Search as you Type

One of the cooler user interface pieces I’ve seen in software that handles large data sets is a simple search box.  When using Apple iTunes, I particularly like that the search box dynamically updates the list of results… Read More

User Interface Design in Access

Once you’ve got a database defined with the tables, queries, and reports you want to track and generate built, you’ll need a method for turning the operation of the database over to end users.  Chances are you do… Read More

Pseudo Object Oriented Programming with Office

All of the Microsoft Office family of applications have a built in scripting tool using Visual Basic.  Though the name Visual Basic is applied, it’s really a subset of the more generalized tools available to a developer with… Read More

Implement a no activity shut down in Access

Inevitably, a shared database application will be left open by at least one user for what seems like forever.  This makes maintenance and upgrades difficult since it is not possible to delete or repair the file while a… Read More

Using form controls for Query criteria

Using forms in an Access Database design is the best way to simplify the user experience and increase efficiency while working with the database.  If you are publishing tools for end users that may not know anything about… Read More

VBA Won’t let me test for NULL in an If statement!

Seems like it would be pretty simple right?  Just make an If statement like this: If x=Null Then ‘Blah blah blah End If But alas, this bit of code will never be run, even if the variable x… Read More