Intermediate - No Longer Set (Page 2)

Philipp Stiefel on VBA Compilation

Is VBA an interpreted language? Or a compiled language? Or something in between. Philipp Stiefel shines light on the topic for us.

VBA

Avoiding Overflow Errors When Defining Calculated Constants

Overflow errors are usually straightforward. But what about when you get an overflow assigning a value of 1 to a Long integer?

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.

Class Modules

Caching Object Instances in VBA Classes

Simplify the object initialization code in your class modules without sacrificing performance using this easy technique.

Form Design

Add a Custom Right-Click Menu to an Access Control

It's easier than you might think to add a right-click menu to a control on your Access form.

Intermediate

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

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

Intermediate

How to Remove the Time Portion From a Date Variable in VBA

In this article, I run a series of experiments to explore how different time-stripping approaches work in VBA.

SQL Server

3 Gotchas of the SQL BETWEEN Statement

The SQL BETWEEN statement produces very readable condition expressions. But developers of all skill levels can still get into trouble with it.

COM

High Level Overview of COM

This whirlwind tour of the Component Object Model technology will jump start your journey of automating Excel from VBA in Access.

Defensive Programming

Frictionless Validity Checks

Let's apply the concept of frictionless development to the defensive programming technique of data validity checks.

Technical Debt

Storing Local Table Data in a Front-End Access Application

If you're thinking about storing local data in your front-end Access application, make sure it follows these 4 ground rules.

Intermediate

4 VBA PowerShell Functions

Microsoft Access MVP Daniel Pineault provides four easy-to-use routines for integrating PowerShell with VBA.

Defensive Programming

Data Validity Checks

Increase the quality of your existing data by running it through a series of validity checks and showing your users the results.

Intermediate

CurrentDB and the "Object invalid or no longer set" error

Misuse of the CurrentDb function is a common cause of the "Object invalid or no longer set" error. Are you using it safely?

Intermediate

4 Ways to Automate Sending Emails from Microsoft Access

Manually sending a single email from an email client is easy. Automating email sending, by contrast, is deceptively hard.

Intermediate

How to Construct a Bit Mask in VBA

What's the safest way to construct a bit mask in VBA? Your preferred approach may be more dangerous than you realize.

Intermediate

Runtime Mode in Microsoft Access

There are two ways to force a full version of Access to run a front-end file in runtime mode: the /runtime switch and changing the extension to .accdr.

Defensive Programming

The RecordsAffected Property is a Powerful Tool for Defensive Programming

As developers, we need to constantly be thinking about how to handle unknown unknowns. The RecordsAffected property helps us do that.

Intermediate

Enforcing a Single-Row Table in MS Access and SQL Server

There are many uses for a table with one--and only one--row in it. Using such a table is simpler if you can rely on the sanctity of its one-row-ness.

Intermediate

Office 2019 Runs in 64-bit Mode By Default. Here's What That Means for VBA Developers

Through Office 2016, default installs used the 32-bit version of the software. Now that 64-bit is the default, it's time to bite the bullet and convert your VBA code.

DoEvents

DoEvents vs. Repaint in Microsoft Access

Can you use the Repaint method in place of the DoEvents function? It depends on what you're trying to do. Let's explore with some sample code.

Intermediate

The "Unset" Enum Item

This simple technique is a foolproof way to avoid the sort of logic bug that can live undetected in your codebase for years.

Intermediate

4 Uses for Transparent Command Buttons in Microsoft Access

When you set a command button's Transparent property to True, you won't see it but you can still interact with it. This opens up a world of possibilities.

Intermediate

First, Make It Right (Then Make It Fast)

In queries, nested IIf statements are fast and (relatively) easy to write. The problem is they are nearly impossible to read.

Combo Boxes

Cascading Combo Boxes

Cascading combo boxes are one of the best ways to find data in a fixed hierarchy. Here's what the concept looks like in action.