Learning Access programming

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Guest

I'm a newbie to programming in Access. I would like to take some classes to
help me understand this better. I have signed up for a Programming in Access
class from New Horizons Learning Center.

Does anyone have any other suggestion, or the next step I should follow to
learn programming?

In the near future I would like to be able to Link Access records to Excel
spreadsheets. On a Field to Cell basis. I don't know whether this would be
through XML or not. I've just picked up bits and pieces of information.
Any training I can get to be able to do this would be very helpful too.

TIA
G. Wolfe
 
I'm a newbie to programming in Access. I would like to take some classes to
help me understand this better. I have signed up for a Programming in Access
class from New Horizons Learning Center.

Does anyone have any other suggestion, or the next step I should follow to
learn programming?

In the near future I would like to be able to Link Access records to Excel
spreadsheets. On a Field to Cell basis. I don't know whether this would be
through XML or not. I've just picked up bits and pieces of information.
Any training I can get to be able to do this would be very helpful too.
Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with New Horizons; but there are plenty of good books
on Access and on Access VBA programming. Anything by John Viescas, my
esteemed colleague, is worth picking up; it may be worth an hour to
find a good bookstore and browse several books to see which fit your
learning style and level of experience.

No programming and no XML needed to connect Excel spreadsheets though!
Open a database in Access, and select File... Get External Data...
Link; choose Excel (appropriate version) from Files of Type; and
choose the worksheet to which you wish to link.

John W. Vinson[MVP]
 
I'm a newbie to programming in Access. I would like to take some classes
to
help me understand this better. I have signed up for a Programming in
Access
class from New Horizons Learning Center.
Click to expand...


I'd be a little bit leary about taking a programming class at New Horizons.
It might be good and it might be a total waste of your time, depending on
who the instructor. I used to be an instructor and training manager for them
and, thus, have some inside knowledge on how they work. The Programming in
Access class is listed as a technical class in their catalog. This means
that they may use either an "in-house" instructor or they may hire a
consultant to come in and teach the class. If it is one of their "in-house"
instructors it may be someone who came up through the ranks as an
application instructor and who, therefore, may have little or no experience
as a programmer in the real world. You may want to call your account exec
and find out what you can about the instructor, although they are quite
notorious about giving you as little information ahead of time as possible.
 
Hi John,

Thanks for the name of your collague. I'll check that out.

As for excel, Hopefully this makes sense or maybe it just can't be done.
We have a bad habit around here re-typing about 5 or 6 different fields of
information on every form we use. Most of the forms are in excel. I would
like the user to request a specific record by part number (from Access) and
the other 5 fields come into the excel form into the corresponding cell. For
example; Part Number:B2, Part Name: B3, Mold Number: N3 and so on. Is
this possible??

Thanks!!
G. Wolfe
 
Thanks Lynn I'll check that out.

Do you recommend any other classes or have a suggestion of how to learn VB.
I looking for the basic fundamentals. I read the information the newsgroup
but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
 
As for excel, Hopefully this makes sense or maybe it just can't be done.
We have a bad habit around here re-typing about 5 or 6 different fields of
information on every form we use. Most of the forms are in excel. I would
like the user to request a specific record by part number (from Access) and
the other 5 fields come into the excel form into the corresponding cell. For
example; Part Number:B2, Part Name: B3, Mold Number: N3 and so on. Is
this possible??
Click to expand...

This is EXACTLY what relational databases like Access are designed to
do.

In a spreadsheet, it makes sense to repeat the part name, mold number
and so on on each form/datasheet.

In a relational database, that information would be stored ONCE, and
once only, in the Parts table. There is neither a need nor a benefit
to copying it onto any other table! Instead, you would *display* the
data (drawn from the parts table using a Query or a Combo Box using
the Part Number as a key) on a form or report.

It's a different way of thinking than that needed for spreadsheets,
and requires some "mental gearshifting" - but the concept that "we
shouldn't be reentering data" is right on the money.

If you're committed to working in Excel rather than moving this entire
application to Access, consider using VLookUp() to do something
similar in your Part Name and Mold Number cells. You'll want to go to
one of the Excel newsgroups for help doing so, I'm no sort of Excel
expert.

John W. Vinson[MVP]
 
Gene,

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but as Linda said, be leary. I took all
three levels of Access at New Horizons and majority of the questions I had
going in they couldn't answer. It will be okay for starters but as far as
programming in vba...don't set your sights too high in learning anything.
You will learn far more by sitting down with a good book than sitting for a
couple of days in class with them, and it will save you alot of money to boot.

Just my two cents worth,
lwells
 
That will depend entirely on the instructor -- especially for the
application level classes in Access. Where I worked, at New Horizons in
Dallas, we had some really good Access instructors who understood database
design principles fairly well. However, in many cases, you may end up with
an instructor who learns Access by taking the training manual that is given
to the class and going through it for a couple of days.

As I said, if the center you go to hires a consultant from outside to do the
programming class, then you may very well have a good experience.
 
I'm not currently familiar with any other classes on learning VBA. What is
your experience level with programming in general? If you have a programming
background and understand basic principles you can take a look at
http://www.developershandbook.com/. They used to list some classes that they
taught, but I don't see that there any more. The Access Developer's Handbook
is not for a beginner, though. You might find Access YourVersion Power
Programming, by F. Scott Barker, to be more accessible.
 
I don't have any experience in programming, I've used a few of the ideas
from the newsgroups. I kinda of understand what programs do, but my know
means be able to write my own.

Thanks for all the replys. I think I'll go to the bookstore and see what I
can find.

G. Wolfe
 
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