Welcome To The Access Unlimited Newsletter - Edition 48
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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, 

Those naughty cascade deletes
A global error handler
More on subforms in new windows
Denver Access Users Group -Special 10th Anniversary Celebration
New demonstration database available from Microsoft
Good Reading

Tony Adds His Input To Access Unlimited

Tony Toews, a well known Microsoft Access MVP has agreed to add his favorite links and content to this humble magazine. In his first contribution, Tony gets grumpy and tells us about his intense dislike for cascade deletes in Microsoft Access. Ed cannot disagree and l encourage you all to read more at

http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/cascadeupdatedelete.htm

Ed begs to differ with Tony on Cascade Updates and Natural Keys but its interesting to read another viewpoint.

Since the newsletter started, a reader has written in. “Tony vaguely mentions a good example, cleaning up a temp table. But why not pick one real example such as if you delete a quotation, you would set cascade deletes to on because then all the quotation lines go as well. Very useful and very relevant. By giving it the twist Tony does here, he scares the maybe-not-so-experienced developer that cascade deletes are bad which is not true. On the contrary, it's a very powerful tool, but as with all tools you must know what you are doing.” /Gustav  Ed also does use cascade deletes from time to time to strip most of the data out of client databases before taking the (now test) database offsite. Then Ed turns them off again.

Rob Henderson Introduces A Global Error Handler

Rob (from Scotland) describes why introducing a global error handler is a good idea for your database. As I discuss in the good programming practices chapter of my book (chapter 4), if you wait to protect your VBA code, one of the things that you must do is add error handling or an error will expose your code. Rob says “I've attached a sample global error handler that I use in my applications. This code also includes a function to write the error details to a table - this could easily be adapted for a text file or fine tuned only to log certain errors or even removed altogether.” Read more and get the download at

http://www.vb123.com/toolshed/04_accvb/globalerrorhandling.htm

More On Subforms In New Windows

In the last-edition I mentioned the open subform in a new Window feature that was available in Access 2002 and 2003. Heather writes to describe how to do this in Access 2000.

Hi Garry,

Regarding the "subform in a new window" issue - I'm still attached to Access 2000, and found an add-in (free!) that allows me to open the subform in its own window. The only problem I have noticed with it is if I open a form, and then use the addin (which manifests as an item in the right-click menu) to open the subform separately, I need to be careful to save only the subform when the "Save" option comes up - otherwise, it saves the instance of the subform that is still unchanged in the form (since saving the parent form saves all the items in the form, including subforms), otherwise, it's a great help. It's called the "TSI Subforminator!" and it works with subreports too.

Another "life saver" addin (from the same place) is "TSI Xpression (Access 2000/2002)", which brings the Expression builder back to the VBA coding environment - just right-click in the code editor where you want the expression, and the option is in the menu to bring it up. Especially useful for grabbing the form and control names for other open or closed forms.

They have a pile of other addins as well, these are just the ones I use the most. All are available from http://www.trigeminal.com/lang/1033/utility.asp

Also wanted to let you know that I bought your book. Haven't finished it yet, but have implemented a few things from it. Thanks

Heather Floyd Innovations LLC

Denver Access Users Group - Special 10th Anniversary Celebration

At our July 15, 2004 meeting, we will celebrate our 10th year as an Access Users Group. Our main presentation will be presented by Jon Sigler, THE Access "Group Program Manager" from Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington. This will make our 10th anniversary meeting a very special and unique event.

Jon's presentation will include discussions on: "New features in Access 2003," "The Microsoft development process and how features make it in to Access," and "The future of Access."

http://www.daaug.org/

A new demonstration database available from Microsoft

MS have released a 2003 versions of their demonstration databases that will show you things like

·         Bring a subtotal from a subform to a main form
·         Create a running sum
·         Create a stopwatch form
·         Create an AfterUndo form event
·         Create an unbound form
·         Create an Undo Record button
·         Create user idle time or inactivity
·         Determine if a form is maximized or minimized
·         Disable PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys
·         Display line numbers on subform records
·         Dynamically synchronize two forms using code
·         Export an object as HTML
·         Fill current record with data from previous record automatically
·         Get the right and down measurements of a form
·         Hide the combo box drop-down arrow
·         Limit the number of characters permitted to the size of a text box
·         Manipulate CommandBar items
·         Move from a subform to a main form using TAB or ENTER
·         Open multiple instances of a form
·         Set focus to a subform using the GoToControl action
·         Simulate drag-and-drop capabilities
·         Start another application from a text box
·         Synchronize two combo boxes on a form
·         Use a toggle button to hide and display a subform
·         Use the Callback property of a balloon
·         Use a lightweight form that contains hyperlinks
·         Use an ADO record source
·         Use code to determine the selected page of the Tab control
·         Use the Tab control to view several subforms  

Download it from http://www.office.microsoft.com/...

 GOOD READING

Create a Word document without using Word Automation. Peter Vogel tells how. Read more

Good Visual Basic Installation program
http://www.pantaray.com/

Open Source Databases – Have they got a leg to stand on
http://www.builderau.com.au/architect/0,39024564,39129549,00.htm

How to switch an Access subform from normal view to datasheet and back
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=216675

DBDesigner 4 is an open source competitor to products like ERwin and Rose, optimized for MySQL database design.
http://www.fabforce.net/dbdesigner4/index.php

Interesting function for subdividing strings in cases such as standard character delimited  eg |A|B|C|  to return C
http://visualbasic.about.com/library/blvbsplit.htm

Encrypt a windows 2000 file using visual basic
http://www.vbusers.com/code/codeget.asp?ThreadID=226

Starting up SQL Server in Code and checking for your database
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;240293

Well designed Icons
http://www.devcomponents.com/iconpack/

Migrating from Access to MySQL backend.
http://www.kitebird.com/articles/access-migrate.html

Run windows software / operating system from SQL Server
http://www.databasejournal.com/features/mssql/article.php/3372131

Referential Integrity
http://www.ehow.com/how_13625_understand-referential-integrity.html

Why did I write a pragmatic book on Access security ? Read this collection of posts and you will understand why.
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Databases/MS_Access/Q_20886401.html

Comparisons between Access and Filemaker Pro
http://www.techsoup.org/howto/articlepage.cfm?ArticleId=207&topicid=6

Microsoft Announces Free Entry level .Net and SQL Server
http://www.ftponline.com/weblogger/forum.aspx?ID=6&DATE=07/02/2004#167

SQL Comparison Tools
http://www.red-gate.com/sql/summary.htm

Does Access Security changes effect all database?
http://developersforhire.co.uk/resource/resources_dev.htm#Access.Security

 Find out about your favorite vegetable (minerals, Fiber, vitamins)
http://www.uhhealthsmart.com/tools2/vegetable/vegi_content.lasso

WRAPPING THIS EDITION UP  

Its interesting that Microsoft are talking up their search engine capabilities long before they try to play catch up with Google. One has to wonder if Microsoft are interested in getting their hands on the billion or so $$’s or are they worried about a world where the home user logs into the internet on a Sony PlayStation (or Linux) and gets Google email, Web search and browse and a web based document editor without using Windows. No doubt it will be a good fight and we will be the winners.

 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. And if you can, have a look at our software by using the Marketing section on the left hand side of this newsletter. If you really like this newsletter, why not purchase The Toolshed and you will get all the other newsletters and plenty more in a developer’s knowledge base tool with super searching facilities.

Garry Robinson - Software Consultant and Author

--- The end of this edition of Access Unlimited ---

PS Don’t forget Garry’s book …

http://www.vb123.com/map/

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Published  2004-07

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