List Box Filter

Multiple selections

Filter a Report based on List Box
Fabalou.com:

"How to open a report based on a multiple selection in a list box. For example, you may have a list of makes of car and a report that shows various details for each make of car. You want to allow the users to select a range of cars and pull up the report according to that selection."

Microsoft KB:
How to Use a Multi-Select List Box to Filter a Form




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Canada/US Postal Codes

Automatic Input masks

If you have a mix of Canadian and US postal codes, you might play with the following code inserted as a Country control "After Update" Event property.

Private Sub Country_AfterUpdate()
Dim strCountry As String
strCountry = Me.Country

Select Case strCountry
Case "Canada"
Me.[PostalCode].InputMask = ">L0L\ 0L0;;_"
Case "USA"
Me.[PostalCode].InputMask = "00000-9999;;_"
Case Else
'If the country is not Canada or USA no input mask will be used
Me.[PostalCode].InputMask = ""
End Select
End Sub

As a rule, if you won't be performing numeric calculations on the data, entries should be stored as text. Social Security numbers, Phone numbers and postal codes should be stored as text.


You can use alphabetic characters in an input mask. For example, one of the sample input masks is >L0L\ 0L0 used to represent a Canadian postal code.

The ">" character in the input mask converts all the characters that follow to uppercase.

The "L" character requires an alpha entry; the "0" (zero) requires a numeric entry.

A "\"character causes the following character to be displayed as a literal character rather than a mask character.

A space appears between the three character pairs.
For example, V5P 2G1 is one valid postal code that the user could enter. The mask would prevent the user from entering two sequential alphabetic characters or numbers.
See:

You can manipulate postal codes in Access by changing the data type, input mask, or format of a postal code field.

Microsoft KB 207829:
ZIP Codes in Microsoft Access.

Also see:
Postal Codes



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Add a Table

Drag drop trick

While working with a query in Design view, you may find that you need to add a table or query. The "book" way to do it is to click the Show Table toolbar button, drag the appropriate objects from the list, and then close the dialog box.
There is another way to do this.

Drag the table or query object's icon from the Database window/Navigation pane directly to the top half of the query design grid.

You can also use this technique in Access's Relationships window



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Week numbers

Who's counting?

For most purposes, weeks are numbered with Sunday considered the first day of the week. This works most of the time, but it can be a little confusing certain years.

2004 had 53 weeks. January 1 is the only day in the first week of 2005. Week 2 starts on Sunday 1/2/2005.

Chip Pearson is the Date and Time guy:
Week Numbers In Excel

"Under the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard 8601, a week always begins on a Monday, and ends on a Sunday. The first week of a year is that week which contains the first Thursday of the year, or, equivalently, contains Jan-4.

While this provides some standardization, it can lead to unexpected results - namely that the first few days of a year may not be in week 1 at all. Instead, they will be in week 52 of the preceding year! For example, the year 2000 began on Saturday. Under the ISO standard, weeks always begin on a Monday. In 2000, the first Thursday was Jan-6, so week 1 begins the preceding Monday, or Jan-3. Therefore, the first two days of 2000, Jan-1 and Jan-2, fall into week 52 of 1999.

An ISO week number may be between 1 and 53. Under the ISO standard, week 1 will always have at least 4 days. If 1-Jan falls on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, the first few days of the year are defined as being in the last (52nd or 53rd) week of the previous year.

Unlike absolute week numbers, not every year will have a week 53. For example, the year 2000 does not have a week 53. Week 52 begins on Monday, 25-Dec, and ends on Sunday, 31-Dec. But the year 2004 does have a week 53, from Monday, 27-Dec , through Friday, 31-Dec."

The first week of 2005 should start on January 3. The first and second would be part of week 53 of 2004.

Wikipedia:
Week Dates

If your week starts on a different day, you can use the Analysis ToolPac function:
=WEEKNUM(A1, 2) for a week that starts on Monday, =WEEKNUM(A1) if it starts on Sunday.

Also this from ExcelTip.com:
Weeknumbers using VBA in Microsoft Excel

"The function WEEKNUM() in the Analysis Toolpack addin calculates the correct week number for a given date, if you are in the U.S. The user defined function shown here will calculate the correct week number depending on the national language settings on your computer."

In Access:
DatePart Function

If your work week is always Saturday through Friday then
datepart("ww",[DateField],7,1)

will return 1 for 1/1/2005 through 1/7/2005, 2 for January 8-14/2005, etc.
Otherwise use 1 for Sunday through 7 for Saturday.

The last number sets these parameters:

1, Start with week in which January 1 occurs (default).
2, Start with the first week that has at least four days in the new year.
3, Start with first full week of the year.



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Entry Checks

A second chance

Unlike Word or Excel, Access does not warn you when data is changed.
Unless you make a structural or code change, Access thinks you know what you want to do and allows you to enter or change data and the close the application without a squeak.

There is a way around this:

"In Microsoft Office Access 2007+, by default, users are not prompted to confirm changes after modifying and saving records on a form. But often you might want to prompt users to confirm their changes before the record is saved.

You can use a BeforeUpdate event procedure to display a confirmation prompt and handle a user's response to either cancel or continue with the save.

This visual how-to topic illustrates how to display a custom dialog box to prompt users to cancel or continue with saving changes to a record."

User Prompts
(with a video)



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Reminder-task Outlook

Sent from Access

"If you have a table that contains a date field, and you want to make sure that something happens on that date, one way is to create an Outlook task with a reminder that will pop up on the specified date; you can even use the Outlook reminder to create an email message that will be sent on the specified date.

This article will show how to create an Outlook task from Access VBA code, and send an email message when the task's reminder fires."

The file is located on Helen Feddema's site.
Access Archon
Scroll down to #126

The zip file contains the WAW article, in Word format, plus the supporting file.

Helen Feddema has been working with Word since v. 1.1, Access since the beta of v. 1.0, and Outlook since the beta of v. 8.0 (that's where Outlook started its version numbering).

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Default Save

Choose your own location

When you choose to save most Office files, the Save dialog box defaults to the Documents or My Documents folder.

(The following directions work in 2007+, but you need to click on the Office button in the upper left corner of the Window)

Word

you can change the default location by going to Tools>Options. On the "File Locations" tab you can modify the storage location.

Excel

Tools>Options. On the "General" tab change the default location.

PowerPoint

uses Tools>Options and the "Save" tab.

Access

Tools>Options and the "General" tab for Databases and Projects

Publisher

Tools>Options "General".

Outlook

will make you take an underground tour into the Registry to change the location to save e-mail attachments.

FrontPage/Expression Web

appears to require the same sort of spelunking.

Change the folder where e-mail messages and attachments are saved


If you don't want to change the default, but would like to be able to quickly go to an alternate site, open the Save or Save Attachment dialog box. On the left side of the box is the Places Navigation bar. If you click the Desktop icon, that location will be used to save the file.

You can add spots to the bar. Browse to the specific folder. Highlight the folder and click the down arrow beside the Tools option. Select "Add to My Places."

The file or e-mail attachment can then be saved where you want.



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Form and Data

Good combo

In Access, tables can be a bother to use for data entry.

Constructing a Form can make it easier.

Here is an MS demo about combining the two:

"While working with forms, a split form can be a very useful view because you simultaneously get two views of the form that are connected to the same data source.
This demo shows you how to create a split form view where you can use the datasheet part of the form to quickly locate a record and the form portion to view or modify the record.

You will also learn how to enhance and customize a split form view to suit your needs."

Demo

Form and data





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OLAP Cubes

More dimensions than Star trek

When a company accumulates a great deal of information, it becomes un-wieldy to work with just basic Excel or Access databases.

There is a database concept called on OLAP cube (On-Line Analytical Processing).

This multidimensional collection of data can be thought of as a 3-D pivot table viewed from flat land.

MSDN:
Just What Are Cubes Anyway?
(A Painless Introduction to OLAP Technology)



Wikipedia:
OLAP



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Srt Fields Defaults

Speed up table creation with default field settings

When you add fields to a table, Access assumes you want to use a 50/255-character Text field by default. However, you may typically use a smaller field size or you may personally use Number fields more often than Text ones.

You can avoid having to change the size and data types for new fields by setting defaults that are appropriate to your own design habits. To do so:

1. Choose Tools> Options from the menu bar and switch to the Tables/Queries sheet.
   
   
2. Select the data type you use most from the Default Field Type dropdown list.
   
   
3. Set the Text and Number sizes you usually want to use in the Default Field Sizes panel and
   
   
4. Click OK.

In Access 2007+ go to Access Options>Object Designers:





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VBA Named Arguments

An easier read

Use named arguments for cleaner VBA code.

Most likely, you use positional arguments when working with VBA functions. For instance, to create a message box, you probably use a statement that adheres to the following syntax:

MsgBox(prompt[, buttons] [, title] [, helpfile, context])

When you work the MsgBox function this way, the order of the arguments can't be changed.

Therefore, if you want to skip an optional argument that's between two arguments you're defining, you need to include a blank argument, such as:

MsgBox "Hello World!", , "My Message Box"

Named arguments allow you to create more descriptive code and define arguments in any order you wish. To use named arguments, simply type the argument name, followed by :=, and then the argument value.

For instance, the previous statement can be rewritten as:

MsgBox Title:="My Message Box", _
Prompt:="Hello World!"

(To find out a function's named arguments, select the function in your code and press [F1].)



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Display the Current Record Number

Without navigation

You may want to remove the navigation buttons from an Access form but still display the current record number. Not the ID or serial number, but the record number that would appear in the navigation box.

To provide this feature, you can use VBA to place the form's CurrentRecord value in an unbound text box, and then update the value during the Current event.

To utilize this property, add an unbound text box to your form in Design view. Then, on the Event tab of the form's Property list, click the ellipsis or Build button. Choose Code Builder.

Add the following code in the Visual Basic Editor:

Private Sub Form_Current()
MyTextBox = Me.CurrentRecord
End Sub

(where MyTextBox is the name of the control that displays the record number.)

Now, when you navigate from record to record, the MyTextBox control will update automatically to reflect the current number.



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Quick Subforms and Subreports

Drag 'em on over

When you need to create a subform or subreport, you probably use the Subform/Subreport tool from the Toolbox to draw where you want to add the control.

You can also create subform and subreports using drag and drop.

Simply open the main form or report in Design view, then drag the appropriate form or report from the Database window to where you want the control created.

Note that you'll still need to set Link Child Fields and Link Master Fields properties on the new control.



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Filter Multiple Fields

Table sorts

In a table's Datasheet view, you can filter multiple selections in a few simple ways.

In the first method, you select one of the fields you want to filter by and click the Filter By Selection button on the toolbar. Access filters the records by that selection. Next, select the second field you want to filter by and click the button again. Access filters the records even further by this second selection. Continue to follow these steps until you have filtered by the desired number of selections.

You can also use Filter by Form. Click the icon on the toolbar. In the displayed form, enter the criteria. You can use And/Or statements, such as "Boston" Or "San Francisco".
(Access will enter the quote marks for you.)

For the third option, you use the Advanced Filter>Sort feature. To do so, select Records>Filter>Advanced Filter>Sort from the menu bar. Access displays a grid similar to the Query By Example grid. Now, drag down all the fields you want to filter by from the field list. Then, in the Criteria cells enter the values you want to filter for. When you have finished, click the Apply Filter button to see the results.

Fourth, you could use Filter by input. Right click any entry in a field you want filtered. Enter the value in the Filter For box and hit Enter. You could then choose another field and sort again by another criteria.
Creating a Query would let you save your filter, but these methods can be used to quickly display the desired information in a table.
(In 2007+ these options are on the Home tab in the Sort & Filter group)

eHow.com:
How to Filter Records in a Microsoft Access Table

Microsoft Kb:
How to filter records in an Access database



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Email Access Form

Question and collection

Access 2007-10 has a wizard that will walk you through the process of sending an information gathering form through Outlook. The wizard is on the External Data tab in the Collect Data group.

"You begin with the Collect Data Through E-mail Messages Wizard, which guides you through the steps of creating a form.

The form is sent through Microsoft Office Outlook 2007-10 to your recipients, with your request for new or updated information.

When the recipients reply to your message, Access automatically enters their data into your database.

Collect data by using e-mail



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Convert Access Macros to VBA

Macros to Modules

Before Access 2000, the speculation was that Access would lose "Macros" and enter the exclusive world of VBA. It hasn't happened yet.

If you have macros in a database that you would like to convert to code, doing so is easy.

In Access 97: Right-click on the macro in the Database window and then choose Save As/Export from the shortcut menu. Then, select the Save As Visual Basic Module option button and click OK. You are then given the option of adding error handling functions and comments to the new module. Select the options you want and click Convert.

In Access 2000/2002+: Right-click on the macro in the Database window and then choose Save As from the shortcut menu. Enter the name of the module you want to create in the text box and choose Module from the As dropdown list. Next, click OK. You will be given the option of adding error handling functions and comments to the new module. Select the options you want and click Convert.

In 2007 go to Database Tools and look in the Macros group.


Pearson Informit:
Taking More Control of Access
By Gordon Padwick.

Access 2007 introduced a new type of macros called embedded macros. Embedded macros are macros that are stored on an event instead of as a separate object. Embedded macros support name fix-up and are used extensively through-out our templates. They are largely targeted to information workers that don’t write code but useful for developers that are trying to perform some simple actions.



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What the ####

Truncated Numbers

Access has a new option that will show octothorps when the column is too narrow to display the entire value. When this option is not enabled, you see only part of the values in a column rather than ####.

You'll find the selection under Access Options when you click the Office button.
Go to Current Database and make your choice.





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Copy Access Data to New Records

Fewer steps

The Paste Append feature is often overlooked in Access.

This feature lets you quickly create new records that copy existing information from other records.

To see one way to use the feature, open a table in Datasheet view.

1. While holding down the [Shift] key, select adjacent fields with data you want to copy. You can also select fields from adjacent records.
   
2. When you've finished, press Ctrl+C to copy the data.
   
3. Then, choose Edit>Paste Append (Paste>Paste Append in 2007+)
   
4. Click Yes when Access asks for confirmation.

You'll now have an appropriate number of new records in the table that contains the information you copied.



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Security Questions

2009-2013

This article provides an overview of the security features offered by Access 2009-2013, and explains how to use the tools that Access provides for helping to secure a database. This article also links to more detailed content about various security features.

• What's new in Access security
  
• Use an Access database in a trusted location
  
• Package, sign, and distribute an Access 2010 database
  
• Enable disabled content when you open a database
  
• Use a database password to encrypt an Access database
  
• How security works with databases from earlier versions of Access opened in Access 2010
  
• Run unsafe expressions (disable sandbox mode)

Introduction to Security



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Resize Form

It's fitting

When you switch between Design and Form views, the size of the form is dictated by the size of the Design view window, not the size of the form sections.

You often need to expand the window to be able to see the rulers and scroll bars in addition to all of the sections. This means you're left with wasted space when viewing the form in Form view, assuming that you forget to shrink the window back down.

A solution to this annoyance is to use the Size To Fit Form feature.

Simply view the form in Form view and choose Window>Size To Fit Form from the menu bar. If your view of the form is maximized, the menu option will be unavailable and you'll need to click the Restore Window button on the form window to enable the choice.

Once Access has resized the form, you can save its current dimensions by clicking the Save button.

With Access 2007+ go to the Office button, choose Access Options and click Overlapping Windows. The Size To Fit Form icon will appear on the Home tab.





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