Quick Queries #42
By Richard Rost
6 months ago
Access: Right Tool for the Job? Does Not Work. More.
In this tutorial I will show you how I answer a variety of recent questions from viewers in Quick Queries 42. Topics covered include recommendations for cataloging and sharing family possessions using Access, Word, or Google Docs, how non-members can participate in my forums, thoughts on naming conventions in VBA, advice for troubleshooting why something "does not work," using barcode scanners in Access, setting line spacing in text boxes, a tip for finding RGB values in Access, opinions on software updates and Microsoft Access versions, and why making learning fun is important.
Prerequisites
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Keywords
TechHelp Access, Quick Queries, TechHelp attendance series, barcode scanner integration, leave of absence tracking, visitor forum access, Access naming conventions, line spacing in reports, double-spaced paragraphs, conditional formatting options, RGB color codes in forms, back color hex to RGB, flicker in Access forms, VBA naming standards, Pascal case vs camel case, snake case in field names, fun Access projects, consulting logical fallacies, Star Trek teaching examples, creating database with photos, exporting to Word, barcode printing, barcode scanning, forum membership rules, Access forum moderators, moderator help for non-members, business edition for Access, Office version Access availability
Transcript
Today is Quick Queries number 42. And what is a Quick Queries video? Well, I take all the questions and answers that I get that do not really need their own whole video, and I put them all together, and this is what we get: Quick Queries.
Now, I feel pretty bad that we did not do Quick Queries yesterday. Usually, I do them on Fridays. But on Thursday, I had something come up kind of last minute for Friday, and so Friday I did not have time to do it. So I did two of the regular videos, the attendance TechHelp videos, and I said we will try to do Quick Queries on Saturday. This is the first Saturday Quick Queries.
So, is it going to be any better than a regular Friday Quick? I do not know. You tell me when we are all done. Alright, here we go.
First up today, I got an email I received from someone named Larry. Larry says, my wife and I are almost 80. Before we leave this world, we would like to offer all of our possessions of value to our nieces and nephews at no charge. That is very, very kind of you, Larry. Can your instruction videos teach us how to create a database with pictures and descriptions, and how to share this information with our family so they can choose items that interest them?
Yes, absolutely. You could use Microsoft Access for something like this. You could seed it with photos, descriptions, what you expect the prices are. I have lessons and videos that walk you through setting up all the tables and forms and how to put in everything you need. Yes, you can do all of this. I have you covered.
But this then raises the question of, is this the right tool for the job? Now, Access can do all of this. I mean, Access is extremely versatile and can definitely handle all of this. But is it overkill putting all this in a database or not?
If you just simply want to put together a document that shows a picture of the item, a description of the item, what you think its value is, and then send that out to all of your family members so that they can pick and choose what they would like, I personally would just do this in Microsoft Word, to be honest. I do not really see the need for a database for this.
Unless you want to run queries and make sure that everybody does not pick too many items, or do things to balance it all out, then I can see using a database or even a spreadsheet. But if you literally just want to catalog all this stuff, Word is perfectly fine.
It all comes down to, do you really need a hammer when what you need is a screwdriver? Sometimes developers tend to always suggest solutions based on what they know. I see this with consultants all the time. I have dealt with companies that said, well, the last guy that was in here said we needed an Oracle server and this and that. And I am like, no, you do not need all that. They are just suggesting that because that is what they know.
Me personally, for something like this, I might build a database for this because that is what I do. But if I did not know Access, I would probably just do this in a Word document or even do it online using an online Word document or Google Docs, because then you can share the link with everybody and then they can write comments and notes in it like, oh, I would like this. I want that. No time. You cannot have that. You got this. That kind of stuff. They can chat about it online too.
So yes, bottom line to answer your question, yes, you can do this in Access. Access is not necessarily the best vehicle to share this information with, though. You can generate reports in Access and then send those out via email, maybe put them in a PDF. But there are lots and lots of different ways you can do this.
If you want more help, feel free to post this question in the forums on my website, and the moderators and I will do our best to try to point you in the right direction. Some of them might disagree with me, but that is what I think.
Next up, I got an email from Vikram, and this is not just him. I get this a lot. I see this a lot from people, especially on my YouTube forums. Why do you always say post questions in the forums on my website, but when I go to your Access forums, I cannot post unless I am a member? I cannot afford a membership right now. Is there a way to ask questions without joining?
Yes, certainly. I do my best to go through the comments on YouTube at least once a week when I am doing the Quick Queries. Sometimes I try to answer those here if I can, but I just get so many questions I do not have time to answer them all. So I always tell people to go post in the forums.
Now, there are a lot of different forums on my website. Usually, the Access forum is where most of the questions get asked, and we get a lot of them in here. When you come down here and start a new conversation, it says only students may post on this page. Right here, though, it says non-students may post in the visitor forum. So yes, these forums are generally only available for my members and my paying students, but you can still go to the visitor forum and post.
There are some rules you should read. It gives you an option to join if you want, but down here, click here to post in the visitor forum, and here you can post in it. Now, we are a little more careful scrutinizing the questions because I get a ton of spam. You would not believe how much spam we get, and I have bots that kill most of it, but here is where you can ask your question even if you are not a paid student.
You will see down here that the moderators and I do our best to help out even non-students. One of the reasons I do not just open up the forums to everybody is that I get a lot of spam and I kind of want this to be a discussion with people who are working with my videos and who are working with Access my way.
There are a lot of forums online that are just people from all different walks of life and different ideas and different ways of doing things. There is nothing wrong with that. But I like my forums to be for people who are working with my videos, my lessons, even my free TechHelp videos.
A lot of people on other forums always butt heads on different ways of doing things. There is usually nothing wrong with that, but even I sometimes, when I try to help out in forums, get cocky people who are like, well no, dude, you are supposed to do it this way. I have been doing this for 30 years. I know what I am doing. If you do not want to do it my way, that is fine, but do not look for my help if you do not want to take my help.
So, that is one of the reasons why the forums on my website are a little bit more closed off, because I want it to be people who are working with my materials, basically. It really does make for a better learning environment, in my opinion.
There are not a lot of egos on my website. My moderators and I do our best to help everybody. There are not a lot of people trying to act like they know everything. That is another thing I see on a lot of other forums: people just trying to act like they are the smartest. And you are not. Sorry.
I am not saying that I am, either. I am not saying that I know everything there is to know about Access. What I am saying is I have a specific certain way of teaching things, and if you want to learn from me, then this is the way we are going to do it. If not, that is fine. Go do it your way. Go learn from someone else. But do not come into my house and argue with me. Basically, that is what I am saying.
That is going to bring me to my next comment that I got on YouTube. A guy named Arthur said, no offense intended, but usually when people start with no offense intended or I do not mean any offense, something offensive is about to be said.
You naming conventions stink. When you get to VBA, people are going to go crazy. You are really developing at a privative level, whatever privative is, primitive maybe. Is that what you mean? I am doing this for 18 years, 18 whole years, huh? And naming conventions smooth out VBA coding, man. They smooth it out. I am amazed you have platinum men, members, what is a member?
I was going to just leave it with what I responded with there, but I felt the need to comment because this shows what is wrong with a lot of forums online and a lot of people who are keyboard warriors. Obviously, like I said, he starts off with no offense intended, which means that offense is absolutely going to be intended.
He says, my naming conventions stink and the people are going to go crazy when they get to VBA. Then the flex: I have been doing this for 18 years, which is cute. I have been doing this for 30 and teaching it for 20 some years to literally hundreds of thousands of users. But sure, you tell me how it is done with your 18 years of experience.
The way I teach my naming conventions is the way that I have always used them, and I have never had any problems. For me, clarity comes first. Names like first name, order total, customer ID, they are plain English. People know what they mean without needing a legend.
To me, beginner friendly wins. A lot of my students are brand new. They are using Access for the first time. They are programming VBA for the first time. If I start telling them that all their strings have to start with STR or their double values have to start with DBL, I am going to lose half the class before the class even starts.
Hungarian notation is fine if you want to use it, but it is obsolete. It made sense back in the 80s and 90s when your editor gave you no help, but today, Access shows variable types as you go. We have IntelliSense, and Access is pretty smart about automatically typecasting variables themselves.
I do use some structure where I think it is necessary: tables, N and T, forms, N and F, and so on. That is to help keep objects organized. I like to end my combo boxes in the name combo because you treat them differently in code than you would a simple text string, for example.
I have just enough of a consistent naming convention that does not turn everything into alphabet soup when you try to read it. You do not need a super rigid naming system if you are consistent. That is what actually keeps code readable and maintainable.
Plus, let us be honest, this is not NASA here. We are not building Fortune 500 giant database systems. Most Access apps are small business tools. They are not flight control systems. So let us not pretend we are compiling the Marslander code in VBA.
Gatekeeping like this helps no one. Comments like this do not help new developers. They just scare them off, and that is not what I am here to do. This is the problem you will find in most online forums nowadays. "I know better than you, what you have to say sucks, do it my way." You will never hear me say that. You will never hear me tell people they have to do things a certain way.
Your naming conventions stink. Who do you think you are? I have been helping people online for 20 plus years, and you will never hear me talk down to someone or say their code stinks or you do not know what you are doing.
I am amazed you have any followers. Well, you know what? I do, and I am very appreciative that I do.And I think that most people enjoy watching my videos and enjoy learning from me. I intend to keep on doing it regardless of what people like you have to say. So if you don't like my naming conventions, don't use them. And if you don't like my videos, don't watch them.
Like I said, you know what they say about opinions? Everyone has one and they all stink. The next time you're going to come at me, rolling in here looking all superior, check your spelling and grammar first.
All right, moving on. Next up today is another thing that I see a lot, and I feel the need to repeat this. If you're going to post a comment that says it doesn't work - it does work. Did you watch the video? It works in the video. I'm not playing tricks and not using special effects to make something work that doesn't work. I'm not using Photoshop to change the screens. So if it didn't work for you, then what did you do differently?
Did you start with a blank new database or at least my TechHelp blank database that I have, that I start most of my videos with? I know you're probably trying it in your database. How is your database different from mine? The best way you can learn this stuff, the things that I teach in my videos, is if you start from the same spot I start at, which is my TechHelp video or database, and follow every step.
Even if you're going to try to apply this to something you're doing that's different and I know you are. I mean, that's the whole point of learning this stuff, so you can apply it to your database. The best way to learn though is to do my example first, exactly what I show. That's why I tell people in my full course: don't try to apply what you're learning immediately to your database.
I know you're going to learn too and that's normal. That's fine. But do the example first. Follow along with me first, build it the way I build it, step by step. So you can see, okay, that's what it's supposed to do. Now you can take what you just learned and apply it to your database.
If it doesn't work in your database, that means something's different. Maybe your table is different, maybe your query structure is different, maybe something has changed between your database and mine. So you'll see that it works. You just have to figure out how to get it to work with your database.
Also, "does not work" tells me nothing that I need to help you. What did you do? What did you try? Are you getting an error message? "Does not work" is meaningless.
It works for me, so I can tell you. All right, if you want help, give me some details.
Next up, getting a bunch of comments on my attendance series that I just started on Thursday. John wants to see how to use a barcode reader to mark a present. I'm assuming you're putting barcode tattoos on the backs of all your students next, like in the series Dark Angel. Anybody remember that series from the 90s? Remember with Jessica? I thought it was pretty good.
Anyhow, that's probably beyond what I'm going to cover in this series, but I do have a whole seminar on barcoding. In fact, I've got this video, TechHelp video on printing barcodes. No, not on people's necks, although I guess you could if you had the right printer.
Here's a video on scanning barcodes once you have them printed. This is really just a matter of getting the right scanner. Just get one of those keyboard USB-type scanners. When you scan a barcode, it basically is like you're typing in the value into a text box. So you would just need to put the right box on a form, and then when you scan in that box, have it read, DLookup or whatever, what that customer's ID is or student's ID, and then just mark the box.
Also, one of my students on the website asked if I could show how to do a leave of absence, so if they're gone from January 1st to February 1st, they don't show up on their roster, that kind of thing. We're probably not going to get this complicated with this TechHelp series, but I might make either a more advanced template or a seminar based on the feedback. So if there's a feature that you want to see included in this, let me know. I'll add it to my list. And if enough people are interested, we'll keep going. We'll make it a little more complicated.
Shadow Dragon, I'm glad you picked up on my recycling. I'm Tashi. Yeah, that commander of sailor was pretty cool. They brought her back. I think the whole reason for the way they got around the show again was kind of cool. Like Tashi's alternate universe doppelganger ended up going back in time into the prime universe and then became her own thought. It was cool. I liked it. I was kind of sad when Tashi Yar left the show. The way they killed her off was really dumb, with that big black blob goo. That was just the most meaningless death. Well, next to Kirk's. I think Kirk's death was awful in Generations, but I can talk about Star Trek all day. But yeah, it's pretty cool.
If you want to chat Star Trek, come to my forums on my website and my Captain's Log. We talk about it all the time. For those of you who are unfamiliar, I do an almost daily blog entry here called the Captain's Log, and I talk about stuff that's not necessarily Access related. Right now, I'm doing a whole series on false dichotomy, or false dichotomy, on logical fallacies. You see these kinds of things not only in life, but you see them in business too, and in software development and consulting.
I'm trying to do my best also to help the button consultants out there, because I know a lot of you who are Access developers have to deal with consulting work and dealing with clients. I did for 20-some years. All these felt the sunk cost fallacy, the gambler's fallacy, extraordinary claims, special pleading. You see all of these types of logical fallacies in software development and clients you're building databases for. So I'm trying to teach consultants how to recognize them and how to deal with them.
Like the straw man argument, for example, and common logical fallacies. I teach you what it's about. In almost every one of these, I give a Star Trek example too. That's why you're like, how does this relate to Star Trek? I try to relate it, because believe it or not, a lot of these fallacies show up in Star Trek episodes. It's a great way to teach people these things. There's my picture of Data with a scarecrow - Data as a scarecrow.
Anyways, check out the Captain's Log. It's on my website. I'll put a link down below.
Next up, Robert asks: Is there a rich tag equivalent to line height? I'm trying to output double-spaced paragraphs, which include fields and calculated values. I've actually had this on my list to make a TechHelp video for this. There is a line spacing option available for text boxes. You can use it both in forms and in reports. Since you mentioned it, I'll give you the quickie.
If you go into any box, any text box here, whether it's in a form or a report, doesn't matter. Let me get rid of this stuff and this stuff. We'll make this bigger so we can see everything that's in there. Okay, if you take a peek, that's what it looks like without any line spacing. But if you go into its properties and find under Format, where are you, line spacing, there you are right there.
Now it's in inches. It's not like in Word, where you can specify like 1x, 2x, 3x, 1.5x. You can't do that here. All you can specify is an inch setting. So I would go like, and it depends on your font size, I'd go like 0.1 - one tenth of an inch. Then it'll look like that. That's about double-spaced, and that's about the best you can do in Access.
If you want more control than that, you can always send this to Word, and then you can space it however you want in Word, but you can do it in Access just fine. If you go much bigger than that, it just looks silly though. Let's go 0.2 - let's see. What do you got for me? Yeah, that's not too bad. You can see the extra space underneath each line. So yeah, there you go. I got a full video on this coming out a little bit later.
I guess, yes, people still do the first comment thing, even in German.
Next up, Angela says, I put in a suggestion to Microsoft. Do they ever use these suggestions or care? I do know that they care. I've met some of the guys from the Access team at the last MVP summit. They do care. They're really good guys. They really have their work cut out for them. It's a small, small team. The Access team is nowhere near the size of some of the other teams like the guys that work on Excel or Word. So they're doing the best they can with very limited resources. So yes, they care. Yes, they do get the suggestions. Even I send in suggestions sometimes that they don't answer me, so I don't know.
As far as more options for conditional formatting, I'm going to say hell yeah. They need more options for conditional formatting. Lots more options. These are the conditional formatting options in Excel. Look at all this, all this stuff. And this is what we get in Access. That's it. So yeah, they could use some love. It really could. I agree with you there. Borders, border colors - you could change some of that stuff with VBA code, but it only works in single forms. You can't do it in a continuous form.
I can't help you with this last thing, though. It says when we choose a custom color, let us come back to see the RGB code so we can replicate the color in other fields. You can do that now. It's a little bit of digging, though. So let's say I set my first name field to that custom color. First of all, don't use the theme colors. I hate the theme color. Use the standard colors. Then once you pick a standard color, you can format paint that onto another field. Just hit format painter and drop it there.
If you want to save what that is, you can go into, well, first of all, here's the back color. There's the hex code. You can convert hex to RGB. I've got a function on my website in the Code Vault that does that. You can get the RGB codes if you want to. Just go to Format, drop the color box down, go to More Colors. See, there it is right there. See, it's on the Custom tab. See, red, green, blue, and the hex code. You can get that information. You just have to dig a little bit for it.
I talk about this stuff in a lot more detail in my colors video.
Next up, talking about my On Paint video where I mentioned that there's flicker when you refresh from record to record or you refresh a screen with a lot of records. I don't think it's caused by slow computers. Obviously, the slower the computer is, the more that you're going to notice the flicker. But I've even got a fast, relatively new computer, and I even see flicker on this. So it's a combination of a lot of different things. This isn't really optimized for doing a lot of fast screen refreshes. So I think it's just the nature of how it is. But yeah, the answer to your question is yes. Slow computers, lots of data, you name it.
This comment hits the nail on the head. It says we always figure out ways to solve something and then comes an update which gets the job done in a couple of clicks. Yeah. I shared a story. That's just the nature of software.I remember years ago, before Access had conditional formatting, like 2000 or 2002, one of those versions. I figured out some really nifty, clever ways of doing some basic conditional formatting in a continuous form.
Of course, then, shortly thereafter, Microsoft adds conditional formatting to Access, so all of that code that I spent a whole weekend writing was completely moot. So yeah, that's just the nature of software.
Sometimes you hear that little boop in the background there. That's because I hit the wrong button. I've got voice recognition software that I use for writing, and then I've got my on/off button that I use for video recording. Sometimes I hit the wrong one. They are too close together on my stream deck. I need to move them. Sorry.
Last week, I talked about what different versions of Office give you access. Michael hit the nail on the head for me. An account that doesn't give me Access with it is not worth it. Damn right, you are correct. If you don't have Access, I don't want it.
To my knowledge, the Microsoft 365 Family account didn't give Access. But that's the problem. Microsoft changes this stuff all the time. They are constantly renaming things and changing what's included and what versions. I have a hard time keeping up myself. My general rule of thumb is if you want Access, get the business version. If you can find it in another one, maybe it's a promo or something, that's news to me.
I have the business edition or something. It's like eight bucks a month. Well worth it.
Next up, I just wanted to share what Randy commented on my Access Beginner 1. He said the advice of making a database for fun is spot on. The first for-fun one I did was way back when I was playing EverQuest. I remember EverQuest. I kept track of what the mobs dropped or what mobs would spawn, what recipes those drops were used for, etc.
I mentioned this in this video because this is so important when learning something new. Try to make it fun.
If you have to learn Access for work, I get it. But try to do something that you find fun. I did this stuff when I was a kid, learning how to program and write games, and then even later when I started getting into databases. I tried to do something that made it personal, made it so that I would enjoy doing it. That helps you learn it better. It really does.
Don't just think of this as work. Don't just do my examples - do my examples, of course. But then, after you do my example, do something fun in your own database and apply it to something that you like doing. Then do work with it once you have it down. It becomes less tedious if it is fun.
First, thanks for sharing your story, Randy. Is it the Randy Gerr? The Randy's up again.
I'm happy to see that you use camel case renaming for fields. I worked with guys who insisted on using all lowercase letters for names and variables. Yeah, I used this program in C a lot, and in C, you'd use all lowercase. I think they saved constants for capitals, but your variables were all in lowercase, so were your procedure names, your functions, and stuff. That was difficult to read.
Now, before all the purists out there start sending comments and complaining, yes, I know what I do in Visual Basic isn't technically camel case. Camel case means you leave the first character lowercase and then capitalize the next word. It looks like a camel's hump in the middle. I get it.
So "firstName" - technically, what I do is called Pascal case because you used to use this in Pascal. I learned Pascal in high school, and so this is what I use. I call it camel case because I think the camel's head is up where its hump is, so I think this should be called camel case. Maybe this should be called resting camel, I don't know.
And then what you do in C is this: it's called snake case. I don't know why they call it snake case. You'll see this in JavaScript.
This is my preferred method right here, Pascal case, which I call camel case. If you don't like it and you don't like my naming conventions and you don't like my videos, don't watch them. I'm going to go home and cry now.
I like to think of it this way: camel case is a subset of Pascal case, with the first letter not capitalized. Draw a Venn diagram of it, you'll see. You can do it both ways too.
All right, folks, that's going to do it for today. There's your Saturday edition, Quick Queries 42, in the bag. Hope you learned something. Live long and prosper, my friends. I'll see you next time.
TOPICS:
When to use Access versus Word or Google Docs for item catalogs
How to share item information with family using online documents
Using Access reports to generate PDFs for sharing
Access forum posting rules for non-members and visitors
Why Access forums are restricted to students and members
Access naming conventions explained for beginners
Pros and cons of Hungarian notation and strict naming systems
How to follow along with video tutorials using provided sample databases
Troubleshooting: Why examples may not work in your own database
How to effectively ask for help when something does not work
Barcode scanning with Access forms for marking attendance
How USB barcode scanners interface with Access
Options for managing leaves of absence in Access attendance systems
Changing line spacing in Access text boxes
Finding and copying RGB or hex color codes from Access fields
Using Format Painter to apply colors between Access controls
Comparing conditional formatting features in Access versus Excel
Understanding flicker in Access forms during refresh
Access version availability with different Office 365 subscriptions
Encouragement to build fun projects in Access for learning
Comparing naming styles: Pascal case, camel case, snake case in Access
COMMERCIAL:
In today's video, we're talking Quick Queries 42, answering your questions on Microsoft Access and related topics. We'll discuss whether Access is the right tool to catalog and share family valuables, how and where to post questions if you're not a paying member, and my thoughts on naming conventions in Access and VBA. You'll learn about setting line spacing in text boxes, ways to share custom colors, and why Access forums are structured the way they are. We'll also touch on using barcode readers, handling leave of absences in attendance databases, tips for learning Access efficiently, and the importance of having fun with your database projects. You'll find the complete video on my YouTube channel and on my website at the link shown. Live long and prosper my friends.
Quiz
Q1. What is the main purpose of the Quick Queries video series?
A. To give detailed, step-by-step tutorials on a single subject
B. To answer a collection of miscellaneous viewer questions that do not each require their own video
C. To provide live database troubleshooting
D. To introduce new features in Microsoft Access
Q2. When considering how to inventory possessions for family members to choose from, which tool does the video suggest is simplest for most people?
A. Microsoft Access
B. Oracle Server
C. Microsoft Word
D. SQL Server
Q3. According to the video, when should you consider using a database like Access instead of Word or Google Docs for cataloging items?
A. When you want to run selection balancing and tracking queries
B. When you only need to create a document with images and descriptions
C. When you plan to print paper copies only
D. When you do not need to share the list electronically
Q4. Why does the presenter discourage relying solely on what consultants always recommend for IT solutions?
A. Consultants are always wrong
B. Consultants offer advice only for large companies
C. Consultants often suggest tools they are familiar with, which may not be necessary
D. Consultants do not understand Microsoft products
Q5. What is the reasoning behind having restricted posting ability in the Access forums on the presenter's website?
A. To avoid all external users from joining the community
B. To limit spam and foster a learning community focused on his materials and teaching methods
C. To ensure only expert Access developers can contribute
D. Because the website cannot handle many users
Q6. What option exists for non-paying students who wish to post questions on the presenter's website forums?
A. There are no options
B. They must email questions directly
C. They can use the visitor forum, which is open to non-members
D. They can post in the Access forum without restriction
Q7. Why does the presenter prefer plain English naming conventions (like FirstName or CustomerID) in Access?
A. It makes code unreadable for beginners
B. It is required by Microsoft
C. It is more beginner-friendly and clear
D. It allows automatic linking of tables
Q8. What is implied as a problem with enforcing strict naming conventions (like Hungarian notation) for beginners?
A. It helps learners organize their ideas better
B. It causes confusion and discouragement for new users
C. It improves code clarity for everyone
D. It is recommended by all modern editors
Q9. What advice does the presenter repeatedly give when learning from his video examples?
A. Try to customize the examples right away
B. Use your own database from the start
C. Always follow his examples step-by-step first before applying them to your own scenario
D. Skip the examples and read the documentation
Q10. When a viewer comments that something "does not work," what does the presenter say is needed for effective troubleshooting?
A. A screenshot of the error
B. Step-by-step information about what was tried, including error messages
C. An angry email
D. Nothing, because issues cannot be helped
Q11. What is mentioned as the method for using a barcode reader with an Access database?
A. Using specialized barcode database software only
B. Employing a keyboard-style USB scanner to input the barcode data into a text box
C. Scanning images into attached fields
D. It is not possible to use barcodes with Access
Q12. In response to feature requests for Access, such as improved conditional formatting, what reason is given for the slow pace of changes?
A. Access is obsolete and unsupported
B. The Access development team is much smaller than for other Office programs
C. Microsoft does not take suggestions from users
D. Access cannot implement new features
Q13. How can you access or replicate the RGB color code for a custom color in Access?
A. You cannot find the RGB code at all
B. The RGB code is displayed under the "More Colors" custom tab in properties
C. It is only available in Excel, not Access
D. Standard colors do not allow for RGB extraction
Q14. What is a common cause for screen flicker in Access when records are refreshed, according to the video?
A. Only old computers
B. Database size only
C. A combination of computer performance, the amount of data, and how Access refreshes the screen
D. A faulty network connection
Q15. What lesson about software development does the presenter share regarding creating custom solutions just before official features are released?
A. Custom solutions are always better than built-in features
B. Microsoft rarely adds new functionality
C. Your hard work on custom features can be made obsolete by future software updates
D. Microsoft copies ideas from developers
Q16. What general advice is given to maximize your learning when taking on new software like Access?
A. Only use the software at work, never for fun
B. Focus solely on business applications
C. Make your learning fun by applying examples to topics or hobbies you enjoy
D. Do not try to customize the examples
Q17. What naming convention does the presenter admit to using, and what does he call it?
A. Snake case, and he calls it Pascal case
B. All lowercase, and he calls it camel case
C. Pascal case (with initial capitals), though he often refers to it as camel case
D. Hungarian notation, and he calls it camel case
Q18. Why does the presenter believe his forum offers a better environment than many other online developer forums?
A. It is focused on aggressive debates about best practices
B. It is open to everyone and encourages all kinds of participation
C. It minimizes ego and focuses on learning his specific teaching approach
D. It only allows Microsoft MVPs
Answers: 1-B; 2-C; 3-A; 4-C; 5-B; 6-C; 7-C; 8-B; 9-C; 10-B; 11-B; 12-B; 13-B; 14-C; 15-C; 16-C; 17-C; 18-C
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
In today's Quick Queries video from Access Learning Zone, I am tackling a variety of your Microsoft Access and tech-related questions that do not require a full-length lesson, but still deserve thoughtful answers. Normally, these Quick Queries come out on Fridays, but due to a scheduling conflict, this one arrived on a Saturday. You can let me know if the change improves anything!
Starting off, I received an interesting question from Larry, who, along with his wife, wants to put together a database of possessions to share with family so their nieces and nephews can pick items of interest. This is a wonderful intention. Technically, you can create such a system in Microsoft Access. Access is very powerful and allows you to work with photos, descriptions, estimated values, and more. Through my tutorials, I provide step-by-step instructions for setting up tables, forms, and everything else you would need. However, it prompts an important question: is Access the ideal tool for this purpose?
Access is certainly capable, but if your goal is simply to share images and descriptions for family members to review, a database system may be more than you need. Microsoft Word or even an online document (like Google Docs) can do this easily. You can insert pictures and descriptions and then share the file or link with everyone. Family members could add their comments or express interest in specific items directly in the document. Unless you require more advanced features like tracking selections, running queries, or balancing choices among relatives, a database or spreadsheet might be unnecessary. Sometimes, a simple solution is best. This is something I see often: people recommend complex tools just because they are comfortable with them, not always because it's the right fit for the problem. If you want to ask more detailed questions or want community input, you can always post on the forums on my website, where the moderators and I (and sometimes, the other members) will help out.
Next, Vikram's question touches on access to the website forums. Many people wonder why I recommend asking questions there, but only students and members can post. If you are not a member, you can still use the visitor forum. There are specific areas for visitors to post questions—just read the rules and submit your query there. Due to the vast amount of spam that forums receive, I cannot leave regular Access forums completely open, but the visitor area is fair game, and both moderators and I often help there too, even for non-students. The intent is to cultivate a space focused on my videos and teaching methods, avoiding the chaos and conflicting advice that sometimes occurs on big public forums. I want my forums to be a focused learning environment, free from egos and unnecessary arguments.
That leads into another issue I regularly encounter with comments online. Arthur, for instance, wrote that my naming conventions for fields and controls "stink" and are too primitive for VBA. With all due respect to his 18 years of experience, I have been at this for over thirty years and teaching it for more than two decades. My approach is focused on clarity and beginner accessibility. My naming conventions are plain English so that students do not have to constantly look up what "STR" or "DBL" means. Hungarian notation had its place in the past, but modern development environments make it largely redundant. Consistency, not rigid abbreviation schemes, is what matters for readability and maintainability. Remember, these are not mission-critical NASA databases. These are small business tools or personal projects, so ease of use and learning comes first. I am always open to questions and discussion, but not to gatekeeping or discouraging newcomers.
Another frequent bit of feedback centers on the dreaded comment: "It does not work." Simply saying something did not work does not help anyone solve a problem. The code I show in my videos works in the example databases, and I do not use tricks or editing to misrepresent results. If you follow along using my sample databases and instructions step by step, you should see the same outcomes. If you try to apply the lesson to your own database and it does not work, something may be different in your tables, structures, or settings. Give as much information as you can if you need help—just saying "it does not work" is not enough for me or anyone else to assist you.
Several people have sent in feedback about my new series on attendance tracking. One question was about using barcode readers to mark attendance. You do not need anything exotic for this—just a keyboard USB barcode scanner. When you scan a barcode, it acts just like typing into a text box. You would set up a field to accept the scanned value and then use a lookup function to pull up the associated record. I also have a separate seminar on barcode integration, so you can always look for more detailed resources on that topic.
Another question revolved around handling leaves of absence, such as making sure students do not show up on the roster during certain dates. That is a more advanced topic, but if interest is high, I may turn it into a future template or seminar. If there is a feature you want to see added, let me know. I am always open to expanding on topics that are important to students.
On a lighter note, some of you noticed my fondness for Star Trek references in examples. If you want to participate in conversations about Star Trek, business, or logical fallacies in consulting, come visit my Captain's Log blog on my website. I try to tie together software development and logic with pop culture in a fun and educational way.
Robert asked about setting line height (or line spacing) in Access text boxes to mimic double-spacing as in Word. You can set line spacing for text boxes through the properties panel by specifying the space in inches. It is not as granular as Word, where you can set 1.5x or 2x spacing, but you can adjust it by tenths of an inch to get a similar effect. If you need more precise control, exporting your data to Word would give you more options, but Access does support a functional level of line spacing for most forms and reports.
Angela wanted to know about submitting suggestions and feature requests to Microsoft. I have met members of the Access team, and I can confirm that they do care, but they are a much smaller group compared to teams behind Word and Excel, so resources are limited. Your feedback does get collected, and they do add features over time, but improvements may come slowly. For example, many people would like to see better conditional formatting options like those available in Excel. I wholeheartedly agree that Access could use more robust formatting capabilities. As for custom colors, you can retrieve the RGB or hex code for any color you set in Access by drilling down into the color properties, and you can even use format painter to apply them elsewhere.
I have discussed in previous videos the issue of on-screen flicker during certain events, such as moving between records. While faster computers can help lessen the impact, this is generally the result of how Access refreshes screens and records, not just hardware speed.
Sometimes, software updates can change everything. I shared a story about building a workaround for conditional formatting in earlier versions of Access, only to have Microsoft later add that feature natively, rendering my weekend of coding unnecessary. This is the unpredictable nature of software development.
Concerning which Office versions include Access, there has been confusion lately because Microsoft frequently changes what is packaged in each subscription. Generally, if you want to ensure Access is included, opt for the business edition of Microsoft 365. Other editions change often and may not include Access.
Randy wrote in to share that his first playful Access database experience was tracking items in the game EverQuest, and I think that is a great way to learn. My advice is always to do the examples I provide first, but afterwards, try applying those skills to something personal and fun. If you make learning enjoyable, the knowledge will stick with you.
Finally, regarding naming conventions, I use what is technically called Pascal case (capitalizing the first letter of each word), though I jokingly refer to it as camel case. The actual terminology varies between programming languages, with some using snake case or camel case, but the most important thing is consistency and readability.
That wraps up this edition of Quick Queries. I hope you found some useful answers and advice here. 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
When to use Access versus Word or Google Docs for item catalogs
How to share item information with family using online documents
Using Access reports to generate PDFs for sharing
Access forum posting rules for non-members and visitors
Why Access forums are restricted to students and members
Access naming conventions explained for beginners
Pros and cons of Hungarian notation and strict naming systems
How to follow along with video tutorials using provided sample databases
Troubleshooting: Why examples may not work in your own database
How to effectively ask for help when something does not work
Barcode scanning with Access forms for marking attendance
How USB barcode scanners interface with Access
Options for managing leaves of absence in Access attendance systems
Changing line spacing in Access text boxes
Finding and copying RGB or hex color codes from Access fields
Using Format Painter to apply colors between Access controls
Comparing conditional formatting features in Access versus Excel
Understanding flicker in Access forms during refresh
Access version availability with different Office 365 subscriptions
Encouragement to build fun projects in Access for learning
Comparing naming styles: Pascal case, camel case, snake case in Access
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