Access Cookbook - Ken Getz [0]
Ken Getz
Paul Litwin
Andy Baron
Editor
John Osborn
Copyright © 2009 O'Reilly Media, Inc.
O'Reilly Media
* * *
SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly
Click here for more information on this offer!
Please note that upgrade offers are not available from sample content.
A Note Regarding Supplemental Files
Supplemental files and examples for this book can be found at http://examples.oreilly.com/9780596006785/. Please use a standard desktop web browser to access these files, as they may not be accessible from all ereader devices.
All code files or examples referenced in the book will be available online. For physical books that ship with an accompanying disc, whenever possible, we’ve posted all CD/DVD content. Note that while we provide as much of the media content as we are able via free download, we are sometimes limited by licensing restrictions. Please direct any questions or concerns to booktech@oreilly.com.
Preface
What This Book Is About
This is an idea book. It's a compendium of solutions and suggestions devoted to making your work with Microsoft Access more productive. If you're using Access and you aspire to create database applications that are more than wizard-created clones of every other database application, this is the book for you.
If, on the other hand, you're looking for a book that shows you how to create a form, or how to write your first Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) function, or how to use the Crosstab Query Wizard, this may not be the book you need. For those kinds of things, we recommend one of the many Access books geared toward the first-time user.
Promotes Creative Use of the Product
Rather than rehashing the manuals, Access Cookbook offers you solutions to problems you may have already encountered, have yet to encounter, or perhaps have never even considered. Some of the issues discussed in this book are in direct response to questions posted in the Microsoft Access newsgroups online (at news://msnews.microsoft.com); others are problems we've encountered while developing our own applications. In any case, our goal is to show you how to push the edges of the product, making it do things you might not even have thought possible.
For example, you'll learn how to create a query that joins tables based on some condition besides equality, how to size a form's controls to match the form's size, how to store and retrieve the locations and sizes of forms from session to session, and how to create a page-range indicator on every report page. You'll see how to use some of the common Windows dialogs from your Access application, how to internationalize your messages, how to really control your printer, and how to store the username and date last edited for each row. There are tips for securing your database, filling list boxes a number of different ways, and optimizing your applications. You'll find details on using Access in multiuser environments, creating transaction logs, adjusting database options depending on who's logged in, and programmatically keeping track of users and groups. There are instructions for using the Windows API to restrict mouse movement to a specific area of a form, exiting Windows under program control, and checking the status of and shutting down another Windows application. You'll see how, using COM and Automation, you can use Access together with other applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
If you've never tried data access pages (DAPs), you're in for a treat—this feature makes it simple for you to display and edit data using a web browser. You'll learn enough to really get you started with this exciting technology, and you'll learn solutions to common but tricky problems. You'll find tips and techniques for using Access and SQL Server together, taking advantage of Access Data Projects (ADPs). You'll learn how smart tags have been implemented in Access 2003, and how to create your own smart tags. And you'll also see how you how Access allows you to work with XML data.