Topics-v1

Version Control

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
High Wire Walking With No Net
In those early days, our method of “source control” was making regular copies of the front-end database and appending a date to the filename. This was....less than ideal. The problem is best illustrated with a quick story.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
An Homage to Mercurial
I believe without a doubt--even knowing what I know now--that I made the right decision at the time. If I could go back to 2009 and do it over again, I would still go with Mercurial. If I were starting from scratch in 2020...that’s a different story.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
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
The Starting Point
Before we can use a DVCS with our Access application, we need to convert the binary Access file into a series of text files. The best place to start (and where my journey began) is with this StackOverflow answer.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
From Gibberish to Clarity
So, how can we compare those database properties? By iterating through the database’s .Properties collection, of course. Here is some sample code from my modified decompose.vbs script.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Database Properties for Thee
The DAO Database object has a Properties collection. You can read through the list of properties to extract saved database options. You can also add your own properties to the object.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Wherefore art thou, database properties?
In my previous post, I talked about adding custom properties to the database object. I covered how to do it, but did not go into any detail about why you might want to do it. Let’s remedy that now.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Tables to Text: Do it for the DVCS!
Anything that can lead to a bug in your software belongs in version control. That includes local tables with design-time data.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Referencing references
While we can use the VBA user interface to display the references, we can’t rely on that approach if we want to automate exporting our Access binary file to text files. Luckily, there is a solution.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Tracking Table Structure Changes
Another potential source of bugs is changes to the structures of our tables. This includes both local tables and linked tables that reside in our back-end.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Exporting Queries for Version Control
SaveAsText will export queries to text files, but calling those files “human-readable” is a stretch.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Putting It All Together
I expanded on the original decompose.vbs script. The code below is the culmination of more than 50 individual changes and tweaks over 10+ years.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Scraps of Wood and Code
Resisting the packrat mentality.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe

Error Handling

Error Handling Evolution
How you handle errors says a lot about you as a programmer. Most people evolve with experience in how they handle errors. From the most naïve to the most advanced, here is what that evolution looks like.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Throwing Errors in VBA
Introducing a frictionless alternative to Err.Raise.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Graduate Level Error Handling
Once again, I borrowed an idea from Python. To smuggle this concept into VBA, I turned to a rarely-used language feature...
No Longer SetMike Wolfe

Testing

Python-inspired Doc Tests in VBA
Doc tests are not a replacement for unit or integration testing. But they do provide the best return on investment (ROI) of any type of test, mostly because the effort to write them is near zero.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
VBA Doc Tests: Advanced Features
Let’s take our doc tests to the next level. I’ll show you how to use my custom DocTests function to test classes, private functions, and error conditions.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe

The Basics

It Takes Two
Microsoft Access is both a rapid application development (RAD) environment and a file-based database system. It is actually quite capable in each area. But they are two fundamentally different functions.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
One if ByVal, and Two if ByRef
Arguments in VBA are passed by reference by default. What does that mean? And what are the differences between passing by reference and by value?
No Longer SetMike Wolfe

Intermediate

All about interfaces:

Interfaces, Conceptually
Interfaces can be a difficult concept to grasp conceptually. To help make sense of the concept, consider these real world examples.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Interfaces, Practically
A real world example using Active Directory lookups.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Backward-Compatible Refactoring
How can you completely change the way you interact with a class without breaking backward compatibility? Interfaces.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Cookie Cutter Forms
How do you reuse a form with external dependencies in multiple projects? Interfaces.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Dependency Injection (sort of)
For a few common dependencies, we can cheat by using a singleton class. Within that class, we’ll type those dependencies as interfaces.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Cleaner IntelliSense
How to clean up your object’s auto-complete dropdown list when it starts to look like that of the MacBook Wheel.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe

Hidden Features

Expressions vs. Code
When is code not code? When it’s an expression. What’s the difference and who really cares? Let’s explore.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
A Rounding We Will Go
Two kinds of rounding, the VBA language spec vs. the Office VBA implementation, and a drop-in replacement for VBA.Round().
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Requery a Form in Place
Form.Recordset.Requery. That’s it. That’s the whole article.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
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.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Blast From the Past
Why use keyboard shortcuts from Access 2003 when developing in 2020? Because starting with Access 2007, the new shortcuts suck.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
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.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe

Tools

My Favorite Things
Here is a list of my favorite utilities, add-ins, OCX controls, and applications that I use when developing Microsoft Access applications.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe

Autohotkey

Debugging VBA with no Break Key
Ever use a keyboard without a Pause/Break key? It’s no big deal for most people, but if you develop in VBA it’s a huge deal.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
A Mind-Reading Script
What if you could highlight any text, press a hotkey, and have Windows do what you want almost every time? You’d have my top productivity hack.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Expand Your Access Palette
Use AutoHotkey to bring consistency to your Access color schemes and save time when designing forms.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Size Matters
Testing your program for small screens? You could change your own monitor’s resolution, but that gets annoying real fast. Here’s a better way.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe

SQL Server

Peeking Under the Hood
Don’t let these gotchas trip you up when using SQL Server as a backend for Microsoft Access.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
All Hail Ola!
If you’re managing SQL Server and you’re not using Ola Hallengren’s scripts, then you’re doing it wrong.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Cloning a SQL Server Database
The fastest, simplest, and cheapest way to clone a SQL Server database for debugging or testing. Even works with SQL Server Express!
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Tuning Access Query Performance
The four best tools/techniques for tuning Access query performance: JetShowPlan, Process Monitor, TraceSQLMode, and SQL Profiler.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe

Conventions

VBA Squeeze Box
I discussed previously the differences between passing by value and passing by reference. I now want to discuss how and when I use each in my own code.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Enum Type Naming Convention
The combination of “IntelliSense overload” and “global identifier case changes” convinced me I needed a different approach.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe

Commentary

Sympathy for the devil?
Microsoft Access is not the devil. You can use it to write great software. You can use it to write crappy software. I’m here to help you write more of the former and less of the latter.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Reverence for Backwards Compatibility
A feature that was heavily used by a very small percentage of power users has been maintained over the course of five subsequent upgrades (and counting). Now that is showing reverence to backwards compatibility.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Past is Prologue
A personal reflection on my software development journey. There’s more to creating great software than knowing how to write code.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Building Your Library
Thirteen years ago, I chose to maintain a folder of text files rather than a single Access database library. I’ve never once regretted that decision.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Weekend Warriors
Wherein I compare keyboard warriors to actual warriors.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Lightweight Forms? Just Don’t
Lightweight forms make your code harder to read and debug, but if your users have monitors with high enough refresh rates, they’ll appreciate the effort.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
The Curse of Reliable Software
How does one avoid the reliability paradox? One option is to intentionally write unreliable, buggy software. There’s a better option.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Two Ways to Burn
Burning cardboard is a lot like a large data migration. You can do it all at once or slowly over time.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
How Not to Propose
Features don’t sell software.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Defensive Programming
Don’t build digital Maginot Lines. Program your defenses in depth.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
The Golden Rule of Data Migrations
The fastest and most reliable way to run a migration is to repeat it many times. I call this the “Repetition Paradox.”
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Cruft Sale!
Everything must go!!! Dead code, obsolete reports, and bunches of binary backups! No offer too big or too small!
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Web Apps - Bane of my Existence
Whatever modicum of credibility I may have had with “real programmers” I am about to douse in gasoline and light on fire with this article.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe

Signal vs. Noise

Signal vs. Noise
My approach to software development in four words: Less noise. More signal.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
When Good Comments Go Bad
Bad actors carry out disinformation campaigns to poison our discourse. But when we write code, sometimes we’re the bad actors.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe

Career Advice

Journey to Access: Part 1
Many of the best Microsoft Access applications are written by people with no formal background in software development. Your origin story starts here.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Journey to Access: Part 2
The weirdos who enjoy spending lots of time to avoid doing mundane tasks that only take a little time have their own special name: programmers. Welcome to our very weird club.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe
Journey to Access: Part 3
A morass of Word documents and Excel workbooks--the invasive plant species of the Windows world--overgrowing your file system like so much digital kudzu.
No Longer SetMike Wolfe

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

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  • Archive Collection: Hidden Features: (Jan 20, 2023) I'm on vacation (shh...don't tell anyone)! I'll be back soon, but until then enjoy today's curated collection of articles from the archive. Today's topic: Hidden Features.
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  • Debugging VBA with no Break Key: (Oct 27, 2020) Ever use a keyboard without a Pause/Break key? It's no big deal for most people, but if you develop in VBA it's a huge deal.
  • A Mind-Reading Script: (Oct 28, 2020) What if you could highlight any text, press a hotkey, and have Windows do what you want almost every time? You'd have my top productivity hack.
  • Expand Your Access Palette: (Oct 31, 2020) Use AutoHotkey to bring consistency to your Access color schemes and save time when designing forms.
  • Size Matters: (Nov 1, 2020) Testing your program for small screens? You could change your own monitor's resolution, but that gets annoying real fast. Here's a better way.
  • "Toggle" Hotkey for the Immediate Window: (Nov 18, 2020) Am I the only one who finds it annoying that [Ctl] + [G] doesn't *toggle* between the immediate window and the code window? Let's fix that.
  • Streamlining SaveAsText / LoadFromText: (Mar 19, 2021) SaveAsText and LoadFromText are indispensable for Access version control. They're also annoying to type repeatedly. Let's fix that.
  • Toggle ODBC TraceSQLMode with an AutoHotKey Script: (Mar 14, 2022) Traditional methods of enabling and disabling ODBC TraceSQLMode are a pain in the neck. This AutoHotKey script makes it as easy as pushing a button.
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  • My Top 10 Allen Browne Posts: (Nov 11, 2022) If you're a Microsoft Access developer and you've never heard of Allen Browne, then you are in for a treat...
  • My Top 10 Joel Spolsky Posts: (Mar 8, 2023) If you are running a small (or large) software development company, Joel Spolsky should be at the top of your reading list.
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  • Code that Fits in Your Head: (Aug 15, 2023) "Code that Fits in Your Head" is to senior software developers what "Code Complete" is to junior software developers. I can think of no higher praise.
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  • Syntax Errors: (Aug 5, 2021) Every programming language has its own syntactical quirks. The C family loves braces. Python loves indentation. BASIC loves words. And Perl loves #%@!{}]&.
  • Compile Errors: (Aug 6, 2021) Compile errors are easy to keep out of deployed code (just remember to Debug > Compile). Which is good because they hard crash Access in Runtime mode.
  • Misunderstood Requirements in the Project Design Phase: (Aug 7, 2021) Your client knows what's wrong. They *think* they know how to fix it. But treating symptoms is never as effective as treating the disease.
  • Automated Test Errors (aka, Failing Tests): (Aug 10, 2021) You can have a bug in your code and/or in your test. You're unlikely to have the *same* bug in your code and your test.
  • Logic Errors: (Aug 19, 2021) The logic error is the most dangerous and insidious of all software errors.
  • Runtime Errors: (Aug 20, 2021) It's impossible to predict every possible scenario that could befall our applications in the wild. But we need to at least try.
  • Misunderstood Requirements (After You've Written the Code): (Aug 21, 2021) As you install the final piece of crown molding in the dog's second bedroom, you can't help but smile at the absurdity of it all.
  • "It Runs On My Computer": (Aug 28, 2021) Here are the 7 most common reasons I've had to utter those words as an Access developer.
  • Why You Should Learn to Love Syntax Errors: (Apr 24, 2023) The immediate negative feedback loop that syntax errors provide is a powerful learning tool.
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  • Copyright Implications of ChatGPT Content: (Jan 3, 2023) ChatGPT from OpenAI is taking the world by storm. Who owns the ChatGPT output? Can you pass it off as your own? Do you need to acknowledge OpenAI?
  • ChatGPT: (Jan 4, 2023) The personal computer. Google search. The smart phone. Lifelike chat bots. Another generation-defining technology has arrived.
  • My Policy on ChatGPT-Generated Content: (Jan 5, 2023) I plan to use ChatGPT to generate content at NoLongerSet.com. But I plan to do it with full transparency. Here is my pledge to you, dear reader.
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  • VBA Squeeze Box: (Sep 20, 2020) I discussed previously the differences between passing by value and passing by reference. I now want to discuss how and when I use each in my own code.
  • Enum Type Naming Convention: (Oct 9, 2020) The combination of "IntelliSense overload" and "global identifier case changes" convinced me I needed a different approach.
  • Comment Continuations: (Dec 3, 2020) Using ellipses to "group" comments separated by intervening lines of code.
  • Googleable Field Names: (Feb 7, 2021) Using globally unique field and table names will make it easier to identify where such fields and tables are used throughout your application.
  • Beautiful Blocks of Boilerplate: (May 3, 2021) 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.
  • Database Date Field Naming Convention: (Sep 21, 2021) Naming is hard. When it comes to naming conventions, the key is to keep things simple. Here's how I like to name the date and time fields in my databases.
  • Naming Conventions Matter: Making Wrong Code Look Wrong: (Oct 14, 2021) Joel Spolsky and Antonin Scalia join forces to help illustrate the importance of sensible code naming conventions.
  • My File System Variable Naming Convention for VBA: (Aug 9, 2022) "SourcePath" may be one of the worst variable names ever written. Is it the full path to a source file? Is it the folder where my source files are located?
  • PascalCase All the Things: (Jun 30, 2023) There is only one correct capitalization convention in VBA: PascalCase.
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  • The ArrowKeyNav Routine: (May 1, 2021) Enable Excel-like navigation in your continuous forms by overriding the default behavior of the up and down arrow keys.
  • ArrowKeyNav Presentation: (May 6, 2021) A list of resources and further reading to support my presentation on Navigating Continuous Forms using WithEvents.
  • Many Objects, One Class Module: (May 8, 2021) Check out this trick for reducing boilerplate code: maintain a private collection of objects that are instances of the class itself.
  • ComboBox Dropped Down State: (May 10, 2021) Overriding the up/down arrow key behavior improves the user experience on a continuous Access form. But what if the user drops down a combo box?
  • AddNew Increments AutoNumber Fields: (May 11, 2021) Thanks to Ben Clothier, we've got another improvement to our Arrow Key Navigation class.
  • The ArrowKeyNav Journey: (May 20, 2021) A full breakdown of my weArrowKeyNav class module that uses WithEvents to override the default up and down arrow key behavior in continuous Access forms.
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  • Merry Christmas: (Dec 25, 2020) "...the shepherds said to one another, 'Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'"
  • Happy Easter: (Apr 4, 2021) “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here."
  • Merry Christmas: (Dec 25, 2021) "But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.' "
  • Happy Easter: (Apr 17, 2022) "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!"
  • Merry Christmas: (Dec 25, 2022) "...She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
  • Happy Easter: (Apr 9, 2023) “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
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  • Reproducing Errors: (Oct 7, 2021) A physicist, a mechanic, and a programmer were in a car driving over a steep alpine pass when the brakes failed...
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  • Topics Page Redesign: (Apr 22, 2022) Check out the redesigned Topics page at nolongerset.com! It's now auto-updating and optimized for discovering new content.
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  • Journey to Access: Part 1: (Sep 25, 2020) Many of the best Microsoft Access applications are written by people with no formal background in software development. Your origin story starts here.
  • Journey to Access: Part 2: (Sep 26, 2020) The weirdos who enjoy spending lots of time to avoid doing mundane tasks that only take a little time have their own special name: programmers. Welcome to our very weird club.
  • Journey to Access: Part 3: (Sep 27, 2020) A morass of Word documents and Excel workbooks--the invasive plant species of the Windows world--overgrowing your file system like so much digital kudzu.
  • One Step at a Time: (Jan 29, 2021) To reach great heights, take small steps.
  • Growing a Business: (Feb 13, 2021) I used to think owning a business was scary. And then I decided to start growing it.
  • Equal Parts Excited and Terrified: (Mar 29, 2021) You know you’ve found a worthy challenge when you are equal parts excited and terrified to take it on. Because that is how you grow.
  • Access DevCon 2021: Day 1: (Apr 22, 2021) If you weren't able to make it to virtual Access DevCon Vienna 2021, here's what you missed on Day 1.
  • Access DevCon 2021: Day 2: (Apr 24, 2021) If you weren't able to make it to virtual Access DevCon Vienna 2021, here's what you missed on Day 2.
  • The Gambler: (Aug 17, 2021) The most consequential piece of business advice I ever received came from the fictional owner of Pritchett's Closets & Blinds.
  • "This feels weird.": (Sep 20, 2021) My nine-year-old son got hit in the head at soccer practice the other day. His reaction reminds me of my own professional software development journey.
  • How to Write a Daily Article: (Nov 4, 2021) Publishing an article every day is not for the faint of heart. But the benefits compound if you can stick with it.
  • UNC Alias for a Local Folder: (Nov 13, 2021) The subst command lets us mimic mapped network drives. But what if your backend tables are linked using UNC paths? Don't worry. We can handle those, too!
  • $5,999: Microsoft's Insane Price for Access 2013: (Jul 20, 2022) Microsoft does not make it easy to buy old versions of Access, even though you need them to distribute compiled .accde files for *still-supported* runtimes.
  • The Robot, the Technician, and the Fixer: (Jul 28, 2022) What type of Microsoft Access developer are you? Being a robot is easy, being a technician is fun, but being a fixer is valuable.
  • Learning From Other Languages: (Nov 17, 2022) Even if you only write code professionally in a single language, learning the concepts and idioms of other languages will make you a better programmer.
  • Learning From Other Coding Styles: (Nov 18, 2022) Will learning multiple coding styles make you a better programmer? And, does it make sense to import those coding styles into your primary language?
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  • Good. Better. Best.: (Dec 16, 2020) Take the test to see where your (or someone else's) Access application stands.
  • MS Access Risk Management: (Dec 20, 2020) Applying US Army risk management techniques to assess Microsoft Access application risk.
  • Proving the Concept with Access: (Dec 26, 2020) Committing to a major custom software development project is fraught with risk. Reduce that risk by prototyping in Access first.
  • Securing Your Data: (Feb 8, 2021) Relying on application-level security to protect your data would be like using guard rails to keep out your enemies.
  • Mail: An Allegory: (Feb 14, 2021) Behold, the world's greatest literary allegory since George Orwell penned "Animal Farm."
  • The Allegory Explained: (Feb 15, 2021) What does delivering mail have to do with writing software applications? I'm glad you asked.
  • Cowpathing with Microsoft Access: (Nov 26, 2021) How do you decide where to spend your software development dollars? Don't guess what your users need, let them show you with Access.
  • ["ShowForm" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "ShowForm" (including those where "ShowForm" is a secondary tag).
  • No Longer Set: (Oct 30, 2020) Signal is information that conveys meaning. Noise obscures that information. The key to writing good software is to maximize signal and minimize noise.
  • When Good Comments Go Bad: (Nov 10, 2020) Bad actors carry out disinformation campaigns to poison our discourse. But when we write code, sometimes we're the bad actors.
  • Signal vs. Noise: Error Handling: (Nov 20, 2020) To boost our signal to noise ratio, we can increase our lines of meaningful code or decrease the lines of boilerplate.
  • Signal vs. Noise: ShowPlan.out Edition: (Mar 16, 2022) Reading showplan.out files can be intimidating for new and experienced Access developers alike. This simple rule will help get you started.
  • ["SQL" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "SQL" (including those where "SQL" is a secondary tag).
  • ["SQL Azure" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "SQL Azure" (including those where "SQL Azure" is a secondary tag).
  • ["SQL Server" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "SQL Server" (including those where "SQL Server" is a secondary tag).
  • ["Subforms" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "Subforms" (including those where "Subforms" is a secondary tag).
  • ["TempVars" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "TempVars" (including those where "TempVars" is a secondary tag).
  • ["Testing" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "Testing" (including those where "Testing" is a secondary tag).
Text-To-Speech
  • ["Tools" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "Tools" (including those where "Tools" is a secondary tag).
  • ["twinBASIC" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "twinBASIC" (including those where "twinBASIC" is a secondary tag).
  • twinBASIC Update: May 2, 2021: (May 2, 2021) Highlights include C-style block comments, support for additional Rubberduck annotations, and With blocks for UDTs.
  • twinBASIC Update: May 9, 2021: (May 9, 2021) Highlights include support for a new Attribute syntax, ActiveX DLL registration via regsvr32, and PredeclaredID for twinBASIC classes.
  • twinBASIC Update: May 16, 2021: (May 16, 2021) Highlights include stability improvements for the twinBASIC compiler and the YouTube release of my hourlong twinBASIC presentation at DevCon Vienna.
  • twinBASIC Update: May 23, 2021: (May 23, 2021) Highlights include passing (pseudo-)command-line arguments to a twinBASIC console app and an update from Wayne on the project's progress.
  • twinBASIC Update: May 30, 2021: (May 30, 2021) Highlights include improved compiler stability, making the Optional keyword optional, and setting command-line arguments for debugging.
  • twinBASIC Update: June 6, 2021: (Jun 6, 2021) Highlights include Mid statement support, DefType support, multiple bug fixes, and a (sort of) announcement regarding unit testing support.
  • twinBASIC Update: June 13, 2021: (Jun 13, 2021) Highlights include Like statement support and a new VS Code command to create new project files (no more downloading .zip files from twinbasic.com!).
  • twinBASIC Update: June 20, 2021: (Jun 20, 2021) Highlights include custom events in twinBASIC classes, full Debug.Print syntax support, and an experimental code prettifier.
  • twinBASIC Update: June 27, 2021: (Jun 27, 2021) Highlights include support for external version control, the official launch of the code prettifier, and support for resources and visual styles via manifest files.
  • twinBASIC Update: July 4, 2021: (Jul 4, 2021) Highlights include support for EXE/DLL embedded resources plus *LOTS* of code writing experience improvements, like rename refactoring, auto-indent, etc.
  • twinBASIC Update: July 11, 2021: (Jul 11, 2021) Highlights include a sneak peek at the yet-to-be-released form editor, a teaser about possible control inheritance, and a future option for version control.
  • twinBASIC Update: July 18, 2021: (Jul 18, 2021) Highlights include continued work on the GUI plus future support for web forms and IntelliSense in the Debug Console.
  • twinBASIC Update: July 25, 2021: (Jul 25, 2021) Highlights include unique icon colors for each code file type, plus Standard vs. Professional vs. Ultimate editions, pricing, pre-orders, and early-bird discounts.
  • twinBASIC Update: August 1, 2021: (Aug 1, 2021) Highlights include VSCode CodeLens support, compiler warnings, VB_GlobalNameSpace support, and twinBASIC's debut on stackoverflow.
  • twinBASIC Update: August 8, 2021: (Aug 8, 2021) Highlights include a revamped references list UX, a 100%-twinBASIC-compatible Printers object replacement, and news on unit testing and documentation.
  • twinBASIC Update: August 15, 2021: (Aug 15, 2021) Highlights include IntelliSense improvements, a 12-month twinBASIC roadmap, and a pure Win32 API GUI application written in twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: August 22, 2021: (Aug 22, 2021) Highlights include a sneak-peek at the forthcoming integrated unit testing framework, App.ThreadID, App.hInstance, and MSVBVM60.dll redirections.
  • twinBASIC Update: August 29, 2021: (Aug 29, 2021) Highlights include Unit Testing support, conditional breakpoints, the Nz() function, and various IntelliSense improvements.
  • twinBASIC Update: September 5, 2021: (Sep 5, 2021) Highlights include IntelliSense in the Debug Console, unit testing improvements, and the addition of #Error and #Warning directives.
  • twinBASIC Update: September 12, 2021: (Sep 12, 2021) Highlights include VS Code Extensibility, RGB extraction functions, dropping Finalize(), and a discussion regarding potential typedef support.
  • twinBASIC Update: September 19, 2021: (Sep 19, 2021) Highlights include discussions around block scoping and a planned ObjRefCount() function.
  • twinBASIC Update: September 26, 2021: (Sep 26, 2021) Highlights include a sneak peek at building custom form controls, the related dynamic property sheet, and a bunch of screenshots teasing the upcoming features.
  • twinBASIC Update: October 3, 2021: (Oct 3, 2021) Highlights include a glimpse into the possible GUI release timeline and a discussion about data binding with twinBASIC forms.
  • twinBASIC Update: October 10, 2021: (Oct 10, 2021) Highlights include an extended preview of the yet-to-be-released form designer and a spirited discussion about whether to fork VS Code to create a dedicated tB IDE.
  • twinBASIC Update: October 17, 2021: (Oct 17, 2021) Highlights include the alpha release of CustomControls, a twinBASIC wiki, and a revived discussion around "Quirks Mode" in twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: October 24, 2021: (Oct 24, 2021) Highlights include the addition of 4 new custom control events, ElementTabStop/Index properties, and a Spanish presentation on twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: October 31, 2021: (Oct 31, 2021) Highlights include initial support for a Clipboard object, a new custom control sample (Wayne's TextBox), and support for Return as an alias for Exit Sub.
  • twinBASIC Update: November 7, 2021: (Nov 7, 2021) Highlights include our first look at a working twinBASIC form, the early makings of inheritance support, and the promise of custom ActiveX control development.
  • twinBASIC Update: November 14, 2021: (Nov 14, 2021) Highlights include temporary removal of the license key requirement for CustomControls and partial inheritance support using Implements ... Via.
  • twinBASIC Update: November 21, 2021: (Nov 21, 2021) Highlights include 64-bit compilation support (no license required!) and a discussion about early binding and reference handling.
  • twinBASIC Update: November 28, 2021: (Nov 28, 2021) Highlights include the first major release of file handling statements and functions in twinBASIC, along with talk of providing a tB license to the Rubberduck project.
  • twinBASIC Update: December 5, 2021: (Dec 5, 2021) Highlights include the implementation of additional File System features, improved performance for Split and Replace, and a discussion about universal binaries.
  • twinBASIC Update: December 12, 2021: (Dec 12, 2021) Highlights include the File I/O system reaching feature-complete status, an updated twinBASIC roadmap, and experimental text encoding support.
  • twinBASIC Update: December 19, 2021: (Dec 19, 2021) Highlights include support for importing VB6 project files (*.vbp), new MsgBox options, and a spirited discussion about what tB's design priorities should be.
  • twinBASIC Update: December 26, 2021: (Dec 26, 2021) Highlights include several improvements to the COM references list, a fix for the hidden dialog windows issue, and many discussions about possible tB features.
  • twinBASIC Update: January 2, 2022: (Jan 2, 2022) Highlights include a feature to generate missing implementations, minor improvements to the Reference List UX, and some spirited debates.
  • twinBASIC Update: January 9, 2022: (Jan 9, 2022) Highlights include error messages that now match VBx, a twinBASIC Discord server, and a teaser about twinBASIC's potential as a VBA replacement.
  • twinBASIC Update: January 16, 2022: (Jan 16, 2022) Highlights include the CompileIf attribute and IsObject function for generics, an experimental package manager, and 10 Guiding Principles of twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: January 23, 2022: (Jan 23, 2022) Highlights include the introduction of TWINPACKs and the TWINSERV package manager, IntelliSense improvements, and easier reporting of twinBASIC bugs.
  • twinBASIC Update: January 30, 2022: (Jan 30, 2022) Highlights include a sample project demonstrating the WaynesGrid control and a timeline update for the release of (some) native Win32 controls.
  • twinBASIC Update: February 6, 2022: (Feb 6, 2022) Highlights include the milestone release of WinForms functionality, control inheritance, ReadOnly class properties, and twinPACK updating documentation.
  • twinBASIC Update: February 13, 2022: (Feb 13, 2022) Highlights include a new Settings filter bar and WinForms Controls Package updates included by default with future twinBASIC extension updates.
  • twinBASIC Update: February 20, 2022: (Feb 20, 2022) Highlights include checkbox-style list boxes, native Winforms progress bar and image controls, and an option to align controls to grid in the form designer.
  • twinBASIC Update: February 27, 2022: (Feb 27, 2022) Highlights include multiple form designer improvements and a *BIG* announcement about the future of the twinBASIC IDE.
  • twinBASIC Update: March 6, 2022: (Mar 6, 2022) Highlights include a sneak peek at the new twinBASIC IDE (currently under development) and a brief comparison between RAD Basic and twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: March 13, 2022: (Mar 13, 2022) Highlights include another sneak peek of the upcoming twinBASIC IDE and a special announcement regarding Access DevCon Vienna 2022.
  • twinBASIC Update: March 20, 2022: (Mar 20, 2022) Highlights include a cryptic update on the new IDE's release date and a possible twinBASIC solution to the oft-delayed Access modern browser control.
  • twinBASIC Update: March 27, 2022: (Mar 27, 2022) Highlights include a release date for the twinBASIC IDE and plans to open-source the IDE's source code.
  • twinBASIC Update: April 3, 2022: (Apr 3, 2022) Highlights include the release of the new IDE and an announcement about twinBASIC's role at the upcoming Access DevCon Vienna conference.
  • twinBASIC Update: April 10, 2022: (Apr 10, 2022) Highlights include 7 (!) new releases of the twinBASIC IDE and twinBASIC solving a difficult problem for a popular MS Access open-source addin.
  • twinBASIC Update: April 16, 2022: (Apr 16, 2022) Highlights include multiple debug console performance improvements and a workaround for antivirus software flagging twinBASIC as potential malware.
  • twinBASIC Update: April 24, 2022: (Apr 24, 2022) Highlights include updated samples for building custom VBIDE tool windows and custom ActiveX controls that you can drop on Access forms and reports.
  • twinBASIC Update: May 1, 2022: (May 1, 2022) Highlights include Set Next Statement support, new code samples and templates, a roadmap update, and a 7-Zip VBA library written in twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: May 8, 2022: (May 8, 2022) Highlights include version control-friendly improvements to the new IDE, an IDE Font Size setting, and a milestone for another VBx successor language, RAD Basic.
  • twinBASIC Update: May 15, 2022: (May 15, 2022) Highlights include a modern browser control for Microsoft Access (yes, you read that right) and a spirited discussion regarding attribute syntax.
  • twinBASIC Update: May 22, 2022: (May 22, 2022) Highlights include the beginnings of a Screen object, an updated Attribute syntax, and a reimagined ending to a Disney classic (yes, it's a bit off-topic).
  • twinBASIC Update: May 29, 2022: (May 29, 2022) Highlights include new build features, a good Exit Code discussion, and a multi-threaded twinBASIC proof of concept from Ben Clothier.
  • twinBASIC Update: June 5, 2022: (Jun 5, 2022) Includes a sneak peek of the upcoming ActiveX Control Extender support in twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: June 12, 2022: (Jun 12, 2022) Highlights include ActiveX control support on twinBASIC forms and a discussion about the (accidental?) interface constructor language feature.
  • twinBASIC Update: June 19, 2022: (Jun 19, 2022) Highlights include improved support for 3rd-party ActiveX controls, a new location for tB IDE releases, and a discussion about where to put non-visual controls.
  • twinBASIC Update: June 26, 2022: (Jun 26, 2022) Highlights include container support, IDE bug fixes, and a modest request for a complete backward-compatible rewrite of MS Access in twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: July 3, 2022: (Jul 3, 2022) Highlights include added support for the VB6 `End` statement, shape controls, and double-click to change property values in the IDE.
  • twinBASIC Update: July 10, 2022: (Jul 10, 2022) Highlights include new shape controls, code-signed twinBASIC IDE and compiler executables, and twinBASIC's first appearance on HackerNews.
  • twinBASIC Update: July 17, 2022: (Jul 17, 2022) Highlights include double-click to change form/control properties in the IDE, support for the Form.Show Modal argument, and a discussion about On Error Resume Next.
  • twinBASIC Update: July 24, 2022: (Jul 24, 2022) Highlights include implementation of the form Controls collection, initial publication of the twinBASIC Guiding Principles, and the potential to write device drivers with tB.
  • twinBASIC Update: July 31, 2022: (Jul 31, 2022) Highlights include improved support for building device drivers, initial support for keyboard menu navigation, and a milestone for the twinBASIC project.
  • twinBASIC Update: August 7, 2022: (Aug 7, 2022) Highlights include a major compiler refactor to help reduce compiler memory usage and proposed support for multiple built-in rounding methods.
  • twinBASIC Update: August 14, 2022: (Aug 14, 2022) Highlights include IDE memory optimizations, build size reductions, and a discussion about a potential extensibility library for the IDE.
  • twinBASIC Update: August 21, 2022: (Aug 21, 2022) Highlights include IDE improvements, support for Excel events in COM addins, and a kernel-mode driver written in twinBASIC (yes, really).
  • twinBASIC Update: August 28, 2022: (Aug 28, 2022) Highlights include improvements to code selector boxes in the IDE, IntelliSense improvements, and better support for "kernel mode" (i.e., device drivers).
  • twinBASIC Update: September 4, 2022: (Sep 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.
  • twinBASIC Update: September 11, 2022: (Sep 11, 2022) Highlights include 4 new form controls (TreeView, DriveListBox, DirListBox, FileListBox), an impromptu Q&A with Wayne, and WinNativeForms source.
  • twinBASIC Update: September 18, 2022: (Sep 18, 2022) Highlights include the initial implementation of a PictureBox control and a custom Windows Event Viewer written in twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: September 25, 2022: (Sep 25, 2022) Highlights include long-awaited VB6 form import support (experimental) and a community-led GitHub project to provide official documentation for twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: October 2, 2022: (Oct 2, 2022) Highlights include a pile of new form and control properties, a form menu designer, visual tab stop indicators in design view, and a new twinBASIC LinkedIn group.
  • twinBASIC Update: October 9, 2022: (Oct 9, 2022) Highlights include support for control and menu arrays, a Type Library Viewer (Object Browser equivalent), and a video interview with twinBASIC creator Wayne Phillips.
  • twinBASIC Update: October 16, 2022: (Oct 16, 2022) Highlights include two new ways to open the twinBASIC IDE (via .twinproj files and Windows shortcuts), better performance for IDE panels, and more GUI progress.
  • twinBASIC Update: October 23, 2022: (Oct 23, 2022) Highlights include many IDE improvements, better support for high-performance code, and a sample Task Dialog project from fafalone.
  • twinBASIC Update: October 30, 2022: (Oct 30, 2022) Highlights include better PNG handling, improvements to the custom menu builder, and support for a NumbersOnly textbox property.
  • twinBASIC Update: November 6, 2022: (Nov 6, 2022) Highlights include native CoClass support and a TWINPACK package from fafalone with definitions for all the standard common controls.
  • twinBASIC Update: November 13, 2022: (Nov 13, 2022) Highlights include drag and drop support, an innovative IDE feature known as "Type Hints", and a proof-of-concept twinBASIC multithreading project.
  • twinBASIC Update: November 20, 2022: (Nov 20, 2022) Highlights include several bug fixes, a new method to clear the debug console, and a discussion about the difference between Drag and OLEDrag methods.
  • twinBASIC Update: November 27, 2022: (Nov 27, 2022) Highlights include support for graphical buttons, OLE drag and drop, and some exciting news about the upcoming release of Rubberduck VBA 3.0.
  • twinBASIC Update: December 4, 2022: (Dec 4, 2022) Highlights include initial support for importing VB6 forms with ActiveX controls, GoSub syntax support, and context-sensitive custom help support.
  • twinBASIC Update: December 11, 2022: (Dec 11, 2022) Updates include a version 1 release date, twinBASIC roadmap update, and several bug fixes.
  • twinBASIC Update: December 18, 2022: (Dec 18, 2022) Highlights include initial support for user controls, a new list view option for the form designer toolbox, and another sample twinBASIC project from fafalone.
  • twinBASIC Update: December 26, 2022: (Dec 26, 2022) Highlights include the smallest bug report in twinBASIC history, a repository of twinBASIC sample projects, and a tB-based VBA DocTest runner from Ben Clothier.
  • twinBASIC Update: January 1, 2023: (Jan 1, 2023) Highlights include a redesigned form preview button, a file watcher sample application from fafalone, and a holiday message from Wayne Phillips.
  • twinBASIC Update: January 8, 2023: (Jan 8, 2023) Highlights include .vbp UserControl import support, a twinBASIC VBCCR demo project, live variable hover tips in the IDE, and a discussion of post-v1 breaking changes.
  • twinBASIC Update: January 15, 2023: (Jan 15, 2023) Highlights include a new VBCCR-based GUI project type, a VBCCR TWINSERV package, and a discussion about support for block-level scope in twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: January 29, 2023: (Jan 29, 2023) Highlights include an updated roadmap and v1 release date, new UserControl events support, and several new tB sample projects from fafalone and Ben Clothier.
  • twinBASIC Update: February 5, 2023: (Feb 5, 2023) Highlights include a major rewrite of the ActiveX implementation, updates to two community projects, and a discussion about the business side of twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: February 12, 2023: (Feb 12, 2023) Highlights include an improved UX for selecting one control from a group of controls, an update to the ActiveX Control project type, and some IID advice.
  • twinBASIC Update: February 19, 2023: (Feb 19, 2023) Highlights include an option to customize fonts in the IDE, newly implemented OLE Drag/Drop methods and events, and a new vbNullPtr constant.
  • twinBASIC Update: February 26, 2023: (Feb 26, 2023) Highlights include a big announcement for twinBASIC in the world of Access and the release of ZoneStripper, another of fafalone's VB6 twinBASIC ports.
  • twinBASIC Update: March 5, 2023: (Mar 5, 2023) Highlights include the addition of MonthView and DatePicker controls, new methods, properties, and events, and a note about the twinBASIC splash screen.
  • twinBASIC Update: March 12, 2023: (Mar 12, 2023) Highlights include IDE bookmarks, improvements to the debugging experience, and a sampling of how twinBASIC is being used today.
  • twinBASIC Update: March 19, 2023: (Mar 19, 2023) Highlights include a compilation of 60 of twinBASIC's existing improvements over VB6, mouse scroll events, a Last Position feature, and other IDE improvements,
  • twinBASIC Update: March 26, 2023: (Mar 26, 2023) Highlights include a New Project settings dialog and a screenshot of a sample twinBASIC project showing its existing capabilities.
  • twinBASIC Update: April 2, 2023: (Apr 2, 2023) Highlights include an experimental ListView control, read-only JSON view for tbform and tbcontrol files, and a mention of twinBASIC in The Register.
  • twinBASIC Update: April 10, 2023: (Apr 10, 2023) Highlights include the addition of SendKeys support, CDecl support for certain types of API callbacks, and a vigorous discussion about possible tB namespace support.
  • twinBASIC Update: April 16, 2023: (Apr 16, 2023) Highlights include a steady dose of bug fixes and and a brief recap of twinBASIC's standing in slant.co's list of "best BASIC-like programming languages."
  • twinBASIC Update: April 23, 2023: (Apr 23, 2023) Highlights include a status update from Wayne Phillips, extended discussion of twinBASIC on two web forums, and updates to fafalone's ucExplorer control.
  • twinBASIC Update: April 30, 2023: (Apr 30, 2023) Highlights include twinBASIC's annual DevCon Vienna appearance and fafalone's ucExplorer control running in 64-bit MS Access.
  • twinBASIC Update: May 7, 2023: (May 7, 2023) Highlights include a new Access library from Ben Clothier built with twinBASIC, a project status update from Wayne, and a couple of tB mentions in Reddit.
  • twinBASIC Update: May 14, 2023: (May 14, 2023) Highlights include the return of regular twinBASIC releases, the twinBASIC Update video from Access DevCon Vienna, and multiple tB appearances on Hacker News.
  • twinBASIC Update: May 21, 2023: (May 21, 2023) Highlights include a twinBASIC port of the classic Lemmings PC game, the potential sale of Wayne's MDE conversion service, and a mention in the 8bitnews Newsletter.
  • twinBASIC Update: May 28, 2023: (May 28, 2023) Highlights include a new home for twinBASIC documentation (docs.twinbasic.com) and an update on twinBASIC's slant.co language ranking.
  • twinBASIC Update: June 4, 2023: (Jun 4, 2023) Highlights include a search option to match whole words only, some handy ways to generate GUIDs, and a clever way to deploy and register custom ActiveX controls.
  • twinBASIC Update: June 11, 2023: (Jun 11, 2023) Highlights include a new target release date for version 1, an accompanying roadmap update, and support for Control Arrays.
  • twinBASIC Update: June 18, 2023: (Jun 18, 2023) Highlights include bug fixes related to timer events, argument/property handling, and IntelliSense, plus a screenshot of a simple browser written in twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: June 25, 2023: (Jun 25, 2023) Highlights include experimental data-binding support, a new Q&A channel in the twinBASIC Discord server, and coming 64-bit support for Kr00l's VBFlexGrid control.
  • twinBASIC Update: July 2, 2023: (Jul 2, 2023) Highlights include support for vbaObjAddRef, improvements to the Problems pane, and twinBASIC moving up the BASIC-like language rankings.
  • twinBASIC Update: July 9, 2023: (Jul 9, 2023) Highlights include a supercharged Collection class (that also replaces Scripting.Dictionary for most use cases) and several exciting community projects.
  • twinBASIC Update: July 16, 2023: (Jul 16, 2023) Highlights include twinPACK publisher support in the new IDE, indenting of pasted code, inline code hints, and the release of a 64-bit tB version of Kr00l's FlexGrid control.
  • twinBASIC Update: July 23, 2023: (Jul 23, 2023) Highlights include an update on Wayne's LLVM progress and a demonstration of how to integrate the Windows Ribbon Framework into twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: July 30, 2023: (Jul 30, 2023) Highlights include experimental code optimization via LLVM (boosting performance and reducing executable size) and a new Discord LLVM channel.
  • twinBASIC Update: August 6, 2023: (Aug 6, 2023) Highlights include a big boost to IntelliSense performance, a "Paste Code as Comment" shortcut key, and discussion around inline assembly support.
  • twinBASIC Update: August 13, 2023: (Aug 13, 2023) Highlights include brand new add-in support for the twinBASIC IDE, plus a short Q&A about setting an application icon in twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: August 20, 2023: (Aug 20, 2023) Highlights include support for embedding Monaco editors and Chart.js in IDE tool windows, plus the tB port of a C++ 3D image rendering sample project.
  • twinBASIC Update: August 27, 2023: (Aug 27, 2023) Highlights include multiple improvements to the debug console, including performance improvements that affect the entire IDE.
  • twinBASIC Update: September 3, 2023: (Sep 3, 2023) Highlights include two new twinBASIC IDE Addin samples, a Property Sheet demo project from fafalone, and a brief discussion of DPI scaling.
  • twinBASIC Update: September 10, 2023: (Sep 10, 2023) Highlights include a global search IDE addin sample, addin extensibility access to the filesystem, and a discussion about inheritance in twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: September 17, 2023: (Sep 17, 2023) Highlights include inline editor widget support for tB IDE addins, a sample TODO addin, keyboard shortcut registration, and a preview of a UserControl Builder addin.
  • twinBASIC Update: September 24, 2023: (Sep 24, 2023) Highlights include a twinBASIC services status bar, a tB implementation of the Geometrize software, and a user activity monitoring class from fafalone.
  • twinBASIC Update: October 1, 2023: (Oct 1, 2023) Highlights include the release of the first community-built twinBASIC IDE Add-in and an update to fafalone's cTaskDialog project to add 64-bit VBA support.
  • twinBASIC Update: October 8, 2023: (Oct 8, 2023) Highlights include debug-time evaluation of expressions on mouse hover and an x64-compatible version of sokinkeso's tB IDE addin, Usercontrol Builder.
  • twinBASIC Update: October 15, 2023: (Oct 15, 2023) Highlights include a new TextHint property for text boxes, an easier way to apply license keys, and updates to the official twinBASIC wiki documentation.
  • twinBASIC Update: October 22, 2023: (Oct 22, 2023) Highlights include experimental vbWatchdog support, a CheckBitness utility from fafalone, and a VB6 OSInfo class ported to twinBASIC.
  • twinBASIC Update: October 29, 2023: (Oct 29, 2023) Highlights include two new methods for tB IDE Add-in development and an upcoming rewrite of the standard library implementation.
  • twinBASIC Update: November 5, 2023: (Nov 5, 2023) Highlights include a major overhaul of twinBASIC's internals, support for "destructuring assignment", and a VBA UserForm to tB converter.
  • twinBASIC Update: November 12, 2023: (Nov 12, 2023) Highlights include more VB6-like IntelliSense added to the debug console, upcoming help improvements, and a twinBASIC follower milestone.
  • twinBASIC Update: November 19, 2023: (Nov 19, 2023) Highlights include an overhaul of the IntelliSense system, a project to get full paths of all running processes, and a new Kernel Mode Support Package.
  • twinBASIC Update: November 26, 2023: (Nov 26, 2023) Highlights include foundational work on the forthcoming Edit & Continue feature and a new wiki page documenting the twinBASIC compiler constants.
  • ["Under 100" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "Under 100" (including those where "Under 100" is a secondary tag).
  • ["Unicode" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "Unicode" (including those where "Unicode" is a secondary tag).
  • Unicode MsgBox Revisited: (Sep 15, 2022) A small improvement to my Unicode-friendly MsgBox and a handy trick for avoiding compile errors across Word/Excel/Access/etc.
  • ["UX" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "UX" (including those where "UX" is a secondary tag).
  • ["VBA" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "VBA" (including those where "VBA" is a secondary tag).
  • High Wire Walking With No Net: (Sep 4, 2020) In those early days, our method of "source control" was making regular copies of the front-end database and appending a date to the filename. This was....less than ideal. The problem is best illustrated with a quick story.
  • An Homage to Mercurial: (Sep 7, 2020) I believe without a doubt--even knowing what I know now--that I made the right decision at the time. If I could go back to 2009 and do it over again, I would still go with Mercurial. If I were starting from scratch in 2020...that's a different story.
  • No Longer Set: (Sep 8, 2020) 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.
  • The Starting Point: (Sep 9, 2020) Before we can use a DVCS with our Access application, we need to convert the binary Access file into a series of text files. The best place to start (and where my journey began) is with this StackOverflow answer.
  • No Longer Set: (Sep 10, 2020) How do we save database properties to text? By iterating through the database's .Properties collection, of course. Here is some sample code...
  • Tables to Text: Do it for the DVCS!: (Sep 13, 2020) Anything that can lead to a bug in your software belongs in version control. That includes local tables with design-time data.
  • Referencing references: (Sep 14, 2020) While we can use the VBA user interface to display the references, we can't rely on that approach if we want to automate exporting our Access binary file to text files. Luckily, there is a solution.
  • Tracking Table Structure Changes: (Sep 15, 2020) Another potential source of bugs is changes to the structures of our tables. This includes both local tables and linked tables that reside in our back-end.
  • Exporting Queries for Version Control: (Sep 16, 2020) SaveAsText will export queries to text files, but calling those files "human-readable" is a stretch.
  • Putting It All Together: (Sep 17, 2020) I expanded on the original decompose.vbs script. The code below is the culmination of more than 50 individual changes and tweaks over 10+ years.
  • Access Version Control: My Philosophy: (Sep 18, 2020) 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.
  • Scraps of Wood and Code: (Oct 13, 2020) Resisting the packrat mentality.
  • Migrating Mercurial: (Nov 25, 2020) I had to update the settings file for 120 Mercurial repositories. I saved hours of tedium using a regex in the "Find in Files" feature of Notepad++.
  • Tracking Schema Changes: (Jan 28, 2021) If it can cause a bug in your software, you should be tracking it in version control. Database schema changes absolutely fall into that category.
  • Peace of Mind from Version Control: (Mar 9, 2021) "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?
  • It's All About the Diff: (Mar 17, 2021) How can you figure out what you changed on a form when you can't remember changing anything on that form? Version control, of course.
  • Reverting Unwanted Changes: (Mar 18, 2021) Using Version Control in Access is like having a time machine that makes it easy to undo design mistakes. Here's a quick overview of the process.
  • A Quick, Free Way to Try Version Control with Microsoft Access: (Jul 9, 2021) Curious about getting started with version control in Microsoft Access, but don't want to commit a lot of time or money? This could be just the solution for you.
  • Learn to Love Text-Based Version Control with "Highlights for Children": (Jul 29, 2021) 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...
  • Make Your Access App More Resilient with Version Control: (Sep 25, 2023) Reassembling the pieces of a fragile system is a fool's (horse's?) errand. Turning back the clock is a more reliable fix.
  • ["Video" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "Video" (including those where "Video" is a secondary tag).
  • VIDEO: Modern On Off Buttons in Access: (Jul 27, 2022) I recorded a YouTube video that demonstrates how to implement the Modern On/Off button feature that I wrote about yesterday.
  • Access Job Interview Questions: (Aug 26, 2022) 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.
  • Access Job Interview Questions: Follow-up Q&A: (Aug 30, 2022) Topics covered include Access security best practices, "deploying" trusted locations to users, and avoiding reserved words when naming database objects.
  • VIDEO: Sorting Continuous Forms: (Sep 2, 2022) A 12-minute video that shows you how to implement my NewSort and UseHand functions for sorting continuous forms in MS Access.
  • VIDEO: "Codifying" Long Names: (Sep 12, 2022) Former Access MVP Jack Stockton translates my SQL Server "Codify()" function to work with Microsoft Access backend databases.
  • VIDEO: Design Patterns with Access: (Sep 29, 2022) "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." How Bruce Lee's advice applies to MS Access.
  • VIDEO: twinBASIC Update at DevCon Vienna 2023: (May 8, 2023) Learn about what the future of twinBASIC and Microsoft Access might look like from my Access DevCon Vienna 2023 presentation.
  • ["Watches" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "Watches" (including those where "Watches" is a secondary tag).
  • Watch Expression: (Mar 6, 2021) A deeper than necessary dive into the exact expression evaluation behavior of the basic "Watch Expression" in VBA.
  • Break When Value Is True: (Mar 7, 2021) When debugging VBA, you can watch an expression and halt code execution as soon as it evaluates to True. Let's explore exactly how that works.
  • Break When Value Changes: (Mar 8, 2021) When debugging VBA, you can watch an expression and halt code execution whenever its value changes. Let's explore exactly how that works.
  • Week in Review: May 7, 2022: (May 7, 2022) Highlights include an IE integration article from Daniel Pineault, an Access tool from Crystal Long, and a PowerApps User Group video.
  • Week in Review: May 14, 2022: (May 14, 2022) Highlights include the Access Dataverse Connector *finally* reaching General Availability, the public release of 3 DevCon videos, and another big Access bug.
  • Week in Review: May 21, 2022: (May 21, 2022) Highlights include a Microsoft Access Roadmap update, sample code for trig functions, and a discussion about preserving Access tips of yore.
  • Week in Review: May 28, 2022: (May 28, 2022) Highlights include two new Access bugs, a modern On/Off toggle control, setting list box font colors by column, and resurrected videos from the Access forums vault.
  • Week in Review: June 4, 2022: (Jun 4, 2022) Highlights include major changes to the Access roadmap, Richard Rost's Beginner Access video course is now free, and research on developer interviews.
  • Week In Review: June 11, 2022: (Jun 11, 2022) Highlights include a better date picker control, dashboard-style gauges, and drawing shapes in Access reports.
  • Week in Review: June 18, 2022: (Jun 18, 2022) Highlights include building custom progress bars, creating organizational charts, and yet another Access bug [sigh].
  • Week in Review: June 25, 2022: (Jun 25, 2022) Highlights include an elegant solution to synchronized scrolling, a novel approach to db schema versioning, and a deep dive into recovering deleted db objects.
  • Week in Review: July 2, 2022: (Jul 2, 2022) Highlights include a deep dive into the Autoexec macro, compacting the current database via VBA, and a massive Access drawing reference.
  • Week in Review: July 9, 2022: (Jul 9, 2022) Highlights include code to activate a specific ribbon tab, a deep dive into the innards (and dangers) of multivalue fields, and--yes--more Access bugs.
  • Week in Review: July 16, 2022: (Jul 16, 2022) Highlights include 5 things NOT to do when writing code, embedding videos on Access forms, and--of course--more bugs. :-(
  • Week in Review: July 23, 2022: (Jul 23, 2022) Highlights include the latest edition of Karl Donaubauer's Access News, creating a custom splash form, and the public release of the SSMS-style "Access Studio" tool.
  • Week in Review: July 30, 2022: (Jul 30, 2022) Highlights include tips for designing Access apps for tablet use, sorting forms by combo box columns, and CUPID--an alternative to SOLID principles.
  • Week in Review: August 6, 2022: (Aug 6, 2022) Highlights include the list of Access fixes for Version 2206, a deep dive into how Access stores queries, and a rant against today's overly complicated forums.
  • Week in Review: August 13, 2022: (Aug 13, 2022) Highlights include Peter Cole's 32 to 64-bit conversion presentation, a deep dive into how Access stores queries, and a sad announcement from MVP Daniel Pineault.
  • Week in Review: August 20, 2022: (Aug 20, 2022) Highlights include Colin Riddington's Nav Pane Helper, Richard Rost's Access Developer Interview Questions, and Rick Hanson's Used Book Business Access App.
  • Week in Review: August 27, 2022: (Aug 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.
  • Week in Review: September 3, 2022: (Sep 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.
  • Week in Review: September 10, 2022: (Sep 10, 2022) Highlights include a major milestone for (and giveaway from) Richard Rost, a data classification guide, and an Access QR code generator.
  • Week in Review: September 17, 2022: (Sep 17, 2022) Highlights include a new YouTube channel from Daniel Pineault, modern chart reference, and form resizing and "profiles" videos.
  • Week in Review: September 24, 2022: (Sep 24, 2022) Highlights include bug fixes in Access v2208, Microsoft's new Office update strategy, creating ACCDB/ACCDE files using code, and a series on TempVars.
  • Week in Review: October 1, 2022: (Oct 1, 2022) Highlights include Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts, exporting all Access tables into Excel, and many changes to future Access User Group presentations.
  • Week in Review: October 8, 2022: (Oct 8, 2022) Highlights include using Base64 encoding to embed images in Thunderbird, seven(!) IslaDogs articles, and episode 4 of Karl Donaubauer's Access NewsCast.
  • Week in Review: October 15, 2022: (Oct 15, 2022) Highlights include changes to the Access team's development priorities, adding spell check to Access, and generating Excel charts via automation from Access.
  • Week in Review: October 22, 2022: (Oct 22, 2022) Highlights include a reserved word checker utility, executing PowerShell cmdlets from VBA, using Access in an Azure VM, and 5 types of control tips.
  • Week in Review: October 29, 2022: (Oct 29, 2022) Highlights include a data macros how-to, time zone-aware dates, automating the Access nav pane, and collapsing/expanding the ribbon.
  • Week in Review: November 5, 2022: (Nov 5, 2022) Highlights include a new Access MVP (congrats Juanjo Luna!), a deep dive into the FileSystemObject, and using UIAutomation to interact with the ribbon.
  • Week in Review: November 12, 2022: (Nov 12, 2022) Highlights include two new Access User Group recordings, a WizHook sample database and reference, and a couple of videos on macro blocking.
  • Week in Review: November 19, 2022: (Nov 19, 2022) Highlights include multiple ways to hide sensitive data, a CDO email tester, an improved SQL editor, and updates from the Access dev team.
  • Week in Review: November 26, 2022: (Nov 26, 2022) Highlights include a sneak preview of Rubberduck 3.0, multiple articles on Access keyboard shortcuts, and aligning text with monospaced fonts.
  • Week in Review: December 3, 2022: (Dec 3, 2022) Highlights include the WizHook TwipsFromFont function, an enhanced message box, and drawing dynamic meters on Access reports.
  • Week in Review: December 10, 2022: (Dec 10, 2022) Highlights include Access disappearing from the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, bug fix release 2211 details, maps, maps, and more maps.
  • Week in Review: December 17, 2022: (Dec 17, 2022) Highlights include Access's new code signing feature, rotating and scaling images, drawing snowflakes (festive!), and a BRAND NEW Access blog.
  • Week in Review: December 24, 2022: (Dec 24, 2022) Highlights include tentative dates for Access DevCon Vienna, the evils of split forms, listing complex fields, and more festive Access art from Crystal Long.
  • Week in Review: December 31, 2022: (Dec 31, 2022) Highlights include a deep dive into creating a customer follow-up database, automatic form resizing, and a risk-minimizing approach to app rewrites.
  • Week in Review: January 7, 2023: (Jan 7, 2023) Highlights include 15 tips & tricks from Karl Donaubauer, the new digital signing feature for Access databases, and how to hash a string in VBA.
  • Week in Review: January 14, 2023: (Jan 14, 2023) Highlights include using an ActiveX control to collect handwritten signatures, multiple options for getting special folders in VBA, and managing old data.
  • Weeks in Review: January 28, 2023: (Jan 28, 2023) I'm back! Highlights from the past two weeks include using web APIs in Access, Rubberduck 3.0 news, using the registry from VBA, and more on ChatGPT.
  • Week in Review: February 4, 2023: (Feb 4, 2023) Highlights include a tool to localize Access applications (coming soon) and a couple of good (if slightly off-topic) articles on management and pricing.
  • Week in Review: February 11, 2023: (Feb 11, 2023) Highlights include a video showing how to integrate charts.js in Access, calling the Windows Color Picker Dialog from VBA, and an Access CalendarMaker.
  • Week in Review: February 18, 2023: (Feb 18, 2023) Highlights include a video on the current state of Microsoft Access, closing open Access objects (reports, etc.), and using temp tables to boost performance.
  • Week in Review: February 25, 2023: (Feb 25, 2023) Highlights include a modern date-time picker proof of concept, using SQL Server views from Access, and writing code other people can read.
  • Week in Review: March 4, 2023: (Mar 4, 2023) Highlights include a trick to update parent form calculations without using subform events, translation tools in Access, and early/late binding declarations.
  • Week in Review: March 11, 2023: (Mar 11, 2023) Highlights include a deep dive into form events, optimizing queries in SQL Server, dealing with split forms, and how to embed QR codes in a Word mail merge.
  • Week in Review: March 18, 2023: (Mar 18, 2023) Highlights include automating Word to create a font list, Name AutoCorrect, horizontal continuous forms, and the new Edge-based browser control.
  • Week in Review: March 25, 2023: (Mar 25, 2023) Highlights include integrating better Access charts, a Table Analyzer and Viewer utility, SQL Server security deep dive, and opening external files and URLs from VBA.
  • Week in Review: April 1, 2023: (Apr 1, 2023) Highlights include how to find a control associated with a label, Access's surprising folder-locking behavior, and a new setting to make your database self-destruct.
  • Week in Review: April 8, 2023: (Apr 8, 2023) Highlights include a reliable way to bypass AutoExec in VBA, a Pro version of the IslaDogs Table Analyzer, and the new Rubberduck VBA Swag Shop.
  • Week in Review: April 15, 2023: (Apr 15, 2023) Highlights include drawing stoplights and dials on reports, a SQL-to-VBA-to-SQL utility, creating calendar reports, and migrating Access tables to SQL Server.
  • Week in Review: April 22, 2023: (Apr 22, 2023) Highlights include episode 5 of Karl Donaubauer's Access News video update, how to sell Access services with Juan Soto, and lightweight MVVM in VBA.
  • Week in Review: April 29, 2023: (Apr 29, 2023) Highlights include the release of the Northwind 2.0 database templates, automatic form resizing, and a deep dive into VBA events with a.p.r. pillai.
  • Week in Review: May 6, 2023: (May 6, 2023) Highlights include automating DSN-less links to SQL Server, a deep dive on the form delete events, and the full release of the new Edge-based browser control.
  • Week in Review: May 13, 2023: (May 13, 2023) Highlights include 3 publicly released videos from DevCon 2023 and an a.p.r. pillai article/Eric Blomquist video on using class modules to reduce form code.
  • Week in Review: May 20, 2023: (May 20, 2023) Highlights include a series on building a calculator in Access, selling Access solutions with Juan Soto, and creating an HTML table from an Access table.
  • Week in Review: May 27, 2023: (May 27, 2023) Highlights include a Windows registry class module from Philipp Stiefel, a deep dive into the new browser control, and Access news from the recent MVP Summit.
  • Week in Review: June 3, 2023: (Jun 3, 2023) Highlights include integrating online licensing via KeyGen, more info on the new browser control, and exploring whether AI will replace programmers.
  • Week in Review: June 10, 2023: (Jun 10, 2023) Highlights include a new batch of Access bug fixes, a video with tips for migrating a backend from Access to SQL Server, and a deep dive into the Rubberduck Style Guide.
  • Week in Review: June 17, 2023: (Jun 17, 2023) Highlights include an article about the future of AI and work, inventory management and string functions in Northwind 2.0, and form templates.
  • Week in Review: June 24, 2023: (Jun 24, 2023) Highlights include another installment of a.p.r. pillai's excellent series on streamlining form module code and videos on crosstab queries and temp tables.
  • Week in Review: July 1, 2023: (Jul 1, 2023) Highlights include an AI-focused episode of the quarterly Access News webcast, the release of Rubberduck 2.5.9, and tips on importing web data into Access.
  • Week in Review: July 8, 2023: (Jul 8, 2023) Highlights include the next installment of a.p.r. pillai's class-based form code series, AI regulations, and understanding project requirements.
  • Week in Review: July 15, 2023: (Jul 15, 2023) Highlights include the return of DevHut.net, generating hashes in VBA, bypassing the trusted domains "feature," and an eye-opening video on great interface design.
  • Week in Review: July 22, 2023: (Jul 22, 2023) Highlights include the seventh installment of a.p.r. pillai's class-based form code series, building Gantt charts in Access, and a deep dive into SQL subqueries.
  • Week in Review: July 29, 2023: (Jul 29, 2023) Highlights include Richard Rost's series on tracking account balances, barcode scanning via PowerApps, improving image quality, and a SQL formatting add-in.
  • Week in Review: August 5, 2023: (Aug 5, 2023) Highlights include the WiR debut of two new YouTube channels, monthly bug fixes from the Access team, and an introduction to using modern Combo Charts.
  • Week in Review: August 12, 2023: (Aug 12, 2023) Highlights include global error handling, creating applications in Blazor, exporting Unicode characters to text files, and validating email addresses.
  • Week in Review: August 19, 2023: (Aug 19, 2023) Highlights include a modern browser YouTube series from Daniel Pineault, the German Access Conference AEK25, and password hashing in Access.
  • Week in Review: August 26, 2023: (Aug 26, 2023) Highlights include tips to automate the new browser control, sending WhatsApp messages from Access, Python in Excel, and AI-driven help via Microsoft Q&A Assist.
  • Week in Review: September 2, 2023: (Sep 2, 2023) Highlights include a video series on Colin Riddington's Access Analyzer Pro tool, plus introductory videos on Eval, Data Macros, and the Form Detail On Paint event.
  • Week in Review: September 9, 2023: (Sep 9, 2023) Highlights include a new beta release of the Access version control addin, trends in the Access job market, and API calls to get a list of open programs.
  • Week in Review: September 16, 2023: (Sep 16, 2023) Highlights include a long-overdue update to the Access roadmap (LAA is coming!), an underrated new feature (thanks, Anders!), and a video on event-driven programming.
  • Week in Review: September 23, 2023: (Sep 23, 2023) Highlights include the death of COM/VBA in New Outlook (?!?!), a web-based image editor for Access, and a deep dive into string-building performance in VBA.
  • Week in Review: September 30, 2023: (Sep 30, 2023) Highlights include an in-person UK User Group Conference Nov 22-23, Advanced Database Design with Armen Stein, and a list of undocumented SysCmd values.
  • Week in Review: October 7, 2023: (Oct 7, 2023) Highlights include a free file manager class from Alessandro Grimaldi, an update on the forthcoming Rubberduck 3.0 VBA addin, and well-tested Access file limits.
  • Week in Review: October 14, 2023: (Oct 14, 2023) Highlights include a video on the future of Access with cameos from the Microsoft Access engineering team, a Decision Tree database, and Shared VBA Libraries.
  • Week in Review: October 21, 2023: (Oct 21, 2023) Highlights include updateable cross-tab forms with Pat Hartman, George Hepworth's Searchable Catalog project, and Richard Rost's Decision Tree database.
  • Week in Review: October 28, 2023: (Oct 28, 2023) Highlights include integrating ChatGPT into Access, the new Access Program Manager (Linda Cannon) at Access Lunchtime, and the Access team weighs in on New Outlook.
  • Week in Review: November 4, 2023: (Nov 4, 2023) Highlights include Karl's Access News update, Access learning resources, SQL Server with geography data, and the coming death of VBScript.
  • Week in Review: November 11, 2023: (Nov 11, 2023) Highlights include an update to the Access development priorities, a no-code way to highlight the current control, and a talk on classes and event-driven programming.
  • Week in Review: November 18, 2023: (Nov 18, 2023) Highlights include ChatGPT in Access, Test Driven Development, implementing dictation, and a new Office default font and theme.
  • Week in Review: November 25, 2023: (Nov 25, 2023) Highlights include the arrival of LAA in Access, adding gradients to forms, using named arguments in VBA, and multi-field search with only two controls.
  • ["WizHook" tag page]: Show all articles with the tag "WizHook" (including those where "WizHook" is a secondary tag).

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All original code samples by Mike Wolfe are licensed under CC BY 4.0