column #229 – Fixing Normalization Errors Access versions: 2002-2013 Level: Intermediate Introduction Sometimes when you take over an Access database created by an amateur (or at least, someone with a minimal understanding of normalization), you will find data such as employee names stored in a Text field in the Orders table. If the […]
Finding the location of the Office object model DLL Q: Frank H. writes: “I want to use the FileDialog object to create a browser for selecting a file, but it requires a reference to the Office object library, and I can’t find that library in the list of Microsoft objects. Where is it?” A: For […]
Access: Disabling a Label control Q: I need to disable a Label control, for a consistent appearance with some other controls on a form. But this control doesn’t have an Enabled property. Is there some way I can do this? A: You can’t disable a Label control, but you can make it look disabled by […]
Exporting Filtered Data to Excel Access versions: 2007 – 2013 Level: Intermediate In Access Archon #200 (Exporting Access Data to Excel), I showed how to export data to an Excel workbook, using various techniques. In this article, I expand on that theme, showing how to export filtered data from Access to multiple worksheets within […]
By Helen FeddemaAccess versions: 2007-2013Level: Intermediate The main menu of the sample database for Access Archon #212 (A New Style Main Menu) has selectors for filtering a report by CustomerID or OrderNo. But sometimes you might want to print a filtered report right from the current record of a form. That is the topic of […]
by Helen Feddema I recently had occasion to set up a VM with 64-bit Windows 8.1 and 64-bit Office 2013, and I tested several of my add-ins in that environment, as well as Rick Fisher’s Find And Replace (the 64-bit version). I found that my Extras Plus add-in (an .mda add-in that works in Access […]
A simple way to backup your SQL databases and move them offsite. SQL Server from Microsoft has a built-in backup utility however it doesn’t compress the backup nor let you move it to another machine. That’s where SQL Backup and FTP comes in, a nifty add-on for a reasonable price. SQL Backup and FTP lets […]
How to get detailed SuperPAC donation and spending information into Excel. Today the US Federal Election Commission (FEC) is receiving and publishing details of the controversial SuperPAC’s showing who has donated and what they spent money on. It’s a good and timely example of how you can get information from the web and turn it […]
How to enter accented characters, grave, circumflex, umlaut etc when they aren’t on the keyboard. Typing accented letters can be a chore and a mystery, especially for those of us unaccustomed to languages with the ‘extra’ letters. The keyboards don’t show accented letters and it’s not obvious how to type them. It’s good to get […]
Free training manuals for Office 2007 and before plus Quick References for Office 2010. Mouse Training in the UK has released their training manuals free for all comers plus some Quick Reference Guides. The Training Manuals are for Office 2007, Office 2003, Office XP (2002) and Office 2000. They cover Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, […]
There are several built-in ways to export Access data to Excel. There are several built-in ways to export Access data to Excel. You can use the Excel button on the Ribbon (or toolbar) to export a report (or other object) to Excel, or the TransferSpreadsheet method in code, to transfer data from the report’s record […]
How to index the code on ASP and ASP.net web pages with Windows Search A problem with Windows Search is the default treatment of web pages with programming code like PHP, ASP and ASP.net. The Windows Search indexing filter for these types only indexes the visible parts of the web page using a HTML filter, […]
The new cover for third generation Kindle devices is very clever. I like the look of the new Kindle with WiFi only. Many people have never felt a pressing need to use the 3G service if only because it’s too tempting to make impluse purchases. It also reduces the battery life of the device – even […]
The distributable code for Access 2010 developers is now available, but beware bugs. The Microsoft Access 2010 runtime download is now available from Microsoft. There are two versions available – 32-bit and 64-bit depending on which type of Windows you have. The runtime download is freely distributable and allows Access developers to make ‘solutions’ (aka […]
From: Microsoft This is a direct copy of the Office 2010 pricing as presented by Microsoft with all the footnotes described as a ‘more detailed guide’. Microsoft Office 2010 Retail Pricing Comparison Chart January 2010 Office Home and Student1 Office Home and Business Office Professional Office Professional Academic Word 2010 Word 2010 Word 2010 Word […]
Pity about the name but ‘God mode’ is a handy trick for Windows 7 and Vista. In fact you don’t need ‘God’ at all. Again, this isn’t MS Office but it’s too good to ignore … Given how sensitive some religious people can be, it’s little wonder Microsoft doesn’t want to talk about the Windows […]
How to get calculated fields to display zero. Q: Rob Stoker writes: I have a calculated field which is sum([nettprice]*[quantity]) which works ok. However if there is no data then it displays #Error. I have tried the Nz function, and tried the IIf function but I can’t seem to stop it doing it. I would […]
Information on an unpatched security glitch in Word 2002 (Office XP). Microsoft has disclosed a unpatched security glitch in Word 2002 (Office XP) only,click here for more …
Charles Hui writes: After reading your article “ACCESS Archon Column #44 – Merging to Word from Linked Access”, I have expanded my WORD template to include a table and have successfully created letters using custom doc property and table together. In our letters, the fixed Borrower Name and Address are printed at the top of […]
How to sort Reports by date in Access. Access Archon #163 You might need to group records by date using another interval that is not available in the Group On list. If the interval is regular, you can create a query field, such as the Decade field in qryMembers: Decade: Left(Format([BirthDate],”yyyy”),3) & “0” The […]
A reader responds to the AW article on the new “save to PDF” feature in Access 2007. Tom Van Dam writes: just finished reading your latest Access Watch on the new PDF feature in Office 2007. I have often wanted to save files to PDF format for storage and later reading. I came across a […]
Here’s an updated way for you to add backup capability to an Access database. Access Archon #151 Introduction A few years ago, in Access Archon #115, I described a way to create backups of the current database, using several objects that you could import into a database, to make it easy to regularly save […]
How to back up database objects before making changes to them. Q: Jean H. writes: “I am constantly making changes to forms, reports and other database objects, and sometimes I find that a change doesn’t work, and I need to return to an earlier version. I do back up my databases, but it would be […]
How to develop applications using Access and deploy them as standalone applications. Q: Kamlesh Chand wants to develop applications using MS Access and deploy them as standalone applications (i.e., applications that can be run on machines that do not have MS Access installed on them). How can this be done? A: If you have the […]
How to get text values from the user’s selection of an option. Q: Julia H. writes: “I have an option group with choices for different areas of the country, and when the user clicks on one, I want to get the name of the area. But I can only assign numbers as default values to […]
How to add a specified number of records to a table. Q: Kacie Anderson writes: “I have two tables, one for Orders and one for Loads and both of which contain an OrderID field to link them together (the OrderID is autogenerated). For each order, there can be multiple loads. . . . But my […]
How to link dBASE tables to Access tables. Q: Mark Kraus writes: “I have data on approximately 3,000 clients in a table developed in dBase IV. I am trying to load the data into an Access 2002 table and then use the Access table in an application I’m developing in Access. I have tried linking […]
Version 10 of Total Access Analyzer is out now, ideal for anyone who develops in Access. FMS has released v. 10 of Total Access Analyzer, the premier product for analyzing Access databases. This version supports Access 2002, both for Access 2000 and Access 2002 formatted databases. Track down those unused objects and unreferenced variables, find […]
How to customise the captions on MessageBox buttons. Q:Piet Boden wants to know if it is possible to change the text displayed on the buttons in a MessageBox.A: Not on a message box produced by the MsgBox function, though you do have a choice of various buttons. You will need to create a dialog-type form […]
How to print envelopes directly from Access. Q:Jim Coxon writes: “What I need to do is to print envelopes directly from Access. i.e. Customer rings up for tickets, agent enters details into Access using a form, form is printed, agent puts tickets into envelope. If we could print the envelope directly then she could put […]
A reader offers this great tip to save time when creating new databases. Chuck Roberts writes with a suggestion that saves time when creating a new database: I frequently make new databases. So I created a blank database with a template form, a template report, and all my standard subroutines. When I need a new […]
Adding and subtracting dates. Q: Martin writes: I have these records written in two lines (dates, without separation in the European style (1030)) 051007 051107 I then want to take the dates and subtract the dates from each other and get how much time has passed. An easy task with conform dates but this […]
