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Automating Microsoft Access with VBA

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With Microsoft Access you automatically get a lot of capabilities to do forms and reports based on the data to be put into or taken out of the database you create. You also get a macro capability so that a limited amount of manipulation of this data can be done automatically. Used less frequently but which is far more powerful is the programming language Visual Basic for Applications or VBA. Built into each copy of Access for several versions VBA is there and available for use whenever needed. All that's needed is the skill to write the programs.

This is a relatively small book for one on computer software, it's hardly 400 pages. The intent of the book is to get you up and running in a short period of time. It's aimed at the computer professional who use Microsoft Access in a business setting. You are not expected to be a programmer, but by the end of the book you'll be able to program using VBA and to do so quickly.

When you know VBA for Access, you'll also be well on your way to knowing VBA for the rest of the Microsoft office suite. The various forms of VBA do have some changes that relate to the underlying structure of the application. But the basic structure of the language itself is the same.

There's only one thing I'd like to see added in the next revision of the book, that is a list of the reserved words used by the Access database. Not knowing these has gotten me in trouble a couple of times.

"Here's the TOC I got from another site in case it helps."

Automating Microsoft Access with VBA
By Susan Sales Harkins, Mike Gunderloy

Publisher : Que
Pub Date : September 14, 2004
ISBN : 0-7897-3244-0
Pages : 408


Copyright
About the Authors
Acknowledgments
We Want to Hear from You!
Introduction
Who This Book Is For
What's in This Book
Conventions Used in This Book
The Sample Code for This Book
Contacting the Authors

Part I: Laying the Foundation
Chapter 1. Why Access? Why VBA?
Understanding the Place of Access in Office
Understanding Access Programming Choices

Chapter 2. Getting Around in the Visual Basic Editor
Your First Glance at the Visual Basic Editor
Introducing the VBA Modules
Entering and Running VBA Code
Getting Help on Code
Establishing Good Habits in Coding

Chapter 3. Using Variables, Constants, and Data Types
Declaring Variables and Constants
VBA Data Types
Referencing Syntax

Chapter 4. Using Procedures
Understanding Procedure Types
Declaring Procedures as Public or Private
Passing Arguments
Giving a Function a Data Type
Implementing Error Handling
Debugging Code

Chapter 5. Choosing the Right VBA Function
Introducing VBA's Built-in Functions
Converting Data Types with VBA Functions
Working with Date Functions
Using Mathematical and Financial Functions
Using String Functions
Using the Format Function
Using the Is Functions for Flawless Processing
Interacting Functions

Chapter 6. Using Flow-of-Control Statements
Branching and Looping
Using If...Then...Else
Using Select Case
Using For...Next
Using Do Loops
Using GoTo

Chapter 7. Working with Arrays
Introducing Array Variables
Declaring an Array Variable
Understanding the Array's Index
Working with Array Elements
Arrays with Multiple Dimensions
Expanding to Dynamic Arrays

Chapter 8. Understanding Objects
Introducing Objects
Reading and Setting Properties
Invoking Methods
Working with Collections
Working with an Object Model
Creating Your Own Objects
Working with Events

Chapter 9. Understanding Scope and Lifetime
What's Scope?
Measuring the Lifetime of a Variable or Constant
Using Static Variables

Part II: Working with the Access User Interface

Chapter 10. Working with Forms
Opening and Closing Forms
The Form Module and Event Handling
Performing Common Tasks
Handling Errors at the Form Level
Working with Multiple Form Instances

Chapter 11. Analyzing the Access Event Model
Responding to Events
The Event Sequence for Controls
Data Events
The Event Sequence for Forms
The Event Sequence for Reports
Canceling Events

Chapter 12. Working with List and Combo Boxes
Populating a List Control
Adding to the List-or Not
Working with Multiselect Controls
Considering Callback Functions

Chapter 13. Working with Other Controls
Working with Text Boxes
Using Controls in Option Groups
Working with Subforms
Working with the Tag Property

Chapter 14. Working with Reports
Introducing the Report Module and Events
Opening and Closing Reports
Passing Arguments Using OpenArgs
Populating the Report
Handling Report-Level Errors
Using VBA to Determine Group Properties

Chapter 15. Working with the Application Collections
Investigating the Application Collections
Retrieving Lists of Objects
Working with Object Properties
Programmatically Determining Dependencies

Part III: Working with Access Data

Chapter 16. Retrieving Data with ADO
What's ADO and Why Do You Need It?
Using the ADO Connection Object
Working with Command Objects
Understanding the Different Types of Recordsets
Creating and Opening a Recordset
Filtering Recordsets
Using the Recordset Property

Chapter 17. Manipulating Data with ADO
Moving Through a Recordset
Finding Data in a Recordset
Adding Data Using a Recordset
Deleting Data in a Recordset
Updating Data in a Recordset
Using Transactions to Commit Groups of Records-or Not

Chapter 18. Creating Objects with ADOX
What Is ADOX?
Creating Tables
Securing Objects

Chapter 19. Performing Advanced Data Operations
Coding for Concurrency
Retrieving a User Recordset
Using Other Schema Recordsets

Part IV: Using Advanced VBA Techniques in Access

Chapter 20. Working with Data Files
Understanding File I/O
Opening Files
Reading from Files
Writing to Files
Printing to Files

Chapter 21. Automating Other Applications
Understanding Automation
Setting Object References
Creating Objects in an Automation Server
Talking to Excel from Access
Talking to Word from Access

Chapter 22. Working with XML Files
An Introduction to XML
Using ExportXML
Using ImportXML

Chapter 23. Using the Windows API
Declaring API Calls
Using API Calls
API Calls That You Can Use From Access
Knowing When to Use the Windows API

Part V: Appendix
Appendix A. Review of Access SQL
An Introduction to SQL
SQL Structure and Syntax
Retrieving with SQL SELECT
Modifying with SQL UPDATE
Deleting with SQL DELETE
Appending With SQL INSERT INTO
Making Tables With SQL SELECT INTO
Creating a Crosstab Query with SQL TRANSFORM
Index

This book has become my favorite VBA reference book so far. It's great for those with an intermediate knowledge of Access and little-to-no knowledge of VBA. It includes practical examples of how to use the code provided in each lesson and concise explanations of why/how the code works.

The sections on SQL Structure and Syntax and If/For...Else Statements are very informative, and easy to understand.

I've also bought the "Forms, Reports and Queries" book of this series, and would highly recommend them both.

This book worths my money. All I need to do is to learn the syntax for Access VBA. I already has novice level of general programming. This book has clear and simple explanation of Access VBA syntax through its practical examples.

If you want to learn practical and useful syntax for VBA this is the right book for you.

The TimeTrack.mdb database that the authors reference throughout this book is not available from the Safari publishing company website. A disk did not come with the book, either. Good luck testing out the code samples. Perhaps, at best, you can cobble it together using another sample databse.

If anyone knows where to get the sample database for this book, please let me know! I e-mailed the publisher but did not receive a response. Thanks!

As far as I can tell, this text is full of useful programming information for working with Access but I have not used much of it. It presumed more knowledge on my part than I actually have. I was able to read over it and get the basic concepts for a fair amount but the actual ability to use the information has not developed. I got the information at the expense of instruction.

The biggest problem is the lack of a disk with the examples. Supposedly, you can get the examples over the web but I most often do this type of stuff on the laptop from motel rooms in out of the way places with no or very limited access to the net. For me, that was an unworkable solution.

Even if it had included a disk, I don't think I would have liked this text too much because of the explanations. As I mentioned before, they seem to assume a level of knowledge on my part that I do not yet possess. It almost seemed as if I needed to know how to program in VBA before I could learn to program in VBA.

On the plus side, the screen shots are not generous in either quantity or size but they are definitely readable. This far surpasses the norm for most computer instruction books in my experience.

Others with more experience may well get more out of this book than I did. I plan on keeping it around in the hope that I may grow into it but, as yet, its usefulness has been minimal.

I ordered this manual and it was not apparent from any of the pics or editor's comments, etc. that this was written for the 2003 version of Access. I should have noticed the publishing date (my bad). I haven't gone thru the book yet as I have other books in this order to go thru also, so the content may be fine, just dated.

Mike Gunderloy and Susan Sales Harkinsdeftly collaborate in Automating Micro-soft Access with VBA to produce an ideal, comprehensive, 408 page introduction and instructional manual enabling the reader to readily take full and ocmplete advantage of VBA's diverse capabilities. With thoroughly "user friendly" instructions for customizing Access database applications to meet business needs, Automating Micro-soft Access with VBA is an invaulauble and continuing reference.

This book was very boring, and after reading a few chapters, I still only know the same things I knew before reading this book (which is basically nothing). My husband and I were very disappointed that we lost our money on such a retarded book.