Why is there no HELP in Access?

[Guest]

I'm new and already paniced. Is there no Help file for Access? Why can't I just click Help like in all other Microsoft products? What am I missing?

I want to import a text file. I don't know how. I expect to click Help, type "Import" and get a quick "Click-This, Click-That and Click-the-other" window in a couple of seconds. Instead I get a long online search with complaints about my browser (Opera) ending up with references to 30 articles I might want to download and read.

I've been through all the options and I don't find anything that says "Make help work like it always does." Please tell me there's a way. Or at least a book I can buy.
I set Access to What'sgointype message dre no built in HELP in this product?

 

[S. Jackson]

Why are you importing a text file into Access?

I'm new and already paniced. Is there no Help file for Access? Why can't

I just click Help like in all other Microsoft products? What am I missing?

I want to import a text file. I don't know how. I expect to click Help,

type "Import" and get a quick "Click-This, Click-That and Click-the-other"
window in a couple of seconds. Instead I get a long online search with
complaints about my browser (Opera) ending up with references to 30 articles
I might want to download and read.

I've been through all the options and I don't find anything that says

"Make help work like it always does." Please tell me there's a way. Or at
least a book I can buy.

I set Access to What'sgointype message dre no built in HELP in this

product?

 

[John Vinson]

I'm new and already paniced. Is there no Help file for Access? Why can't I just click Help like in all other Microsoft products? What am I missing?

There is a big and complex help file. The content is actually pretty
good.

The Table of Contents is fairly decent, if you think like the
developers who put it together. Sometimes browsing down it will find
something useful.

The Index is DREADFUL. You've got to guess half a dozen keywords, and
even then you might not find the right article.

And the idiotic Help Assistant is a sour joke.

Yes, Microsoft has been hearing about this loud and clear, and will
again. They're supposedly getting it a bit fixed with 2003, but I
still keep Access97 on my machine, not just for clients but for a
usable Help. I feel your pain!

I want to import a text file. I don't know how. I expect to click Help, type "Import" and get a quick "Click-This, Click-That and Click-the-other" window in a couple of seconds. Instead I get a long online search with complaints about my browser (Opera) ending up with references to 30 articles I might want to download and read.

I've been through all the options and I don't find anything that says "Make help work like it always does." Please tell me there's a way. Or at least a book I can buy.

There are lots of books - nature abhors a vacuum, and authors have
rushed to fill the vacuity left where decent Help used to be. Check
out any good bookstore (Borders and Barnes and Noble in my area); find
a book that fits your learning style. Wish I had less expensive and
more helpful advice!

Alternatively (or in addition) this newsgroup has a lot of folks who
give good advice for free. If you post a clearly worded, limited
scope, specific question, you're pretty sure to get some good
suggestions.

 

[RSGinCA]

Try searching on: import text file

Offline help is available. I'm not an expert on it, but...

Sometimes, when searching, there are 2 boxes. You type your search criteria in
the bottom box... In the upper box, you can select "Offline help"

At other times, when you first press F1.. there is a section down bottom that
says "See also" and the bottom item is "Online content settings...". Click on
that and de-select the box: "Show content and links from Microsoft Office
Online". deselect that box.

Also... when you press F1, is you look very closely, you will see that there is
a choice for "Table of Contents". That will give you a lot of information.

But... the bottom line is that documentation that come with Aceess STINKS!!!!

Rick

 

[Chris2]

That would be:

File>Get External Data>Import . . . and you will be in the Import Dialog
Box. From there, go down to the "Files of type:" drop-down box, and select
"Text Files", and then navigate to and select a text file, and then click
the "Import" button. You'll then be taken to the Text Import Wizard, which
will help you get the data into Access.

I'm new and already paniced. Is there no Help file for Access? Why can't

I just click Help like in all other Microsoft products? What am I missing?

I want to import a text file. I don't know how. I expect to click Help,

type "Import" and get a quick "Click-This, Click-That and Click-the-other"
window in a couple of seconds. Instead I get a long online search with
complaints about my browser (Opera) ending up with references to 30 articles
I might want to download and read.

I've been through all the options and I don't find anything that says

"Make help work like it always does." Please tell me there's a way. Or at
least a book I can buy.

I set Access to What'sgointype message dre no built in HELP in this

product?

 

[Ken Snell]

Do you want to import manually or via macro / VBA code (programmatically)?

Manually:
File | Get External Data ... | Import
and select "text file" option.


Programmatically:
Macro: TransferText action
VBA: DoCmd.TransferText command
Both are discussed well in the Help files.

As John Vinson says, Help is full of info, if you can figure out how to
"locate" it. It's kinda like a dicitionary at times: if you mostly know how
to spell the word, you'll find it. In Help, if you kinda know the command
words, you can get help. But if you just know the topic, you're "panicked".

Do Help search on the TransferText action and you'll be in a good starting
point for finding out what you want to know.

--
Ken Snell
<MS ACCESS MVP>

I'm new and already paniced. Is there no Help file for Access? Why can't

I just click Help like in all other Microsoft products? What am I missing?

I want to import a text file. I don't know how. I expect to click Help,

type "Import" and get a quick "Click-This, Click-That and Click-the-other"
window in a couple of seconds. Instead I get a long online search with
complaints about my browser (Opera) ending up with references to 30 articles
I might want to download and read.

I've been through all the options and I don't find anything that says

"Make help work like it always does." Please tell me there's a way. Or at
least a book I can buy.

I set Access to What'sgointype message dre no built in HELP in this

product?

 

[Guest]

I don't know if this is the case.... but I was having the same issue.... "No help files".... I'm running XP. After digging around I found a property in Adminsitration Services where the "Help Files" were actually disabled. I enabled them and now it works in Access. Strange thing is... I had Help Files in other programs. I'm new to XP and not real familiar with all the functionality, so I don't know if this is what made it work... but you might try it.....

Anyone, who knows... please chime in......

akling