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# Throwback Thursday: September 12, 2024
- URL: https://nolongerset.com/throwback-thursday-2024-09-12/
- Published: 2024-09-13T02:08:45.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-08T12:41:55.000Z
- Description: Today's edition of Throwback Thursday highlights my three most-used string functions: Conc(), Qt(), and Parse(), used to join words, quote words, and extract words.
- Author: Mike Wolfe
- Tags: Throwback Thursday, #Import 2026-05-20 02:59

*With over a million words scattered across more than 1,300 articles on this blog, you've probably missed a few things here.*

*That’s why each week in "Throwback Thursday," we’ll revisit some standout posts. Expect a blend of my personal favorites, insightful articles from other great minds, and a touch of coding humor to keep things light.*

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## Highlights from NoLongerSet.com

The articles below cover my three most-commonly used string functions in my everyday Access programming:

- `Conc()`: used to concatenate two strings with a delimiter when both strings are non-zero length; this function lets you avoid the annoying (and error-prone) step of stripping off a trailing delimiter at the end of a loop

[Come TogetherDo you build strings in loops? Stop trimming the delimiter at the end of the loop. There’s a better way.![](https://nolongerset.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2020/09/NLS_Icon_square.png)No Longer SetMike Wolfe![](https://nolongerset.com/content/images/2020/09/chain-3481377_1920.jpg)](https://nolongerset.com/come-together/)

- `Qt()`: wraps strings in double quotes for use in SQL statements; properly escapes embedded double quotes and avoids the errors associated with using single quotes when the literal string also contains single quotes (aka, the "O'Malley" problem)

[Quoth thy SQL? Evermore!Solving the “O’Malley problem” with dedicated functions to sanitize our strings. Little Bobby Tables would be proud.![](https://nolongerset.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2020/09/NLS_Icon_square.png)No Longer SetMike Wolfe![](https://nolongerset.com/content/images/2020/09/crow-3347677_1920-1.jpg)](https://nolongerset.com/quoth-thy-sql-evermore/)

- `Parse()`: used to extract values from a multi-value key-value string, such as a typical connection string

[Part and Parse()-lTake the Tag property and OpenArgs argument to the next level. This function makes it easy to assign and extract multiple values from a single string.![](https://nolongerset.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2020/09/NLS_Icon_square.png)No Longer SetMike Wolfe![](https://nolongerset.com/content/images/2020/11/construction-3734380_1920.jpg)](https://nolongerset.com/part-and-parse-l/)

## Wisdom from Around the Web

Allen Browne's `ParseWord()` function:

[Microsoft Access tips: Parse a word from a field or phraseVBA function to parse a word from a field or phrase in a Microsoft Access database.![](http://allenbrowne.com/favicon.ico)](http://allenbrowne.com/func-10.html)

## Developer Humor

#### We’re willing to consider letting you apply!

[![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/d7/ebd732c1-5f03-4f07-b386-5d08557e15c9/content/images/2024/09/image-11.png)](https://jonathanstark.com/ditcherville/41)

*Cover image generated by Ideogram*