Hidden Features - No Longer Set

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?

Hidden Features

HOW TO: Run Scheduled Tasks with Microsoft Access

This underused MS Access command-line argument opens up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to scheduling recurring tasks in Access.

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Set Next Statement with Mouse

Try this tip the next time you use the Edit & Continue feature when debugging. After more than 15 years of developing VBA, I'm still learning new things.

Hidden Features

Why Does My Access Web Browser Control Default to IE 7?

If web pages don't look right on your Access web browser control, it might be due to a little-known registry setting.

VBA

Static Functions and Subs

After fifteen years of writing VBA, I'm still learning new features of the language. Even if they're not particularly useful features...

Quick Tip

Shortcut Key to Comment/Uncomment Blocks of Code in VBA

You don't need 3rd-party tools to add keyboard shortcuts for commenting and uncommenting code blocks in VBA with this trick.

Hidden Features

How to Show Hidden Items in the VBA Object Browser

One possible fix for the "Cannot jump to '|' because it is hidden" error is to show hidden members in the VBA object browser.

Hidden Features

Declaring and Initializing Variables in the Same Line in VBA

You can't declare and initialize a variable in a single code *statement* in VBA, but you can do it in a single *line* of code with this handy trick.

Hidden Features

Inspecting the End of a Long Variable Value in VBA

You know how VBA cuts off the right side of a really long variable when inspecting its value via mouse hover? Did you know you can show the right side instead?

Hidden Features

Quick and Dirty For Loops in the Immediate Window

Did you know that you can write and execute entire For Loops in the VBA Immediate Window?

Quick Tip

Inserting a Blank Line in the VBA Immediate Window

Did you know you can insert a newline character in the Immediate Window without executing the current line of code?

Hidden Features

Access Error Number Message Lookup

Did you ever come across an error number in your Access code--maybe in an If or Select Case statement--and wonder what it was for? Wonder no longer.

Hidden Features

DefType Statements in VBA: The Dark Side of Backward Compatibility

Young VBA programmer, be not tempted by the dark side. DefType statements must be understood, but never used!

Intermediate

The IIf() Function vs. The IIf() Statement

They may look identical, but there is a very important difference in how they get evaluated.

Hidden Features

Hidden Feature: Drag and Drop Access Objects Between Files

Skip the "Import Access Objects" dialog screens and use your mouse to move Tables, Queries, Forms, Reports, and code modules between Access files.

Hidden Features

Expressions vs. Code: Implicit Type Conversion

In Microsoft Access, is a whole number literal implicitly treated as a Long or an Integer or a Double? As it turns out, it depends on where you ask.

Hidden Features

How to Check if a User Clicked [Cancel] on an InputBox in VBA

It's possible to distinguish between a user clicking [OK] on an empty box or clicking [Cancel]. You just need to use this simple trick.

Hidden Features

Debugging Private Procedures

After more than 14 years as a VBA developer, I recently discovered that you can debug private procedures without temporarily making them public!

Conventions

Beautiful Blocks of Boilerplate

Using the colon character to join multiple lines of code all willy-nilly can lead to messy code. But, used judiciously, it can create beauty from chaos.

Hidden Features

Careful What You Watch For

Can the simple act of creating a Watch change the behavior of your code while debugging? Why yes, yes it can.

Advanced

JetShowPlan: A Primer

You may be familiar with JetShowPlan, but I guarantee you've never read an article about it quite like this one.

Hidden Features

VBA's Case Changing "Feature"

VBA likes to change the casing of our code (upper/lower/mixed). It may seem random, but it's not. Read all the details here.

Hidden Features

Blast From the Past

Why use keyboard shortcuts from Access 2003 when developing in 2020? Because starting with Access 2007, the new shortcuts suck.

Hidden Features

VBA Alchemy: Turning Methods Into Properties

One can check the status of screen painting in Excel, but not in Access. This turns out to be an important shortcoming. Let's remedy it.

Code Library

Creating Optional Dependencies

Using conditional compilation to avoid the "Dependency Train" problem.