DevCon 2024: Version Control with Access

Mike Wolfe -

Slide Deck

Check back soon for a PDF copy of the slide deck.

Getting Started Video

Adam Waller, the maintainer and lead developer for the Access Version Control Add-in, recently gave a presentation to the Denver Area Access User Group which makes a great "Getting Started" guide.  The video is available on YouTube:

Adam uses GitHub and GitHub Desktop in his presentation above.  

GitHub Project Page

Here's a link to the msaccess-vcs-addin project page on GitHub, which includes a great overview of the project:

GitHub - joyfullservice/msaccess-vcs-addin: Synchronize your Access Forms, Macros, Modules, Queries, Reports, and more with a version control system.
Synchronize your Access Forms, Macros, Modules, Queries, Reports, and more with a version control system. - joyfullservice/msaccess-vcs-addin
GitHubjoyfullservice

There's also a Quick Start guide from Adam available here.

Getting Started

I wrote a series of articles that act as a Quick Start Guide.

The articles are a good complement to Adam's video.  I use Mercurial instead of Git (an admittedly unpopular choice, but I have my reasons).  However, this highlights the fact that Adam's add-in works with any version control system, including Git, Mercurial, SVN, and many others.

  1. Install Adam Waller's Version Control Add-in (step-by-step guide)
  2. Install TortoiseHg (step-by-step guide)
  3. Making your first commit (step-by-step guide)

Further Reading

Getting Started

What’s the Purpose of an Access Version Control Add-in?
Access version control add-ins are not a replacement for Git, Subversion, or Mercurial.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Installing the Access Version Control Add-in: Step-by-Step
Looking to try version control with Microsoft Access? Start here by installing Adam Waller’s free and open-source Version Control Addin for MS Access.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Installing TortoiseHg: Step-by-Step
Step-by-step instructions for installing my preferred distributed version control system (DVCS) for Access developers looking to get started with version control.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Access Version Control: A Quick Start Guide
With this step-by-step guide, you’ll be using version control with Access in under 20 minutes.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe

High-Level Overview

Top 10 Reasons to Use Version Control With Access
Using version control is the most impactful change you can make to improve the quality of your Microsoft Access applications. Here is a quick list of just some of the benefits you gain using version control.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Access Version Control: My Philosophy
These rules are intended as a guiding philosophy. If I’m getting closer to meeting this vision, I know I’m moving in the right direction.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Reducing Lost Code Recovery Time
How do you reduce your recovery time when you’ve lost a bunch of code you just wrote? To misquote Bart Simpson, “Version control, my man.”
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Peace of Mind from Version Control
“Do you want to save your changes?” No, not if I just added temporary debugging code. But, Yes, if I also added production code. What to do?
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Learn to Love Text-Based Version Control with “Highlights for Children”
Why use text-based version control for visual objects like forms and reports? I’ll tell you why, but first, find all the differences between these two pictures...
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Git vs. Mercurial in 2024
This classic article from fifteen years ago contains one of the most impressively specific (and accurate) technology predictions I’ve ever read.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe

The Whole Shebang

The link below takes you to my "Version Control" tag page, which has a collection of 39 posts (as of publication).

Version Control - No Longer Set
Advanced techniques and unique perspectives from a guy who pushes the limits of Microsoft Access software development. Warning: may contain strong opinions.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe