Welcome To The Access Unlimited Newsletter - Edition 39
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Access Unlimited is an email newsletter that provides free tips, help and information for skilled Microsoft Access users and related software disciplines.

Produced by Garry Robinson (known below as  Ed ) from Sydney, Australia.

In this edition, 

What Is Coming Up In Access 11
Are You Keeping Time ?
The Solutions Database
Ms Word Shortcuts
Compact And Repair Database In Workbench
Questionaire: Win A Free Copy Of The Workbench
Free Australian Based Computer Training
Sql Server Worm.
Access 2002 Shortcut Keys
Good Reading
Reader Feedback On Html Emails
Price Rises

WHAT’S COMING UP IN ACCESS 11

Whilst you cannot expect all beta enhancements to make it through to the next version, the following report on beta 1 of Access 11 (2003) will give you some idea of what might be coming. In summary

So read all about the changes at this address

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnacc11/html/odc_acov.asp

What is missing ? To me the big items that I would have expected more work on are Data Access Pages and Access Projects.  Does this mean the end of these tools in deference to future enhancements in .Net. The good news is that it does not sound like there will be too many radical changes to the environment that we all know and love. Which begs the question, why bring out a new version one and half years after the last one. My clients are confused enough as it is. Ed

ARE YOU KEEPING TIME ?

Here are a few keyboard shortcuts you can use to insert the current time and date in a Microsoft Access table or Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

In Access, these keyboard shortcuts only work if you are entering data in the Datasheet or Form view.

On a slightly different time issue, I had to write some visual basic for the Workbench to test if a form timer event should activate. This required finding out if the current time was within 60 seconds of a time stored in a table (called UserAdmin). Code follows

Const MSGMINS = 1
myUpTime = DLookup("SystemUpTime", "UserAdmin",”IDTime = 1”)
If myUpTime <= DateAdd("s", MSGMINS * 60#, Time()) And _

  myUpTime >= DateAdd("s", -MSGMINS * 60#, Time()) Then
  beep
  msgbox “Time is within 60 seconds”
End If

Note the use of the Dlookup function as a simple way to retrieve a single field in a single record and the use of the DateAdd function to calculate the range of times.

THE SOLUTIONS DATABASE

One of the more useful demonstrations of programming that came with Microsoft Access is the Solutions.mdb database. Unfortunately, this database is on the way out. The following page tells you what is in that database and where you can download it. Don’t expect the Microsoft download page to stay there for ever. If you have Access 97, you should be able to find Solutions.mdb on the CD Rom.

http://www.vb123.com/toolshed/99_free/solutions.htm

MS WORD SHORTCUTS

Double-click a word to select it. 

Press the Ctrl Key and click the mouse at the same time to select a whole sentence.

COMPACT AND REPAIR DATABASE IN WORKBENCH

New features added to the software this month include a compact facility that works when all users exit the database, changing the Lock button to a checkbox to make it simpler and an easy way to open the database in exclusive mode.  All the help has been updated and you can read more and download from

http://www.vb123.com/workbench/

Alternatively, see a picture of the new interface at

http://www.vb123.com/workbench/help/default1.jpg

The internal messaging has been reworked to make it clearer, the displays of the who’s on list can be adjusted for slower networks or can be refreshed at an interval of your choice. Find out more on the compacting at the following address.

http://www.vb123.com/workbench/help/compact.htm

Finally the internal logging software has been reworked and now supports user messages and the shutdown software has been reworked. The internal logging software comes with compete source code.

http://www.vb123.com/workbench/help/userlog.htm

QUESTIONAIRE: WIN A FREE COPY OF THE WORKBENCH

If you have tried or read about our popular Access Workbench, which of these options would you consider important for the next version.

1)      Easy switching between the databases (most recently used list).

2)      Log all users off the database at a certain time (with warnings)

3)      Send messages to users via email

4)      Send messages to users by a pop forms in your access application.

5)      Work out both Access 2000 & 2002 formats and open different programs for each. To apply to Access 11 when it ships

6)      Your own suggestions.

1 or more lucky users will win a free copy of the workbench depending on response levels (after all it is a survey). If you have any further thoughts on the program (good or bad), let us know.

FREE AUSTRALIAN BASED COMPUTER TRAINING

We have arranged a special offer of ONE DAYS FREE TRAINING PER COMPANY for Sydney and Melbourne readers at Skill Master. Details follow

Skill Master is a locally owned member of New Horizons Worldwide Network, the worlds largest IT training company. Each year, Skill Master offers businesses and individuals more choices for learning than any other company, to find out more please contact Richard Hayles on (02) 8234 2013  or try the following links

http://www.skillmaster.com.au/

Sample training course
http://www.skillmaster.com.au/courses/applications/vbaaccess2000.htm

Program for first 4 months of 2003.
http://www.skillmaster.com.au/Jan-Apr%202003.pdf

When you ring to book, tell Richard that Garry sent you. One of our guys spent a day doing training on Advanced Excel and found the course to be very well organised and useful.

SQL SERVER WORM. WHAT WILL THE *&%# THINK OF NEXT.

Lots of press about the SQL Server worm of late. In case you missed it, anyone with SQL server or MSDE (that comes with Access 2000+) is susceptible to this worm.  Read more at

http://www.databasejournal.com/news/article.php/1574761

Search to see if you have MSDE on your computer

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.sqlexp.worm.removal.tool.html

Woodys had a couple of good editions on it.

http://www.woodyswatch.com/office/archtemplate.asp?v8-n03

http://www.woodyswatch.com/office/archtemplate.asp?v8-n04

And finally download the SQL Server 2000 SP3 patch  http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/virus/alerts/slammer.asp
 

Why bother ? Sounds like it will gooble up a lot of internet bandwidth which could cost you money. That is always a good reason to do something.

ACCESS 2002 SHORTCUT KEYS

These shortcut keys were added to Access 2002

F4 In Design view, opens the properties sheet

F7 When a form or report is open in Design view (with the focus on the Design view window or a properties sheet), takes the user to the code window, open to the form or report code module

Shift+F7 When the focus is on a properties sheet in Design view, moves the focus back to the design area without closing the properties sheet

F8 In a form or report in Design view, opens the field list; in a data access page in Design view, toggles the field list on or off

Ctrl+Right Arrow Moves to the next view when you’re working with tables, queries, forms, reports, pages, views, and stored procedures

Ctrl+Left Arrow  Moves to the previous view when you’re working with tables, queries, forms, reports, pages, views, and stored procedures

Ctrl+Tab Navigates from a form or report section to a subsection

Enter In Design view, with a field selected in the field list in a form or report, adds the selected field to the form or report design surface

GOOD READING

This caught my eye as a way to convert databases from one version to another

http://www.pstruh.cz/tips/detpg_ConvertMDB.htm

Two large pages of Access and Excel tips
http://www.inews.net.au/tips/access.htm
http://www.inews.net.au/tips/excel.htm

10 Tips for Outlook Developers
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnout2k2/html/odc_novoltips.asp

READER FEEDBACK ON HTML EMAILS

For the last edition, I featured the use of HTML email for the first time. The users feedback was quite positive and I thought I would share it with you in case you are thinking of doing the same thing one day. Please note that there is a very important reason why we switched to HTML mail. If you are using MS Word to generate text emails from a database and have Outlook 2002 on your computer, you will receive a message box warning for each text email. Surprisingly you do not receive these emails when using HTML emails for mail merge. That is why I swapped. Before it was necessary to do the Access Unlimited text email run using an old computer with an old version of Outlook. Anyway here is the feedback.

Ten people opted out straight after the email was sent out.  Usually there are about three.  This could even be due to the easy to use opt out options on the left hand menu.

HTML emails can be objectionable, for various reasons, but there's no doubt that they are easier to read, and much easier to scan for interesting/ relevant  info. Like the new format very much…  Sarah

Garry - Great newsletter format! The two-pane layout is a good idea, and the hyperlinks for navigation within the newsletter (like the "Good Reading" link in your TOC) are also very helpful to skip back down to a particular section. Keep up the good work, mate! … Thomas Williams

Thanks for the photos they were very interesting.. Dennis

I like the new format, loved all the listing in DOS options!  and fascinated with the photos  … Janet

Garry, I'm not a fan of HTML email, and prefer text emails.

Have a look at http://www.georgedillon.com/web/html_email_is_evil.shtml

for some reasons why HTML email is a bad thing. One of the issues I've noticed with your HTML format email below is as follows: I am currently using IE5.5, and have turned off the "reuse windows for launching shortcuts" option. Normally, this means whenever I click a URL or open a shortcut, it'll open it in a new browser window. However, every link I click on in the email is opened in the same IE window. With text-format emails, I can select the URL, copy it to the clipboard, then hit Start->Run, paste the URL from the clipboard, and hit enter. The URL would then be opened in a new browser window. With the HTML format email, there's no way I can get at the URL to do that....unless I want to view the source, find the URL, and copy and paste it. Regards ... Martin 

Like the new format.  I use Windows XP Professional and Pegasus Mail.  (Do I hear You ask "Why Pegasus"?  It provides a lot of protection from virus onslaught.)  In two or three places your text compressed, leaving multiple characters on top of each other. Mike

I like the new format.  Richard 

I like the new format...keep up the good work.  Cory

Hello Garry, I really enjoy your newsletter. The new format looks nice. I was wondering - are you doing an "email merge" to send out the HTML version? If so, are you just using Office, or are you using an add-in or third-party program? I have been tearing my hair out trying to make an Access application run HTML email merges. (I was trying to email merge by going through Word 2000, but when I choose "Merge to: Email", it converts the messages to plain text.) Keep up the good work! Heather

Hi Garry! I really enjoy your newsletter and the new format is great -- much more readable. I only have two comments:  1)  if it is possible, change the margins on the left as the first letter is being cut off by the box around the text; 2) you may want to use spell check (only saw one error). Thanks for the great newsletter!  Lori

Summary.  Keep the design simple so as not to annoy.  Provide links to articles and pictures rather than stick everything in the newsletter.  Keep the full hyperlinks in the newsletter if possible.  The html email was far easier to transfer to vb123.com  (managed using Frontpage 2002) than the text emails.

Note: If you still want to read the message in text format in Outlook.  Choose the Forward message option, choose the format menu and change the format to plain text.  

Final Word from Ed

I have been doing the email runs using Word 2002 with the latest 2 patches and a secure Access database.  Seems like HTML email only really worked with this very latest version unless you want to send out an email with no hyperlinks.  Feedback thus far has been positive.  I will continue in this format. 

If you like this newsletter, why not try the websites of others who contribute to this newsletter.
http://www.vb123.com/explore/links.htm

So thanks for reading our popular newsletter.  Feel free to make comments, copy the email to a friend or maybe even contribute to the next edition.

PRICE RISES

Prices for the Workbench will rise to US$49.95 and for The Toolshed to US$40 on the Twenty Fifth of February.

WRAPPING THIS EDITION UP

Have you heard of this computer error message?  “Your keyboard is not connected. Please hit any key to continue” A technology journalist related this on ABC radio in Australia.

How good are your user messages in your software ?  We ate humble pie and rewrote the messages in the Workbench after some user complaints. Let us know how we went.

Garry Robinson - Software Consultant
 

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Published  2003-02

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