Reader Challenge Reader Challenge: Write a Formula to Calculate Gift Totals in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" How many total gifts does one's true love deliver by the nth day of Christmas? It's a deceptively tricky problem to solve.
Code Library Dt() Function v3: Refactoring with Automated Tests Reader Brenda Bachtold provides a more readable version of my date-wrapping function. Automated doc tests prove that her version functions the same as mine.
Code Library Dt() Function v2: Handling Time-Only Date Values An important bug fix for my previously published date-wrapping VBA function that addresses an issue integrating time-only values with SQL Server.
twinBASIC Weekly Update twinBASIC Update: December 18, 2022 Highlights include initial support for user controls, a new list view option for the form designer toolbox, and another sample twinBASIC project from fafalone.
Week in Review Week in Review: December 17, 2022 Highlights include Access's new code signing feature, rotating and scaling images, drawing snowflakes (festive!), and a BRAND NEW Access blog.
SQL Server Epoch Differences Between VBA and SQL Server Do you have unexplained dates of December 30, 1899 in your SQL Server database? VBA's epoch (i.e., zero date) could be the culprit.
Database Design Sample Database Schemas for the Database Design Phase The most important phase of any Microsoft Access application project is the database design. This site has tons of sample schemas to get you started.
Code Library GetLatestOledbProvider(): Use VBA to get the Latest SQL Server OLE DB Provider This simple VBA function will check the user's registry and return the latest OLE DB provider from a list of supported providers that you can customize.
Hidden Features Dark Mode in VBA VBA may not have a preset "Dark Mode" like other modern development environments, but it's not hard to create one yourself.
Code Library GetLatestOdbcDriver(): Use VBA to get the Latest SQL Server ODBC Driver This simple VBA function will check the user's registry and return the latest ODBC driver from a list of supported drivers that you can customize.
twinBASIC Weekly Update twinBASIC Update: December 11, 2022 Updates include a version 1 release date, twinBASIC roadmap update, and several bug fixes.
Week in Review Week in Review: December 10, 2022 Highlights include Access disappearing from the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, bug fix release 2211 details, maps, maps, and more maps.
List Fields ListFields() Part 3: Field Details In part 3, we add an optional parameter to the ListFields() function to display the field details in the immediate window.
Database Design Reader Q&A: Single-Row Tables Are single-row tables something you should use or not? Can they be trusted? I answer that and more in this installment of Reader Q&A.
List Fields ListFields() Part 2: An Optional Prefix The ListFields() routine expands to include optional table/alias prefixes for outputting fully qualified field names.
List Fields ListFields() Part 1: Listing Table Fields in the Immediate Window An easy way to reduce context switching between the VBA IDE and the Access application window is to list table field names in the immediate window.
Commentary How to Know When to Turn Lines of Code Into a Standalone Routine in VBA DRY vs. YAGNI. Don't Repeat Yourself or You Ain't Gonna Need It? Sometimes it's not obvious whether a block of code would be useful as a standalone routine.
twinBASIC Weekly Update twinBASIC Update: December 4, 2022 Highlights include initial support for importing VB6 forms with ActiveX controls, GoSub syntax support, and context-sensitive custom help support.
Week in Review Week in Review: December 3, 2022 Highlights include the WizHook TwipsFromFont function, an enhanced message box, and drawing dynamic meters on Access reports.
Memory Management Monitoring Memory Usage in a 64-bit Access Application According to the Windows API, my 64-bit Access application uses more than 2 TB (that's *terra*-bytes) of memory. Something tells me that's not right...
Memory Management Virtual Machine Memory: An Explainer for Access Developers Virtual machines present an interesting twist when it comes to memory management issues in Microsoft Access.
Fluent API When to Build Fluent APIs Fluent programming interfaces can be your best friend or your worst enemy. So how do you know when they are appropriate to use?
Fluent API Diving Deeper into the World of Fluent APIs: An Unusual Way of Constructing Class Modules Martin Fowler first coined the term fluent interfaces back in 2005. What are they, what do you need to know about them, and what do they look like in VBA?
Recap Access Dev Team Progress Update: Dataverse Export Improvements The Access team provides an update on impending improvements to the Dataverse export feature.
twinBASIC Weekly Update twinBASIC Update: November 27, 2022 Highlights include support for graphical buttons, OLE drag and drop, and some exciting news about the upcoming release of Rubberduck VBA 3.0.