Microsoft Office Access 2007 VBA [Paperback]

Scott B. Diamond (Author), Brent Spaulding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 7, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0789737310 | ISBN-13: 978-0789737311 | Edition: 1

Business Solutions

 

Microsoft® Office Access 2007 VBA

 

Develop your Access 2007 VBA expertise instantly with proven techniques

 

Microsoft Office Access 2007 VBA builds on the skills you’ve already developed in creating database applications and helps you take them to the next level—using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to accomplish things you once performed manually. To facilitate this lofty goal, Access includes the VBA programming language. Even if you’ve never programmed, this book will help you learn how to leverage the power of VBA to make your work with Access more efficient than ever before. Microsoft Office Access 2007 VBA is for professionals who use Microsoft Access frequently in their daily work. You have serious work to get done and you can’t spend all day reading a computer book. This book teaches you the essential skills you need to automate your databases as quickly as possible.

Although written for Access 2007, the techniques and concepts covered will work in most versions of Microsoft Access.

 

Highlights of This Book Include

          •        Navigating within the Visual Basic Editor

          •        Using variables, constants, and data types

          •        Employing built-in functions

          •        Creating procedures

          •        Understanding object-and event-driven coding

          •        Working with arrays

          •        Understanding scope

          •        Working with forms

          •        Using selection controls

          •        Creating reports

          •        Exploring menus, navigation, and ribbons

          •        Using object models

          •        Working with data

          •        Defining database schema

          •        Using the Windows API

          •        Working with XML files

          •        Exploring Access SQL

 

On the Website

Download database files used in the book at www.quepublishing.com.

 

Category     Office Applications

Covers         Visual Basic for Applications 

User Level    Intermediate - Advanced

 

Scott B. Diamond is a seasoned database designer and Microsoft Access 2007 MVP. During the last 20+ years, he has designed databases on a wide range of platforms, including dBASE, FoxPro, SQL/DS, Lotus Approach, Lotus Notes, and, for the past 10 years, Microsoft Access. Scott has worked as a consultant, both in-house and freelance, and as a support professional at firms that are among the leaders in their industries. Scott spends some of his free time answering questions at the premier site for Access support: http://www.utteraccess.com.

 

Brent Spaulding started writing applications about 20 years ago and has utilized Microsoft Access since version 2.0. He looks forward to using Access well into the future. In July 2007, he received the Microsoft MVP award for Access, which recognizes his talent and contributions to the Access community.

 

Front cover bullets:

Edit and debug your code

Use looping and conditional statements

Understand the Access object- and event-driven architecture

Automate data entry

Learn how to use variables for dynamic automation

Create user-friendly applications for others

Create custom functions and objects

Customize the user interface

Manipulate data and objects with code

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Scott B. Diamond has been an information technology geek for more than 20 years. He has spent much of that time designing databases on various platforms. He started using Microsoft Access with Office 97 and has mastered all the subsequent versions. Besides developing database applications for the company where he’s employed as an applications administrator, Scott also does freelance work, developing Access applications and consulting. He has always maintained that he’s lucky his vocation is also his avocation, so he spends some of his free time helping people on web-based Q&A boards such as utteraccess.com (the premier support site for Access). He recently received Microsoft’s MVP award for Access in acknowledgment of his contribution to the Access community. Scott, an avid bicyclist, lives on Long Island, New York, with his wife and daughter. You can reach Scott at [e-mail] or visit his website, www.diamondassoc.com.

 

Brent Spaulding started writing applications about 20 years ago, generally focusing on data and data analysis. He has designed systems that have a wide range of focus: gymnastics class management, product assembly analysis, equipment fault logging, and manufacturing management systems. He has used Microsoft Access since version 2.0 and looks forward to using Access well into the future. In July 2007 Brent, who is employed in the automotive industry, received the Microsoft MVP award for Access, which recognizes his talent and contribution to the Access community. He spends much of his personal time learning and helping others on websites such as utteraccess.com, where he is known as datAdrenaline.

 

Brent lives in southern Indiana with his wife and children.

 

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

• What's in the Book
• This Book's Special Features
• The Examples Used in the Book

So, you've been using Access for a little while. Now that you have used Access to build databases for yourself, and maybe some friends and/or colleagues, you are ready for the next step: developing automated database applications. If you want quicker, easier, and more accurate data entry; faster searching; better reporting; the ability to manipulate data behind the scenes; and much more, this book is for you.

With Microsoft Office Access 2007 VBA we show you how to unleash the power of Access using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). VBA is a superset of the Visual Basic programming language that combines Visual Basic command syntax and a rich assortment of functions with the capability to control objects in your application (hence the "A" in "VBA").

This book shows you VBA in action with real-world examples. We introduce you to programming and its use within Access and hold your hand every step of the way. With the information provided in this book you will explore commands, functions, properties, and methods and how to use them to make your applications dance to your tune and jump through hoops.

What's in the Book

This book isn't meant to be read from cover to cover, although you may find that you can't put it down! Instead, most of the chapters are set up as self-contained units that you can dip into and extract whatever nuggets of information you need at will. If you're a relatively new Access user, I suggest starting with the first one or two chapters in each of the book's four main parts to ensure you have a solid foundation in the fundamentals of working with data in Access tables by using queries, forms, and reports.

The book is divided into four main parts. To give you the big picture before diving in, here's a summary of what you find in each part:

• Part I, "The Building Blocks"—The nine chapters in Part I introduce you to the building blocks you use to build VBA modules. We start by explaining the advantages of using VBA. From there we introduce you to the Visual Basic Editor (VBE). This is where you enter, edit, and test all your code. In Chapter 3, "Using Variables, Constants, and Data Types," we talk about the various ways you assign and identify data. And Chapter 4, "Using Built-in Functions," moves on to a discussion of the many functions that Access and VBA provide. In Chapter 5, "Building Procedures," the topic is procedures in their various forms and modules, the containers for your code. Chapter 6, "Conditional and Looping Statements," gets into the meat of coding as we go over important syntax for branching using conditions and repeating code with looping. We follow that with a chapter on using arrays. And then Chapter 8, "Object and Event-Driven Coding," explains how to launch your programs using object and event-driven coding. Part I closes with a chapter on scope, which covers lifetime and visibility of variables and procedures.

• Part II, "Working Within the User Interface"—This part shows you how to use VBA to create a great user interface. You learn to work with form and report design and understand their components such as controls and sections. We introduce you to the wide variety of different controls available and show you how to use them. You learn what events are and how they are triggered and discover how to create different menus and use VBA to navigate through your application. Part II ends with a discussion of collections and how to reference Access objects.

• Part III, "Working with Data"—This part of the book deals with working directly with data. You will learn the two main ways to get at data: Data Access Objects (DAO) and ActiveX Data Objects (ADO). DAO and ADO are presented in a comparative fashion. We cover these object models as they apply to the Access Connectivity Engine (ACE), the database engine under the hood of Access. ACE is the successor to the Joint Engine Technology (JET) database engine, so you will see JET and ACE terminology where appropriate. You will learn not only how to find, add, edit, and remove data, but also how to create and modify the structure of how data is organized (the shema). With DAO, ActiveX Data Objects eXtentsion (ADOX), and Data Definition Language (a subset of SQL), you can modify and create databases, tables, fields, indexes, relationships, and queries. This section also touches on some of the more advanced topics of database analysis, such as retrieving a list of all the relationships in your database or discovering all the computers that are connected to your database.

• Part IV, "Advanced VBA"—In this final section, you encounter working with other types of data files such as Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, and flat files. You also learn the basics of automation with other Office applications. Finally, we show you how to call on the Windows Application Programming Interface (API).

• Appendix—This includes a great reference on Structured Query Language (SQL) in its many different flavors and shows how to integrate SQL into your applications.

This Book's Special Features

Microsoft Office Access 2007 VBA is organized to give you a firm foundation for using VBA in a logical manner that builds your knowledge step by step. We have also made the book a functional reference for VBA techniques.

• Steps—Throughout the book, each Access task is summarized in step-by-step procedures.

• Code lines—Lines of VBA code, commands, and statements appear in a monospace typeface.

• Required Text—Any text you need to enter will be boldfaced.

• Italics—Technical terms being defined appear in italic, such as RecordSet Property.

• Syntax—Within code statements certain arguments will be italicized to denote where you will need to substitute values relevant to your task. Brackets () are used to indicate optional arguments.

This book also uses the following elements to draw your attention to important (or merely interesting) information.

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Note - Notes are used to provide sidebar information about the topic being discussed. They provide extra insights that help you understand the concepts being covered.

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Tip - Tips tell you about Access methods that we have found to make coding with Access easier, faster, or more efficient.

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Caution - Caution elements warn you about potential pitfalls waiting to trap your code, such as common errors that might occur, and how to avoid or fix them.

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→ Cross-reference elements point you to related material elsewhere in the book.

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Case Study - You'll find case studies throughout the book based on an Inventory Tracking application. They are designed to show you how to apply what you've learned.

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The Examples Used in the Book

All the tables, objects, and code samples referred to in this book can be found at http://www.quepublishing.com. There will be a folder for each chapter. The files build on the examples from the previous chapters. The Introduction file will be pretty bare bones and just have the objects that don't pertain to specific lessons we cover. You can build on the Introduction files or use the files that already have the examples coded for you.

© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Que; 1 edition (December 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789737310
• ISBN-13: 978-0789737311
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,013,155 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, May 2, 2008

By 

K. McClure (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Microsoft Office Access 2007 VBA (Paperback)

I found this to be an incredible book. When I began using the book I was a novice Access user. The book was an incredible tool to vastly improving my knowledge of Access and it's use in the business world. I own a business and with the help of this book I created a database to run the entire operation.

1.0 out of 5 stars Poorly edited, of little use, October 22, 2011

By 

Jon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft Office Access 2007 VBA (Paperback)

The book is poorly edited. Multiple examples of improper function usage/syntax, multiple contradictions between text and examples, uses functions then explains them 3 chapters later... A very poorly written book. $30 I'll never see again. Should have taken the advice of the only "real" review here.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Leverage the database power of MS Access v 2007 with VBA., April 15, 2009

By 

P. Badalament (Rochester Hills, MI) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Microsoft Office Access 2007 VBA (Paperback)

This is a very good book to learn or review the programming language applied to MS Access, which is a solid database tool. I've purchased many similar books since 1997, but I like this one best of all.