473,320 Members | 1,829 Online
Bytes | Software Development & Data Engineering Community
Post Job

Home Posts Topics Members FAQ

Join Bytes to post your question to a community of 473,320 software developers and data experts.

Resources for intermediate user?

Wondering if people have suggestions as to good reference sources for
Access 2000 for an (almost..) intermediate user? It appears as
though books along the lines of 'Access for Dummies' are way too basic
for my needs. Or would I be best to continue to root around the
internet and this newsgroup? I really would like a book I can refer
to, however...

To give a better idea as to the level I'm looking at..
- queries are generally not a problem (though not terribly efficient,
I'd guess)
- macros - ok
- modules and VBA - have done a little here

But, and excuse my ignorance, I still have a heck of a time
differentiating between the various 'levels' of programming (ie. when
should one use a query vs. a macro vs. a module vs. VBA..etc..). I'd
like a resource that clearly defines and delineates the possibilities
and limits of each approach. Modules still confuse me in terms of how
they function within Access, and I even made some that worked!! A
clear and comprehensive resource that I can keep going back to when my
memory fades would be my wish!!

Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Martin Lacoste
Nov 13 '05 #1
3 1654
see reply in microsoft.public.access.gettingstarted

--
Reggie

----------
"Martin Lacoste" <ma*******@rogers.com> wrote in message
news:d4*************************@posting.google.co m...
Wondering if people have suggestions as to good reference sources for
Access 2000 for an (almost..) intermediate user? It appears as
though books along the lines of 'Access for Dummies' are way too basic
for my needs. Or would I be best to continue to root around the
internet and this newsgroup? I really would like a book I can refer
to, however...

To give a better idea as to the level I'm looking at..
- queries are generally not a problem (though not terribly efficient,
I'd guess)
- macros - ok
- modules and VBA - have done a little here

But, and excuse my ignorance, I still have a heck of a time
differentiating between the various 'levels' of programming (ie. when
should one use a query vs. a macro vs. a module vs. VBA..etc..). I'd
like a resource that clearly defines and delineates the possibilities
and limits of each approach. Modules still confuse me in terms of how
they function within Access, and I even made some that worked!! A
clear and comprehensive resource that I can keep going back to when my
memory fades would be my wish!!

Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Martin Lacoste

Nov 13 '05 #2
ma*******@rogers.com (Martin Lacoste) wrote in message news:<d4*************************@posting.google.c om>...
Wondering if people have suggestions as to good reference sources for
Access 2000 for an (almost..) intermediate user? It appears as
though books along the lines of 'Access for Dummies' are way too basic
for my needs. Or would I be best to continue to root around the
internet and this newsgroup? I really would like a book I can refer
to, however...

To give a better idea as to the level I'm looking at..
- queries are generally not a problem (though not terribly efficient,
I'd guess)
- macros - ok
- modules and VBA - have done a little here

But, and excuse my ignorance, I still have a heck of a time
differentiating between the various 'levels' of programming (ie. when
should one use a query vs. a macro vs. a module vs. VBA..etc..). I'd
like a resource that clearly defines and delineates the possibilities
and limits of each approach. Modules still confuse me in terms of how
they function within Access, and I even made some that worked!! A
clear and comprehensive resource that I can keep going back to when my
memory fades would be my wish!!

Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Martin Lacoste


Here are some observations I have about my style in Access. YMMV.

Tables - In a typical app over half the tables in the front end are
linked. The ones that are not linked are tables that do not change or
that control things for the individual user yet can be overwritten
when updates are available. I sometimes link to as many as five
backend databases from one front end.

Queries - In spite of the speed benefit from using predefined queries,
my use of them is falling off rapidly. Context dependent SQL strings
are more flexible. Plus, I don't have to keep track of which forms
and reports use which queries.

Forms - I try to avoid subforms due to problems they cause in
converting apps to compiled versions but users can't get enough of
them. I hide the tables and make users use forms. I usually have
about twice as many forms as tables. Except for subforms I rarely
call the code behind one form from another.

Reports - I have about as many reports as tables. Users are not
usually allowed to open reports directly. They are forced to open
them from forms. Since the people who sign my checks view Reports as
what the software does, I will be placing increasing emphasis on
Reports. As I get better at creating PDF reports from Access I will
rely less on these.

Macros - All the macros I've ever written in Access are named
AutoExec. When I do use an AutoExec macro it is only to open a form
or to run code from a module. The name is a little confusing since
Access macros don't record a series of actions.

Modules - The code in modules tends to be general purpose. Code in
modules form a one to many relationship with Form/Report calls :-).
An example of modules for one of my projects would be modAPIFunctions,
modDomainFunctions, modFontFunctions, modFunctions, modGlobal,
modPDFFunctions and modStringFunctions.

So I see Access development in the near future for me as:
Design the tables keeping usage in mind
Build the forms using as much cut and paste as possible
Get feedback from users
Design the reports
Get feedback from management
Reuse most of the module code

Later on I see it as:
Design the tables keeping usage in mind
Run forms that design forms and that create code behind them
Fine tune the automatically created forms
Get feedback from users
Run forms that design reports and that create code to manufacture them
Fine tune the automatically created reports
Get feedback from management
Reuse most of the module code

Maybe this will help in differentiating between approaches. There is
still a lot of art to database programming. I hope you find a book
that does all that defining and differentiating of the possibilities
and limitations in a clear and comprehensive manner that is
appropriate to your level of programming (whew!). Strive to
understand the users' needs and the best way to satisfy them.

James A. Fortune

....measuring end-user attitudes. Some of these techniques are
user-centered design oriented and aimed at providing early design
input through analysis of user responses... --- C. Stephanides
User Interfaces for All
Nov 13 '05 #3
The books I most frequently refer to are:

1. "Access 2000 Developer's Handbook Volume 1 Desktop Edition"
2. "Access 2000 Developer's Handbook Volume 2 Enterprise Edition"
3. "Access Visual Basic Language Developer's Handbook"
These three books can be bought as a set (at a saving).
Books 1 & 2 by:
Paul Litwin, Ken Getz and Mike Gilbert
Book 3 by:
Ken Getz & Mike Gilbert.

"Access Cookbook"
by
Ken Getz, Paul Litwin and Andy Baron

Happy reading
Geoff
Nov 13 '05 #4

This thread has been closed and replies have been disabled. Please start a new discussion.

Similar topics

21
by: Paulb1us | last post by:
In VS .net 2003 There is a online resources tab on the start page. When I click the links such as headlines, downloads or xml services I get a message stating that this feature requires a...
1
by: elfyn | last post by:
I'm currently building a DB that you will keep track of vehicles, services to the vehicles and parts used for the servicing of the vehicles. I've created a table for Customers, Vehicles and...
4
by: Rachel Suddeth | last post by:
What is the difference between a managed/unmanaged resource, and how do you tell which is which? I'm trying to understand how to write some Dispose() methods, and we are supposed to put code that...
3
by: Daves | last post by:
Please take your time to read the following, it's simple although the text is 3 paragraphs... Everytime an user is logged in I need to make a call to my sql server database to grab some specific...
0
by: Greg | last post by:
The intermediate resources file has name: <Root Namespace>.<form .resx file name>.resources (e.g. App1.Form1.resources) By the time this standard form code executes: ...
0
by: shamirza | last post by:
· When was .NET announced? Bill Gates delivered a keynote at Forum 2000, held June 22, 2000, outlining the .NET 'vision'. The July 2000 PDC had a number of sessions on .NET technology, and...
0
by: =?Utf-8?B?Tml5YXpp?= | last post by:
Hi all, Does anyone know how to embed the Excel file in VB.NET 2005 Resources? Here is what I am doing at the moment: 1) In my VB.NET 2005 project code I load the excel with it path into...
25
by: Koliber (js) | last post by:
sorry for my not perfect english i am really f&*ckin angry in this common pattern about dispose: ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Public class...
0
by: DolphinDB | last post by:
The formulas of 101 quantitative trading alphas used by WorldQuant were presented in the paper 101 Formulaic Alphas. However, some formulas are complex, leading to challenges in calculation. Take...
0
isladogs
by: isladogs | last post by:
The next Access Europe meeting will be on Wednesday 6 Mar 2024 starting at 18:00 UK time (6PM UTC) and finishing at about 19:15 (7.15PM). In this month's session, we are pleased to welcome back...
1
isladogs
by: isladogs | last post by:
The next Access Europe meeting will be on Wednesday 6 Mar 2024 starting at 18:00 UK time (6PM UTC) and finishing at about 19:15 (7.15PM). In this month's session, we are pleased to welcome back...
0
by: Vimpel783 | last post by:
Hello! Guys, I found this code on the Internet, but I need to modify it a little. It works well, the problem is this: Data is sent from only one cell, in this case B5, but it is necessary that data...
0
by: jfyes | last post by:
As a hardware engineer, after seeing that CEIWEI recently released a new tool for Modbus RTU Over TCP/UDP filtering and monitoring, I actively went to its official website to take a look. It turned...
0
by: ArrayDB | last post by:
The error message I've encountered is; ERROR:root:Error generating model response: exception: access violation writing 0x0000000000005140, which seems to be indicative of an access violation...
1
by: PapaRatzi | last post by:
Hello, I am teaching myself MS Access forms design and Visual Basic. I've created a table to capture a list of Top 30 singles and forms to capture new entries. The final step is a form (unbound)...
1
by: Shællîpôpï 09 | last post by:
If u are using a keypad phone, how do u turn on JavaScript, to access features like WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram....
0
by: Faith0G | last post by:
I am starting a new it consulting business and it's been a while since I setup a new website. Is wordpress still the best web based software for hosting a 5 page website? The webpages will be...

By using Bytes.com and it's services, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

To disable or enable advertisements and analytics tracking please visit the manage ads & tracking page.