Access Custom property vs. Global Variable

[laurenq uantrell]

I'm using Access 2K. I'm hoping someone can tell me which method
performs faster- (currently I'm using a mix of both methods)

a.) creating custom properties and then calling functions to set and
retrieve the values... (ie:
application.cur rentproject.pro perties(propNam e))

b.) creating global variables in the form of an array and using a
function to populate and retrieve them.

I set string, numeric and boolean values based on the user selected
from a sign-in form and call these values frequently throughout the
application.

Thanks,
lq

[Allen Browne]

Use a global variable if you just need a temporary memory assignment that's
available to all routines. It will be faster - particularly for assigning a
value).

Use a custom property if you want something that survives between sessions.

--
Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia.
Tips for Access users - http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps.org.

"laurenq uantrell" <la************ *@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:11******** **************@ c13g2000cwb.goo glegroups.com.. .

I'm using Access 2K. I'm hoping someone can tell me which method
performs faster- (currently I'm using a mix of both methods)

a.) creating custom properties and then calling functions to set and
retrieve the values... (ie:
application.cur rentproject.pro perties(propNam e))

b.) creating global variables in the form of an array and using a
function to populate and retrieve them.

I set string, numeric and boolean values based on the user selected
from a sign-in form and call these values frequently throughout the
application.

Thanks,
lq

[laurenq uantrell]

Allen thanks.
What I am trying to determine if there is an overhead associated with
having say 20 custom properties in the application, and if so, is it
worse than having to load 20 global values in an array from a remote
server.
lq

Allen Browne wrote:

Use a global variable if you just need a temporary memory assignment that's available to all routines. It will be faster - particularly for assigning a value).

Use a custom property if you want something that survives between sessions.
--
Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia.
Tips for Access users - http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps.org.

"laurenq uantrell" <la************ *@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:11******** **************@ c13g2000cwb.goo glegroups.com.. .

I'm using Access 2K. I'm hoping someone can tell me which method
performs faster- (currently I'm using a mix of both methods)

a.) creating custom properties and then calling functions to set and retrieve the values... (ie:
application.cur rentproject.pro perties(propNam e))

b.) creating global variables in the form of an array and using a
function to populate and retrieve them.

I set string, numeric and boolean values based on the user selected
from a sign-in form and call these values frequently throughout the
application.

Thanks,
lq

[Allen Browne]

Assigning a value to a property will be slower than assigning a value to a
variable.

Will your code need to check whether the property already exists, and create
it if it does not? There's extra overhead in that also.

The difference may be academic for just 20 values, unless you are setting
them repeatedly.

--
Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia.
Tips for Access users - http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps.org.

"laurenq uantrell" <la************ *@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:11******** *************@z 14g2000cwz.goog legroups.com...

Allen thanks.
What I am trying to determine if there is an overhead associated with
having say 20 custom properties in the application, and if so, is it
worse than having to load 20 global values in an array from a remote
server.
lq

Allen Browne wrote:

Use a global variable if you just need a temporary memory assignment

that's

available to all routines. It will be faster - particularly for

assigning a

value).

Use a custom property if you want something that survives between

sessions.

"laurenq uantrell" <la************ *@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:11******** **************@ c13g2000cwb.goo glegroups.com.. .

> I'm using Access 2K. I'm hoping someone can tell me which method
> performs faster- (currently I'm using a mix of both methods)
>
> a.) creating custom properties and then calling functions to set and > retrieve the values... (ie:
> application.cur rentproject.pro perties(propNam e))
>
> b.) creating global variables in the form of an array and using a
> function to populate and retrieve them.
>
> I set string, numeric and boolean values based on the user selected
> from a sign-in form and call these values frequently throughout the
> application.
>
> Thanks,
> lq
>

[rkc]

laurenq uantrell wrote:

Allen thanks.
What I am trying to determine if there is an overhead associated with
having say 20 custom properties in the application, and if so, is it
worse than having to load 20 global values in an array from a remote
server.
lq

Run some tests.

If the values are specific enough to each front end so that you can
store them as properties, why not use a local table.

[laurenq uantrell]

Allen,
What I am doing is storing some user preferences specific to individual
forms, for example, if the user has selected certain checkboxes.
In the past I have sent this info to a SQL table on the server, but
many users are connected by VPN and this seems like a lot of traffic
for nothing, if I can store it in the Access application as custom
properties and make it transfer between sessions.
As always, thanks for your input.
lq

Allen Browne wrote:

Assigning a value to a property will be slower than assigning a value to a variable.

Will your code need to check whether the property already exists, and create it if it does not? There's extra overhead in that also.

The difference may be academic for just 20 values, unless you are setting them repeatedly.

--
Allen Browne - Microsoft MVP. Perth, Western Australia.
Tips for Access users - http://allenbrowne.com/tips.html
Reply to group, rather than allenbrowne at mvps.org.

"laurenq uantrell" <la************ *@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:11******** *************@z 14g2000cwz.goog legroups.com...

Allen thanks.
What I am trying to determine if there is an overhead associated with having say 20 custom properties in the application, and if so, is it worse than having to load 20 global values in an array from a remote server.
lq

Allen Browne wrote:

Use a global variable if you just need a temporary memory assignment

that's

available to all routines. It will be faster - particularly for

assigning a

value).

Use a custom property if you want something that survives between

sessions.

"laurenq uantrell" <la************ *@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:11******** **************@ c13g2000cwb.goo glegroups.com.. .
> I'm using Access 2K. I'm hoping someone can tell me which method
> performs faster- (currently I'm using a mix of both methods)
>
> a.) creating custom properties and then calling functions to set

and

> retrieve the values... (ie:
> application.cur rentproject.pro perties(propNam e))
>
> b.) creating global variables in the form of an array and using

a > function to populate and retrieve them.
>
> I set string, numeric and boolean values based on the user selected > from a sign-in form and call these values frequently throughout the > application.
>
> Thanks,
> lq
>

[laurenq uantrell]

It's an Access project (adp) with a SQL server backend, that's my I'm
not using a local table.

[rkc]

laurenq uantrell wrote:

It's an Access project (adp) with a SQL server backend, that's my I'm
not using a local table.

If which will load faster is really the deciding criteria, run some
tests. Personally, I'd keep the clutter of local preferences out of the
back end no matter which way loaded a milli-second faster.

A plain old text file on the local machine is another option.

[laurenq uantrell]

You do bring up another option with the local text file, so having
these three options (plus I add a fourth):

1.) Global Variable - written and read with a stored procedure from a
remote SQL server, in many cases over a slow VPN.
2.) Custom Properties
3.) A local text file
4.) Registry settings

Which is the best option as far as performance, considering these
values have to be read each time certain forms open and written every
time a user changes a preference setting on a form...

lq

rkc wrote:

laurenq uantrell wrote:

It's an Access project (adp) with a SQL server backend, that's my I'm not using a local table.
If which will load faster is really the deciding criteria, run some
tests. Personally, I'd keep the clutter of local preferences out of

the back end no matter which way loaded a milli-second faster.

A plain old text file on the local machine is another option.

[laurenq uantrell]

You do bring up another option with the local text file, so having
these three options (plus I add a fourth):

1.) Global Variable - written and read with a stored procedure from a
remote SQL server, in many cases over a slow VPN.
2.) Custom Properties
3.) A local text file
4.) Registry settings

Which is the best option as far as performance, considering these
values have to be read each time certain forms open and written every
time a user changes a preference setting on a form...

lq

rkc wrote:

laurenq uantrell wrote:

It's an Access project (adp) with a SQL server backend, that's my I'm not using a local table.
If which will load faster is really the deciding criteria, run some
tests. Personally, I'd keep the clutter of local preferences out of

the back end no matter which way loaded a milli-second faster.

A plain old text file on the local machine is another option.