Access VBA reference (Access 2k)

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Hello again

I’ve recently ‘introduced’ myself to VBA in Access, with a lot of help from folk on here (thanks). The problem I keep running into is not being able to find the right method, or whatever. I’ve bought a few books, ranging from the ‘dummies’ book to more in depth Access programming tomes, none of them has what I really want though. My hearts desire is a list of all the key words, phrases, methods, whatever with a brief explanation.

The online help has something along these lines but stops short of having enough detail on many of the terms, covers the methods like docmd.sendobject OK, but when it comes to trying to find out about ‘tabledefs’ or ‘openrecordset’ I’m not getting the information I need.

So, has anyone seen a book that fits the bill, I can’t see anything on the shelves of my local book stores, and while some of the books on Amazon look like they may be OK I can’t be certain from the description, or the description sounds like it’s another text book on how to. Guess I’m looking for some thing that should be titled ‘The complete guide to all those words VBA knows and you don’t’

I had a look in ‘books’ but the only references to Access material in there are either on order (the developers guide that was mentioned) or have equivalents on my bookshelf.

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You’ll find recommendations in the thread starting at post 186204.

A very useful tool in the Visual Basic Editor is the Object Browser. Type F2 in the VBE to display it (or View/Object Browser). You can look up any object in it, and see its properties, methods and events, with a short description and a list of arguments (where appropriate).

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Hans

Thanks for the object browser tip. The book by Ken Getz is apparently out of print at the moment according to Amazon UK and WH Smith’s web site. Although I’ve managed to find all the parts of the Access 2000 and VB language set, and will be ordering them as soon as I check out the vendor(s).

One last question, does it have the sort of reference in the VBA developers section that I’m after? Reading the reviews here and elsewhere I’m going to find it useful regardless, but it would be nice if I knew my head ache cure was on its way.

Thanks

Ian

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Perhaps someone else can reply to your last question – I don’t have any of these books myself. I use the Object Browser and the online help (which is quite useful in Access 97), and search this Forum and the MSKB if necessary.

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If you’re looking for a sort of dictionary of all properties and methods listed alphabetically with a brief description, you aren’t going to find it anywhere that I know of. The object browser is the closest you will come to that. However, take a look at the O’Reilly books like Access Database Design & Programming and VB & VBA in a Nutshell: The Language for a pair of quick reference books to the nuts & bolts of Access and VBA.

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Charlotte

Thanks for the tips, I’ll see if I can find a copy of either book to have a flip through. I’ve acquired rather a lot of books recently and not many of them offer solutions to ‘real life’ problems (mine at least), so I was hoping to find the dictionary of VBA, pity it hasn’t been written yet.

The dictionary (nice definition) idea was spawned partly by my lack of programming knowledge, while I know about do while and if then etc I’ve no real back ground with any programming language, this leads to some strange results with search engines and from the on line help, I was hoping that a full list of the terms etc would allow me to make better use of the available resources.

I think my copy of Access may have a problem though, when I try and open help from the object browser (right click the bit I’m interested in, click help on the pop up menu) it gives me one of two error messages, I’m trying to get it re-installed. Any one else had similar problems, or am I cursed??

Thanks

Ian

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The main reason there isn’t a VBA dictionary is because the methods and properties depend on which application you’re using and which objects are involved. For example the methods and properties of a combobox in Access are not the same as those of a combobox in Word, Excel, or Visual Basic. So even if you listed a method like DropDown, it would be different and be called differently in different places because Access uses a different kind of combobox from Word and Excel and VB. If you get into different object models, like DAO and ADO, it gets even more confusing.

If you have the time, I’d recommend taking a class in structured programming. Although such classes may make reference to a particular language, the concepts and principles are applicable to programming in general.

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Charlotte

And there was me hoping some thing in life was going to be simple . As database developing (destroying?? ) is only done as a back drop to my ‘real’ job (Manufacturing Engineer) I’m not sure if I’ll get the time to do a programming course.

Hopefully I’ll pick up what I need by association with the Lounge.

Any good books for structured programming, like ‘structured programming for the PC language illiterate’?

Off to run a few searches.

Thanks again

Ian

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Well, my old (and I really mean *old*) textbook was called Designing Structured Programs, by David Higgins, but I don’t even know if that’s still in print.

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