Week in Review

Week in Review: November 14, 2026

Highlights include a little "UI Magic" from Colin Riddington, a pop-up tooltip retrofitter, and a new project that lets you run VBA on Linux with no host app?!

Mike Wolfe

• 6 min read
Week in Review: November 14, 2026

Just Published

This section includes videos, articles, and (occasionally) open-source project updates from the past 7 days.

Articles

Article descriptions generated by claude-opus-4.8.

  • Mathieu Guindon (Rubberduck VBA)
    • Introducing RDCore: RD-VBA Language Platform v0.1.0-alpha: Announces the first alpha release of RDCore, a cross-platform LSP-based language platform hosting RD-VBA, a .NET 10-compiled VBA variant that runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS without the Microsoft VBA runtime, can automate COM objects and build standalone executables, and integrates with HexIDE for editing imported MS-VBA source code.
  • Marcus Dieterle (LinkedIn Articles)
    • Version Checker: Introduces a free, dependency-free VBA module that lets an Access application check a web URL, network share, or update folder for a newer version, comparing version numbers segment by segment so 1.10 correctly beats 1.9.
  • Jonathan Halder (Access JumpStart 2.0)
    • What’s the future of AI and Access?: Reflects on AI as a new abstraction layer above high-level programming languages and argues that human experts remain essential to prevent AI from producing fragile, unmaintainable Access code.
  • Daniel Pineault (DEVelopers HUT)
  • Colin Riddington (Isladogs on Access)
    • AEU57: Sprinkle a little UI Magic on your Access apps (Updated 13 Nov): Recaps the 11 November 2026 Access Europe meeting where Colin Riddington demonstrated techniques for enhancing Access UIs, including continuous form column control, borderless and theme-aware forms, Fluent UI message boxes, and Zoom++.
    • AEU60: Image processing in VBA: Previews the 3 February 2027 Access Europe meeting, where Kallun Willock will introduce the Windows Imaging Component (WIC) for handling a wider range of image formats in VBA and compare it with WIA and GDI approaches.
    • AEU59: Northwind 2.0 Reimagined: Previews the 6 January 2027 Access Europe meeting, where John Colozzi will demonstrate reimagining Northwind 2.0 as a web-based single-page Access application built with the Edge Browser Control and AI assistance from Claude Opus 5.5.
    • Deprecation of Legacy Web Browser Control: Explains Microsoft's planned May 2027 deprecation of the legacy Internet Explorer-based Web Browser Control in Access and how to identify, convert, and retest affected forms using the Edge Browser Control.
    • Move/Resize Columns in Continuous Forms - Part 2 (Updated 8 Nov): Demonstrates how to save and restore user-modified column layouts in continuous forms by storing column positions and widths in a table, now updated to version 2.5 to remove the .NET 3.5 dependency.
    • Freeze Columns in Continuous Forms - Part 3 (Updated 8 Nov): Demonstrates how to make TAB and SHIFT+TAB navigation respect frozen columns in a continuous form using class module code and no APIs, now updated to version 3.0 to remove the .NET 3.5 dependency.
    • Access Bug Summary - Nov 2026 (IN PROGRESS): Summarizes Access bugs reported in November 2026, including lost report layouts when copying in the Navigation Pane, displaced textbox text when zooming, and a returning 22-inch form width limit.
  • Mike Wolfe (NoLongerSet)
    • Throwback Thursday: November 12, 2026: Revisits an article listing the seven most common reasons an Access developer ends up saying "It worked on my computer," plus a comic about a feature that fails on a user's machine.
    • twinBASIC Update: November 10, 2026: Covers twinBASIC BETA 1032 through 1044, highlighting hover tips now working inside With blocks with hex values alongside decimals, and a call for testers of Krool's SendInput-based SendKeys replacement.

Videos

New to Me

This section includes content I discovered this week that has been around for a while.

  • Nothing new this week.

Upcoming Access User Group Events

NOTE: Only English-language user group meetings with scheduled guest speakers or topics are listed. For a complete list of upcoming events, visit the Access User Group event calendar.

Access Roadmap

There were no changes made to the roadmap between the Week in Review last week (2026-11-07) and this week (2026-11-14).

The roadmap was last updated October 15, 2026.

Listed below is a snapshot of the official Access Roadmap.

"In Development", "Rolling Out", and "Launched" are Microsoft terms that I pulled straight from the public roadmap. Dates listed are "rollout start" dates.

In Development

  • OCT 2026: Rounded corners on Access form controls: We’re making it easier to give your Access apps a polished, up-to-date feel. With the new CornerRadius property, you can add rounded corners to form controls—bringing a softer, more modern look to your designs.
  • SEP 2026: Cascading combo and list boxes with LinkMasterFields/LinkChildFields: Combo boxes and list boxes now support LinkMasterFields/LinkChildFields properties, enabling cascading dropdowns (e.g., Country filters City) without writing VBA code.

Rolling Out

  • JUN 2026: Design Access forms and reports without 22-inch size constraints: With the removal of the 22-inch limit, your apps can now take full advantage of today’s larger monitors. You can display more data, create flexible layouts, and deliver a better experience on wide and high-resolution screens.

Launched

  • AUG 2026: Zooming for Continuous Forms and Multiple-Items Forms: Access extends zoom capabilities to continuous forms and pop-up forms, building on zoom support already available in tables and queries. Adjust magnification from 10 percent to 500 percent using the slider in the lower-right corner or controls on the ribbon. Keyboard shortcuts are also available, making it easy to quickly change your view and focus on the details that matter most.
  • MAY 2026: Enable zoom magnification to Microsoft Access for Forms, Tables, Queries: Access will add magnification slider (10% to 500%) in lower right of the application, similar to the feature in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. It will also be keyboard accessible and available on the ribbon in Access forms, tables, and queries.

Upcoming End-of-Life Dates

Here are the key end-of-life dates Access developers should track:

2024

2025

2026

2027

2029

  • [JAN 09] Windows Server 2019
  • [OCT 09] Access 2024 | Outlook 2024
  • [OCT 09 (or later)] Classic Outlook
    • See "Edit 8/12/2024" at top of this article for official clarification that "both perpetual and subscription [i.e., MS 365] versions of Outlook will be supported until 2029"
    • Support for Classic Outlook is guaranteed at least through 9 Oct 2029; it may be extended beyond this date

2030

2031

2033

2034

Ongoing

Date TBD

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