Help with Access Help

  • Thread starter Thread starter Damien
  • Start date Start date
D

Damien

I'm having some real problems with the Access 2002/XP Help
files.

eg

I wanted to write a custom OnNotInList event procedure, so
I click the [Event Procedure] and go into the code
window. I know OnNotInList uses some special constants to
handle the responses during the event, but I can't
remember them off the top of my head, so I try to look
them up in the help files.

Typing OnNotInList yields nothing, although OnClick,
OnClose even OnConnect are there. Typing 'NotInList',
leads to the NotInList event leads to a fairly unhelpful
page, with a shortcut to the 'OnNotInList' event page
apparently. Hang on, why wasn't that in the index? OK,
clicking the 'OnNotInList' link then leads to a general
purpose page about Event properties in general.

Where can I find the constants for the NotInList event in
Access 2002 ? Have they been removed, or what !? I mean
I could look this stuff up on the net, or in my VB6 Help
files, but why should I have to do that ?

eg
I'm writing some data-definition queries, and am adding
some unique constraints to a table. I want to remind
myself of the options in AccXP, as they have changed since
Acc97. So typing 'CONSTRAINT' into the index, yields a
few pages, but nothing relevant. By the way, what's
happened to the nice 'Match Case' option? The only really
relevant page found through either the index or the the
wizard leads you to a page called 'About SQL queries',
which is a dead-end, apart from a simple CREATE TABLE
example, but no syntax.

As it happens, I know the CONSTRAINT help page is in the
Microsoft Jet SQL Reference, so navigating down to it
manually, there it is. However there is no way to call
this page up using the Answer Wizard (sic) or the Index,
which seems rigged to show only a limited number of
words. Unbelievable !

Has Microsoft sabotaged Access help; it's become really
difficult to use, and really difficult to find anything
useful!

The Help files are like your safety net, your right-hand
guide, as you can't remember everything all of the time.
But since they've been sabotaged, I'm finding it more
difficult to develop than ever before. So much for going
forward !

Has anyone else got any feedback on this, similar
experiences, or useful tips ?

Thanks


Damien
 
MVPs and others frequently bemoan the fact that Access Help has been
getting steadily worse, in these and other ways, for some time (there
is discussion about when the rot started). It's no better (and
arguably worse) in Access 2003. Unfortunately, Google is often the
best approach to finding help on something that you know is there but
cannot find in Help.

I'm having some real problems with the Access 2002/XP Help
files.

eg

I wanted to write a custom OnNotInList event procedure, so
I click the [Event Procedure] and go into the code
window. I know OnNotInList uses some special constants to
handle the responses during the event, but I can't
remember them off the top of my head, so I try to look
them up in the help files.

Typing OnNotInList yields nothing, although OnClick,
OnClose even OnConnect are there. Typing 'NotInList',
leads to the NotInList event leads to a fairly unhelpful
page, with a shortcut to the 'OnNotInList' event page
apparently. Hang on, why wasn't that in the index? OK,
clicking the 'OnNotInList' link then leads to a general
purpose page about Event properties in general.

Where can I find the constants for the NotInList event in
Access 2002 ? Have they been removed, or what !? I mean
I could look this stuff up on the net, or in my VB6 Help
files, but why should I have to do that ?

eg
I'm writing some data-definition queries, and am adding
some unique constraints to a table. I want to remind
myself of the options in AccXP, as they have changed since
Acc97. So typing 'CONSTRAINT' into the index, yields a
few pages, but nothing relevant. By the way, what's
happened to the nice 'Match Case' option? The only really
relevant page found through either the index or the the
wizard leads you to a page called 'About SQL queries',
which is a dead-end, apart from a simple CREATE TABLE
example, but no syntax.

As it happens, I know the CONSTRAINT help page is in the
Microsoft Jet SQL Reference, so navigating down to it
manually, there it is. However there is no way to call
this page up using the Answer Wizard (sic) or the Index,
which seems rigged to show only a limited number of
words. Unbelievable !

Has Microsoft sabotaged Access help; it's become really
difficult to use, and really difficult to find anything
useful!

The Help files are like your safety net, your right-hand
guide, as you can't remember everything all of the time.
But since they've been sabotaged, I'm finding it more
difficult to develop than ever before. So much for going
forward !

Has anyone else got any feedback on this, similar
experiences, or useful tips ?

Thanks


Damien
Click to expand...


Please respond to the Newsgroup, so that others may benefit from the exchange.
Peter R. Fletcher
 
That's for sure. Fascinating to me how you can't just look up basic
syntax. Try looking up the IF statement.

MVPs and others frequently bemoan the fact that Access Help has been
getting steadily worse, in these and other ways, for some time (there
is discussion about when the rot started). It's no better (and
arguably worse) in Access 2003. Unfortunately, Google is often the
best approach to finding help on something that you know is there but
cannot find in Help.

I'm having some real problems with the Access 2002/XP Help
files.

eg

I wanted to write a custom OnNotInList event procedure, so
I click the [Event Procedure] and go into the code
window. I know OnNotInList uses some special constants to
handle the responses during the event, but I can't
remember them off the top of my head, so I try to look
them up in the help files.

Typing OnNotInList yields nothing, although OnClick,
OnClose even OnConnect are there. Typing 'NotInList',
leads to the NotInList event leads to a fairly unhelpful
page, with a shortcut to the 'OnNotInList' event page
apparently. Hang on, why wasn't that in the index? OK,
clicking the 'OnNotInList' link then leads to a general
purpose page about Event properties in general.

Where can I find the constants for the NotInList event in
Access 2002 ? Have they been removed, or what !? I mean
I could look this stuff up on the net, or in my VB6 Help
files, but why should I have to do that ?

eg
I'm writing some data-definition queries, and am adding
some unique constraints to a table. I want to remind
myself of the options in AccXP, as they have changed since
Acc97. So typing 'CONSTRAINT' into the index, yields a
few pages, but nothing relevant. By the way, what's
happened to the nice 'Match Case' option? The only really
relevant page found through either the index or the the
wizard leads you to a page called 'About SQL queries',
which is a dead-end, apart from a simple CREATE TABLE
example, but no syntax.

As it happens, I know the CONSTRAINT help page is in the
Microsoft Jet SQL Reference, so navigating down to it
manually, there it is. However there is no way to call
this page up using the Answer Wizard (sic) or the Index,
which seems rigged to show only a limited number of
words. Unbelievable !

Has Microsoft sabotaged Access help; it's become really
difficult to use, and really difficult to find anything
useful!

The Help files are like your safety net, your right-hand
guide, as you can't remember everything all of the time.
But since they've been sabotaged, I'm finding it more
difficult to develop than ever before. So much for going
forward !

Has anyone else got any feedback on this, similar
experiences, or useful tips ?

Thanks


Damien
Click to expand...



Please respond to the Newsgroup, so that others may benefit from the exchange.
Peter R. Fletcher
Click to expand...
 
Back
Top