Welcome

Access Developer 57: Office Theme, VBE, Subforms

S M L XL FS | Slo Reg Fast 2x | Bookmark

Welcome to Microsoft Access Developer Level 57. We will continue developing the Dark Mode system, turning it into a fully integrated solution. I will show you how to control the Microsoft Office theme, interact with Windows settings, manage the VBA editor, adjust desktop colors, and launch Access from command line shortcuts. Along the way, we will discuss handling multi-monitor taskbars, subform management, automatic restarts, and refactoring code into reusable procedures. By the end, you will have a polished Dark Mode system to easily switch your entire development environment between day and night modes.

Navigation

Prev: D57
Next: Lesson 1

Keywords

Access Developer, Dirk Mode, control Office themes, Windows settings, VBA editor color scheme, command line shortcut, registry, roaming profile, auto restart, multi monitor taskbar, reusable procedures, subforms, desktop background color, settings table,

Subscribe to Welcome
Get notifications when this page is updated

Intro

Transcript

Welcome to Microsoft Access Developer Level 57, brought to you by AccessLearningZone.com. I am your instructor, Richard Rost.

In Developer 57, we are continuing with the Dirk Mode system and taking it from a neat trick to a polished, fully integrated solution. We will teach Access how to control Microsoft Office themes, Windows settings, the VBA editor, desktop colors, and even launch itself from the command line shortcut.

Along the way, we will deal with some real-world quirks, like multi-monitor taskbars, subforms, and automatic restarts. We will also refactor the code into reusable procedures so it is easier to maintain and use in your own databases. By the end of this course, you will have a professional Dirk Mode system that allows you to switch your entire development environment between day and night with a single click. Well, a double click.

This class follows Access Developer 55 and 56, where we started building the Dirk Mode system. Make sure you watch those first. I recommend all of my previous classes before that as well. You will need a very strong foundation in Access VBA to understand what we are doing today. If you have not watched 55 and 56, definitely go watch those first.

As I always say, my lessons are designed to be followed one after the other, so do not skip levels. It is still 2026, so we are using Access 365, which is roughly the Access 2024 version. If you have questions, post them down below.

Let's take a closer look at what is covered in today's class.

In lesson one, we will take control of the Microsoft Office theme itself. We will write to the registry and the Office roaming profile settings so Access can switch Word, Excel, and the rest of Office between colorful and black mode, which is my preferred setting. This way, your Microsoft Office theme matches your database and Windows.

Then we will broadcast the settings change to all the open windows and automatically restart Access so that changes take effect cleanly.

In lesson two, Dirk Mode Part 8 will bring the VBA editor into the system. You will learn how to save and restore your favorite editor color schemes, apply them automatically, and store everything in a reusable settings table. We will also fix multi-monitor taskbar refresh issues so all of your screens stay in sync.

In lesson three, we will cover everything but the kitchen sink as we tie the whole system together. We will handle subforms, add an Access-only mode, set your desktop background color, and build command line shortcuts that can switch your entire environment without even opening the database. Well, it opens the database, but it opens it, does what it needs to do, and then closes it.

Then we will clean up the code and the reusable procedures you can drop into any of your own projects. I use this myself every day, twice a day, so this is some pretty cool stuff in this lesson.

So that is what we are going to cover in Developer 57. Sit back, relax, grab your coffee, get ready for lesson one, and remember to watch once through, then watch a second time and do it with me.

Here we go.

Quiz

Q1. What is the primary goal of Dirk Mode in Access Developer 57?
A. To create new database tables
B. To switch the entire development environment between day and night themes
C. To optimize database indexing
D. To build data entry forms

Q2. Which of the following is a requirement before taking Access Developer 57?
A. Watching Access Developer 55 and 56
B. Installing SQL Server
C. Learning C#
D. Having a touch-screen monitor

Q3. What will you learn to control in lesson one of Developer 57?
A. SQL Server settings
B. Microsoft Office theme via registry and roaming profile
C. Microsoft Teams integration
D. Only Access form colors

Q4. Why does the course broadcast the settings change to all open windows?
A. To refresh Windows Explorer
B. So changes take effect cleanly across all Office applications
C. Only to save time in coding
D. To back up registry files

Q5. What new aspect is integrated with Dirk Mode in lesson two?
A. Query optimization
B. VBA editor color schemes
C. Table relationship diagrams
D. Attachment fields

Q6. What real-world issue is addressed in lesson two regarding multiple monitors?
A. Audio sync problems
B. Multi-monitor taskbar refresh issues
C. Printer connection failures
D. Network drive mapping

Q7. What is a feature mentioned for lesson three?
A. HTML report exporting
B. Access-only mode and setting the desktop background color
C. SharePoint integration
D. REST API integration

Q8. Why are reusable procedures emphasized in this course?
A. To save disk space
B. So the Dirk Mode code can be easily dropped into your own projects
C. For backward compatibility with Access 2010
D. To reduce macro usage

Q9. What is the recommended way to use this course for best learning?
A. Read the transcript only
B. Watch once through, then a second time while following along
C. Skip directly to the last lesson
D. Only review the sample database file

Answers: 1-B; 2-A; 3-B; 4-B; 5-B; 6-B; 7-B; 8-B; 9-B

DISCLAIMER: Quiz questions are AI generated. If you find any that are wrong, don't make sense, or aren't related to the video topic at hand, then please post a comment and let me know. Thanks.

Summary

Today's video from Access Learning Zone focuses on Microsoft Access Developer Level 57, where we continue advancing the Dirk Mode system and take it from an interesting feature to a fully refined, integrated solution. In this lesson, I will show you how to teach Access to control Microsoft Office themes, manage Windows settings, configure the VBA editor, adjust desktop colors, and even launch itself from a command line shortcut for optimal flexibility.

Throughout this course, we tackle real-world challenges, including multi-monitor taskbars, working with subforms, and implementing automatic restarts. The code will be refactored into modular, reusable procedures, making it much easier to maintain and integrate this functionality into your own databases. By the end, you will have a professional Dirk Mode system in place, allowing you to switch your entire development environment between day and night modes with a simple double-click.

This course picks up right after Access Developer 55 and 56, where we first started building the Dirk Mode system. It is important that you have completed those classes before moving into this one, as well as the preceding courses. You'll need a solid grounding in Access VBA to build and understand everything we cover today.

In the first lesson, I will demonstrate how to gain control over the Microsoft Office theme itself. You will learn to write the appropriate settings to the registry and to the Office roaming profile so Access can toggle Word, Excel, and the rest of the Office suite between colorful and black mode. This allows the Microsoft Office theme to match your database and the Windows settings seamlessly.

We will also ensure that all open windows register the settings change, and you will learn how to automatically restart Access so the new settings apply properly.

The second lesson, Dirk Mode Part 8, integrates the VBA editor into the system. Here, you will discover how to save and restore your favorite editor color schemes, automatically apply them, and store these values in a reusable settings table. We will also address multi-monitor taskbar refresh problems to keep your screens synchronized.

Lesson three will tie the entire system together, addressing any remaining challenges. We will work with subforms, implement an Access-only mode, set your desktop background color, and create command line shortcuts capable of switching your entire environment even if the database itself does not remain open. The database runs, performs its tasks, and closes automatically.

Finally, I will show you how to polish your code and create reusable procedures that can be easily integrated into any project. I use this system every day myself, so I know how useful and effective it is.

That covers what you can expect in Developer 57. Settle in, relax, and get ready for lesson one. Remember, it is a good idea to watch the class through once, then watch again and follow along step by step.

You can find a complete video tutorial with step-by-step instructions on everything discussed here on my website at the link below. Live long and prosper, my friends.

Topic List

Controlling Microsoft Office theme via registry
Changing Office roaming profile settings
Synchronizing Office theme with database and Windows
Broadcasting settings change to open windows
Automatically restarting Access after theme updates
Integrating VBA editor color schemes with Dirk Mode
Saving and restoring VBA editor color settings
Applying editor color schemes automatically
Storing settings in a reusable settings table
Fixing multi-monitor taskbar refresh issues
Handling subforms in Dirk Mode system
Implementing Access-only Dirk Mode option
Setting desktop background color programmatically
Building command line shortcuts for environment switching
Cleaning up and refactoring reusable procedures

Article

In this tutorial, we are going to build a professional Dirk Mode system in Microsoft Access. The goal is to allow you to switch your entire development environment, including Access, all Office applications, the VBA editor, your Windows settings, and even your desktop colors, between day and night modes quickly and easily. You will learn how to integrate this system so thoroughly that with a simple launch or shortcut, your workspace will instantly match your preference for a dark or light interface.

We will begin by teaching Access how to control the Microsoft Office theme directly. This involves writing to both the Windows registry and the Office roaming profile settings. By doing so, you can switch Word, Excel, Outlook, and other Office applications between their various theme modes such as "Colorful" and "Black." For example, to set the Office theme for all applications to "Black" mode, we write specific values to the registry and to the roaming settings profile. Access will handle flipping these settings so that your Office theme matches your database interface as well as your Windows theme. After changing these values, you will need to broadcast a settings change to all open program windows and then automatically restart Access to make sure the new theme is applied cleanly. This restart process ensures that no loose ends remain and that the environment is in sync.

Once we have Office themes synchronized, we continue by integrating Dirk Mode with the VBA editor. You will learn to save and restore your favorite color schemes for the editor automatically. Through VBA, you can export your editor color preferences and reapply them as needed, so your code window always looks exactly how you want for each mode. All these preferences and custom settings can be stored in a reusable settings table inside your database for easy management and portability. We will also address some real-world quirks such as refreshing the taskbar across multiple monitors. This is important to keep the color and theme changes consistent on every screen if you use a multi-monitor setup.

The next step is to tie all of these improvements together for a seamless experience. We will cover special scenarios that commonly come up in real Access projects, such as making sure subforms update their appearance with the parent form, adding an Access-only mode in case you want to limit the changes just to Access without affecting Office globally, and setting your desktop background color through code for total environment control. You will even learn how to launch Access from command line shortcuts that activate your entire Dirk Mode system before quickly closing, so you get an automated theme change without opening or interacting with the full database interface. While the database will technically open to apply the changes, it does so invisibly and closes itself as soon as it is finished.

As you go through this process, you will also learn how to refactor your VBA code into clear, modular, and reusable procedures. This cleanup step makes it easy to maintain the Dirk Mode system in your projects, and you can simply drop the routines into new databases as needed. All the routines and settings tables are designed to be generic, so adapting the system to other databases is straightforward. I personally use this Dirk Mode system twice a day, every day, to switch back and forth, and it has made my workflow much more pleasant and healthy.

Here is a sample of how you might set the Office theme to "Dark" via VBA by editing the registry. You would use code like the following in a standard module:

' Example VBA: Changing Office Theme (Black/Colorful) via registry
Const HKEY_CURRENT_USER = &H80000001
Dim strKeyPath As String
Dim strValueName As String
Dim lngResult As Long

strKeyPath = "Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Theme"
strValueName = "UI Theme"
' 4 = Black, 3 = Dark Gray, 2 = Colorful, 1 = White
lngResult = SaveSettingValue(HKEY_CURRENT_USER, strKeyPath, strValueName, 4)

' SaveSettingValue would be a wrapper you write using Windows API or a library like VBA.Registry

After applying this, you broadcast a system setting change to notify applications, and then restart Access. For saving VBA editor color schemes, you can export your current settings by reading registry values pointing to the editor colors and save them into your Access table. Restoring them later is just a matter of writing the saved values back to the registry.

When handling multi-monitor environments and subforms, you will revise your code to iterate through all open Access windows, forms, and subforms to update their colors and redraw them as necessary. A quick call to the Windows API can refresh the taskbar color across all monitors, ensuring your entire development environment stays synchronized.

Finally, by creating a command line shortcut with additional parameters, you can script Access to start, apply the Dirk Mode procedure, and exit automatically. This makes it possible to change your entire workspace's look with a single double-click from the Desktop, without interacting with the database UI directly.

With all of these tools and routines implemented, you will have a polished, professional Dirk Mode system you can use in your projects or adapt to other Access applications. The system is robust, modular, and keeps your workflow comfortable and visually pleasing at all times.