Mike Wolfe

twinBASIC

HOW TO: Creating a Standard (non-ActiveX) DLL with twinBASIC

With twinBASIC, you no longer need C++ to build a standard DLL. Call high-performance code from VBA without needing the Windows registry.

COM

ActiveX vs. Standard DLLs

What's the difference between an ActiveX (COM) and Standard DLL? When would you choose one over the other?

Announcement

Access at Microsoft Build 2022

You'll never guess what the Access team talked about at the recent annual Microsoft Build conference. I'll give you a hint: it rhymes with "beta curse."

twinBASIC

HOW TO: Creating an Office COM Add-in with twinBASIC

Ever wish you could turn your VBA code into a COM add-in that would run in 32- AND 64-bit Office applications? It's easier than ever with twinBASIC.

twinBASIC Weekly Update

twinBASIC Update: June 12, 2022

Highlights include ActiveX control support on twinBASIC forms and a discussion about the (accidental?) interface constructor language feature.

Week in Review

Week In Review: June 11, 2022

Highlights include a better date picker control, dashboard-style gauges, and drawing shapes in Access reports.

Debugging

Fixing a Persistent "Write Conflict" Error

If you are getting consistent "Write Conflict" warnings when using bound forms to update SQL Server tables with datetime fields, there may be an easy fix.

Migration

Scripted SQL Server Migrations

Use this batch file to automatically backup a database on one instance of SQL Server and restore it on a different instance of SQL Server.

Deployment

Mark of the Web (MOTW) Support Among Zip Utilities

What happens to the Mark of the Web when you extract files from a downloaded .zip file? It depends on what you use to do the extraction.

Migration

SQL Server Migration Steps

My SQL Server migration philosophy consists of two priorities: (1) Avoid disasters and (2) Minimize production downtime.

Whiteboard Sessions

Microsoft Access: A Victim of Its Own Success

Looking for bold new features in Microsoft Access? Don't hold your breath.

twinBASIC Weekly Update

twinBASIC Update: June 5, 2022

Includes a sneak peek of the upcoming ActiveX Control Extender support in twinBASIC.

Week in Review

Week in Review: June 4, 2022

Highlights include major changes to the Access roadmap, Richard Rost's Beginner Access video course is now free, and research on developer interviews.

Defensive Programming

In Defense of Security Through Obscurity

There are two key elements to defending a military position: cover AND concealment. It's not an either-or proposition.

SQL

SQL Gotcha: When an OUTER JOIN Accidentally Becomes an INNER JOIN

If you apply a WHERE filter directly to the OUTER JOIN side of a query you will effectively turn it into an INNER JOIN.

Form Design

Choosing the Right Font

Fonts fall into six main categories. There is no one "best" type of font. Rather, each type serves different purposes.

Announcement

What Happened to the Access Roadmap?

[Access Developers]: Stop putting out bad information on the public roadmap.[Microsoft]: OK, we'll stop putting out information on the public roadmap.

Bug Alert

Office FeatureGates: How Microsoft Can Break and Fix Their Applications in Under 24 Hours

Microsoft Access regularly breaks following Office updates. But, sometimes, it *starts* working again just as suddenly. Here's how that works.

twinBASIC Weekly Update

twinBASIC Update: May 29, 2022

Highlights include new build features, a good Exit Code discussion, and a multi-threaded twinBASIC proof of concept from Ben Clothier.

Week in Review

Week in Review: May 28, 2022

Highlights include two new Access bugs, a modern On/Off toggle control, setting list box font colors by column, and resurrected videos from the Access forums vault.

Database Design

The 13 Kinds of Business Application Tables

Database tables in a line-of-business application generally fall into one of these thirteen categories.

Announcement

Building Ribbon Interfaces in Code

Join me online on Wednesday, July 6, for my presentation "Building Ribbon Interfaces in Code" to the Access Europe user group.

SQL Server

HOW TO: Automate Batch Deletion of SQL Server Records

Using a single DELETE statement to remove 20 million+ records from SQL Server is a bad idea. Here's a better approach.

SQL Server

Deleting a Large Number of Records in SQL Server

Let's explore four options--two bad and two good--for deleting one million or more records from a single SQL Server table.

Debugging

Breaking Down Windows Error Codes

Did you know there is a method to the madness behind those crazy-looking VBA error numbers like 0x80070005 or its decimal equivalent -2,147,024,891?