Unicode

Unicode MsgBox Revisited

A small improvement to my Unicode-friendly MsgBox and a handy trick for avoiding compile errors across Word/Excel/Access/etc.

Commentary

PICNIC: The Underlying Cause of Many Technical Support Calls

A PICNIC is the most frequent source of problems on technical support calls.

Advanced

Unicode Private Use Areas in VBA

Looking for a safe temporary character or text delimiter that is guaranteed to not exist in your data set? Look no further than the Unicode Private Use Areas.

Video

VIDEO: "Codifying" Long Names

Former Access MVP Jack Stockton translates my SQL Server "Codify()" function to work with Microsoft Access backend databases.

twinBASIC Weekly Update

twinBASIC Update: September 11, 2022

Highlights include 4 new form controls (TreeView, DriveListBox, DirListBox, FileListBox), an impromptu Q&A with Wayne, and WinNativeForms source.

Week in Review

Week in Review: September 10, 2022

Highlights include a major milestone for (and giveaway from) Richard Rost, a data classification guide, and an Access QR code generator.

Advanced

Understanding Signed and Unsigned Numbers in VBA

Signed and unsigned numbers–and their hexadecimal representations–can interact in surprising ways in VBA.

DevCon

Access DevCon Vienna 2022 - Access Roadmap Update

Highlights include a new "High Confidence" approach to the roadmap, a sneak peek at the modern browser control, and background on the Monster Bug.

Code Library

ObscureInfo(): Hide Sensitive Information in Access Form Controls

Avoid over-the-shoulder attacks and prevent accidental disclosures in your Microsoft Access forms with this easy-to-implement function.

Forms

7 Ways to Loop Through Controls on a Microsoft Access Form

There are many ways to use VBA to hide/show or lock/unlock groups of controls on an Access form. Here are seven different techniques you can use.

Debugging

3 Benefits of Documenting Your Debugging Process

It may sound counterintuitive, but taking the time to document your debugging process will save you time--both now and in the future.

twinBASIC Weekly Update

twinBASIC Update: September 4, 2022

Highlights include new IDE shortcut keys, an awesome new IDE History panel, and a project from fafalone that showcases twinBASIC's interface definition feature.

Week in Review

Week in Review: September 3, 2022

Highlights include an add-in to check Access/Windows/Office versions, a query metadata viewer, and multiple ways to change the mouse cursor in MS Access.

Video

VIDEO: Sorting Continuous Forms

A 12-minute video that shows you how to implement my NewSort and UseHand functions for sorting continuous forms in MS Access.

Code Library

NewSort(): Sort a Continuous Form by Clicking on the Column Label

Sort a continuous form in MS Access by simply pointing at a column label. These functions make it easy.

Code Library

UseHand(): Changing the Mouse Cursor in Microsoft Access

A classic Microsoft Access mouse cursor trick gets simplified and updated for 64-bit VBA compatibility.

Video

Access Job Interview Questions: Follow-up Q&A

Topics covered include Access security best practices, "deploying" trusted locations to users, and avoiding reserved words when naming database objects.

Tools

ActiveX Controls: Love 'Em or Hate 'Em?

I always avoid ActiveX controls in my Access applications. Except when I can't. Or don't want to. It's complicated...

twinBASIC Weekly Update

twinBASIC Update: August 28, 2022

Highlights include improvements to code selector boxes in the IDE, IntelliSense improvements, and better support for "kernel mode" (i.e., device drivers).

Week in Review

Week in Review: August 27, 2022

Highlights include a dedicated web page for the Access Europe User Group, a Nav Pane Helper Add-in, and a deep dive into database theory.

Video

Access Job Interview Questions

Richard Rost--today's most prolific creator of Microsoft Access video tutorials--has put together a great baseline of questions and answers that test your Access knowledge.

Quick Tip

Adding References from VBA

Did you ever wish you could bypass the Tools > References dialog entirely when adding references in Access? Automate the process with some simple VBA.

Tools

AccessImagine: ActiveX Picture Control for Access

If you are building an image-rich data application with Microsoft Access, you can save yourself a lot of development time with a third-party tool like AccessImagine.

twinBASIC

HOW TO: Handle Excel Events in a twinBASIC COM Addin

You can now use twinBASIC to create a COM add-in for Excel that handles Excel Application events like NewWorkbook and WorkbookOpen.

Bug Alert

Bug Alert: Wizards Don't Work with MVFs and Attachment Fields

Beginning with version 2006, Access hangs when running the Report or Labels Wizard on a table with a multi-valued field (MVF) or attachment field.