Addendum

Addendum: Moving Forward w Developer Lessons

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Notes about moving forward with developer lessons and share my renewed focus on providing more advanced content for developer students. We will discuss the shift from making everything perfect to putting out useful, higher-end programming techniques, database refinements, and tips that you can apply in your own projects. I explain how content will be partitioned between developer and other student levels going forward, preview upcoming programming exercises like leftmost and rightmost functions, and invite your feedback on developer topics you would like to see covered next.

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Keywords

Access Developer, developer tips, advanced database techniques, programming exercises, leftmost function, rightmost function, workflow refinements, interface tricks, class modules, database design ideas, code polishing, utility functions, smart interface

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Intro

In this lesson, I talk about moving forward with developer lessons and share my renewed focus on providing more advanced content for developer students. We will discuss the shift from making everything perfect to putting out useful, higher-end programming techniques, database refinements, and tips that you can apply in your own projects. I explain how content will be partitioned between developer and other student levels going forward, preview upcoming programming exercises like leftmost and rightmost functions, and invite your feedback on developer topics you would like to see covered next.

Transcript

Hey folks, just wanted to take a few minutes to talk directly to you, my developer students.

As you have probably seen lately, I have been spending most of my time working on the TechHelp video series and the database library that goes with it. That is where most of my focus has been because it brings in new students and helps grow the community.

But lately, I have realized I need to be more balanced. The developer students are the ones who have been supporting me the longest, and I want to make sure that I am putting more energy into creating new content for you guys too.

Moving forward, I am going to start putting out more developer lessons again. They will focus on higher-end development techniques and polishing your databases. For example, a lot of what I have been putting into that fitness database series lately has been those little finishing touches, smart interface tricks, workflow refinements, and bits of code that make your project shine.

I have been building that as a database for myself, so I am putting in all those high-end tricks and tips and stuff that I want. But I am also kind of giving away the farm too. So I am going to be doing less of that as free content and putting more of that stuff, the high-end material, here in the developer courses where it really belongs.

I have actually fallen into the same trap that I did years ago when I first started making the original beginner series. I keep trying to make every developer lesson absolutely perfect before I release it. But I have got a ton of notes and ideas like the class module lessons that I have just been sitting on because I keep thinking to myself, well, I really need a full day or two just to script this out and polish it and get it perfect. But instead, I just need to sit down, hit record, and have fun with it.

So that is what I am going to be doing from now on. That is what I think actually makes the TechHelp video so fun; we are just having a good time with it instead of trying to make every lesson perfect.

I have got a huge file full of programming tips, tricks, utilities, and design ideas, and they are too advanced or time-consuming for general TechHelp videos. I think these are the kinds of lessons that you will benefit from as a developer student. You might not use every single one, but I promise there will always be something valuable in each release that you can drop right into your own databases.

So that is the plan now and heading into 2026. I am going to keep building the TechHelp library to bring in new students, but I am going to keep those videos simpler. Honestly, I am going to be trying to hit keywords that people search for like on Google and YouTube because that is what brings in the eyeballs. But I am also going to spend a lot more time creating fresh developer content for you guys too. I have got tons of ideas, and it is time to start getting them out there.

In fact, we are going to kick things off with a couple of simple but useful programming exercises. Some functions that I use all the time in my own databases called leftmost and rightmost. They are quick, practical, and the kind of stuff that will get your brain working again and make your code cleaner and make you a better coder.

And as always, I would love to hear your thoughts. So post your comments down below. Let me know what developer topics you would like to see me tackle next. Thanks for sticking with me, and I am excited to start putting out more advanced content for you very soon.

I always say the squeaky wheel gets the grease. So whatever feedback you guys give me is what I tend to gravitate towards.

And I am going to start partitioning off where videos go. For example, if I get a question that is from a developer student, I am going to put the answer as a video in the developer series versus if I get something from a gold member who is only a TechHelp student, maybe I will make that into an extended cut. So we are going to start putting stuff where it belongs.

And do not worry. More is coming with the class module stuff too. I have got tons of notes on that ready to go. I just think it is time to start moving forward with developer lessons instead of trying to make every video perfect. Like I said, one of my captains log posts perfect is the enemy of good. So it is time to start releasing some good developer lessons. And if you want to read more about that, here is a link for you.

So thanks again for sticking with me and let us get going with some more developer lessons.

Quiz

Q1. Why has the focus recently shifted to producing more TechHelp video series and the database library?
A. It attracts new students and helps grow the community.
B. It is less work than developer lessons.
C. TechHelp videos require no editing or planning.
D. Developer students did not show interest in new content.

Q2. What realization did the instructor have regarding content balance?
A. More energy should be devoted to creating content for developer students.
B. TechHelp videos should include mistakes.
C. All lessons should be given away for free.
D. The fitness database should be abandoned.

Q3. Where will more advanced, high-end development techniques and finishing touches be included moving forward?
A. In the developer courses specifically.
B. Only in free YouTube content.
C. Only as downloadable PDFs.
D. In a public blog.

Q4. Why did the instructor mention avoiding giving away too much high-end material for free?
A. Because it belongs in the developer courses for supporting students.
B. Because high-end content is too basic.
C. Because it is unrelated to databases.
D. Because there is no audience for it.

Q5. What trap did the instructor fall into again when working on developer lessons?
A. Trying to make each lesson perfect before releasing it.
B. Ignoring his notes.
C. Only answering beginner questions.
D. Using outdated development tools.

Q6. How does the instructor plan to create and release future developer lessons?
A. By recording more casually and having fun, without demanding perfection.
B. Only using fully scripted and edited videos.
C. By hiring outside experts to make lessons.
D. By waiting until all notes are organized.

Q7. What types of content does the instructor plan to reserve specifically for developer students?
A. Advanced programming tips and design ideas not suitable for general TechHelp videos.
B. Only error-handling basics.
C. Marketing and sales advice.
D. Purely beginner tutorials.

Q8. What is the main difference between upcoming TechHelp videos and developer lessons?
A. TechHelp videos will be simpler and designed to attract new students; developer lessons will focus on advanced techniques.
B. Developer lessons will be free for everyone.
C. TechHelp videos will focus on fitness.
D. Developer lessons will avoid using any code.

Q9. Which programming exercises are mentioned as examples of new developer content?
A. Functions called leftmost and rightmost.
B. Conditional formatting exercises.
C. Exporting data to Excel.
D. Building forms from scratch.

Q10. How will the instructor decide where to place new videos or answers to student questions?
A. By assigning them to the developer series or TechHelp extended cuts based on student level.
B. Posting everything on Facebook.
C. Randomly choosing where each video goes.
D. Only responding to email questions.

Q11. What is the instructor's attitude toward producing 'perfect' lessons?
A. Believes 'perfect' is the enemy of good and wants to release more useful content rather than waiting for perfection.
B. Thinks only perfect lessons are valuable.
C. Plans to stop releasing videos until perfection is achieved.
D. Thinks details do not matter in lessons.

Answers: 1-A; 2-A; 3-A; 4-A; 5-A; 6-A; 7-A; 8-A; 9-A; 10-A; 11-A

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 is a chance for me to talk directly to my developer students about the direction the channel and course content is heading.

Lately, most of my energy has gone into creating the TechHelp video series and building up the accompanying database library. The goal has been to attract new students and help the community grow. However, I have started to realize that I need to strike a better balance. My developer students, many of whom have supported me for years, deserve more focus and exclusive content as well.

So, I want to make it clear that moving forward, I plan to release more developer-level lessons. These will cover advanced techniques, methods for refining your databases, and all those extra touches that really make a project stand out. For example, a lot of what you have seen in the recent fitness database series covers things like interface improvements, workflow enhancements, sharper code, and minor but impactful features. Since I am using that database for my own personal use, I am taking the opportunity to incorporate every high-end tip and trick that I value. It does mean I am giving away a lot, so going forward, the more sophisticated material will be featured in developer courses where it really fits best, rather than as free content.

I have also noticed that I have started repeating a pattern from when I first produced my earliest beginner lessons; I get hung up on trying to make every single developer lesson absolutely flawless before releasing it. As a result, I have a mountain of notes, ideas, and plans for topics like class modules that have just been sitting around. I keep convincing myself that I need days at a time to script, polish, and perfect these lessons, but I am realizing that the best thing to do is just to hit record and enjoy the process.

That has always been the secret to what makes the TechHelp series engaging: the videos feel fun and spontaneous rather than overly produced. I want to bring that same energy and approach to the developer videos as well.

I have accumulated a huge collection of programming tips, tricks, utilities, and design techniques that are a little too advanced or involved for the general TechHelp audience. These are better suited for my developer students, since even if every tip is not directly relevant to everyone, I am confident there will be something useful in each lesson that you can immediately apply to your own databases.

As we look ahead towards 2026, this is the new plan. I will continue building up the TechHelp video library to bring in new students, and I will keep those videos more straightforward and focused on frequently searched topics. This helps to maximize outreach and audience growth. At the same time, I am committing to spend much more of my energy on fresh, high-level developer content. I have so many ideas ready, and it is time to start sharing them.

To get started, I will be releasing a couple of practical programming exercises, such as functions I rely on in my own databases like leftmost and rightmost. These are quick and useful, and I think they will help to sharpen your own skills and keep your code clean.

I truly value your feedback, so please leave your comments to let me know what developer-level topics you would like to see covered next. I am always open to suggestions, and as I often say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The feedback you provide directly influences where I put my energy.

Going forward, I will also be clearer about where different kinds of videos belong. For instance, if I receive a developer student's question, I will add my answer to the developer video series. If a TechHelp gold member asks something, I might create an extended cut for that audience. The idea is to make sure content goes to the right place.

And for those waiting on my class module lessons, rest assured, more is on the way. I have plenty of notes and material prepped. It is just a matter of moving forward and getting these developer lessons out there instead of waiting until they are perfect. As I have said before, perfect can be the enemy of good. It is time to start releasing high-quality, helpful developer lessons on a more regular basis. If you want to read more about that philosophy, you can check the link I have included.

Thank you for your continued support, and let us get started with some fresh developer material. 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

Balancing TechHelp and developer-focused content
Commitment to more advanced developer lessons
High-end development techniques for databases
Adding finishing touches to database projects
Smart interface tricks and workflow refinements
Separating free and developer-level material
Overcoming perfectionism in lesson creation
Delivering raw, practical developer videos
Overview of class module lesson plans
Introducing leftmost and rightmost functions
Soliciting feedback on developer lesson topics
Partitioning video content for different student levels
Plans for upcoming class module content

Article

If you have been following my work for a while, you may have noticed that most of my recent effort has gone into building the TechHelp video series and the accompanying database library. This approach helps new students find the community and get started, but I want to make sure my longtime developer students get the high-level attention they deserve as well.

I have realized that I need to strike a better balance between attracting beginners and providing more advanced, in-depth material for you, the developer. Moving forward, my goal is to shift some of that focus back to developer-level lessons again. These tutorials will cover more advanced database programming techniques, ways to polish your Access projects, and those finishing touches that make a database shine when you hand it off to a user or a client.

A lot of my recent development has gone into building specialized databases for my own use, which means that I am constantly applying little tricks, interface improvements, and workflow enhancements. I have found that these higher-level insights really make a difference in day-to-day work, but they are too advanced or specific for general beginner content. Rather than giving away these tips for free where they get lost among basic tutorials, I want to place them squarely in developer lessons where they are targeted to students like you.

I have also noticed that I sometimes get stuck trying to make every lesson perfect before I publish it. This perfectionist approach means that I collect a lot of notes and ideas but rarely get around to sharing them. Instead, I am going to start recording and releasing these ideas as soon as I can. The process will be more spontaneous, and I think it will make the lessons both more fun and more accessible.

In my private notes, I have gathered a large library of programming tips, utility functions, and database design strategies. Some of these are too niche or time-consuming for a general audience, but as a developer you will find them valuable. Even if you do not use every technique, I am confident that there will be something practical in each lesson that you can apply to your own projects right away.

For example, I want to start with a couple of simple but useful programming exercises: custom functions called LeftMost and RightMost. These are like upgrades to the standard Left and Right string functions in VBA, providing you with more control and flexibility when working with text in your database. Not only are these functions easy to create, they instantly make your VBA code cleaner and your database more robust.

Let us look at how you might build a LeftMost function in VBA. Suppose you want to extract all the characters from the beginning of a string up to a certain delimiter, like a space or comma. The standard Left function only returns a given number of characters, but sometimes you want everything up to the first space or another character. Here is how you could write such a function:

Function LeftMost(strInput As String, strDelimiter As String) As String
Dim lngPos As Long
lngPos = InStr(strInput, strDelimiter)
If lngPos > 0 Then
LeftMost = Left(strInput, lngPos - 1)
Else
LeftMost = strInput
End If
End Function

This function returns all the characters to the left of the first occurrence of your chosen delimiter. You might use it to grab the first name from a full name, the street address from a line with multiple fields, or parse out other structured information in your data.

The companion RightMost function works in a similar way, but returns everything after the delimiter:

Function RightMost(strInput As String, strDelimiter As String) As String
Dim lngPos As Long
lngPos = InStr(strInput, strDelimiter)
If lngPos > 0 Then
RightMost = Mid(strInput, lngPos + Len(strDelimiter))
Else
RightMost = strInput
End If
End Function

Now when you call RightMost("Smith, John", ",") you get " John". You can combine this with the Trim function to clean up spaces, so Trim(RightMost("Smith, John", ",")) returns "John".

These kinds of simple, reusable functions are the building blocks of clean and maintainable Access databases. They save you time, help avoid repetition, and make your code easier to understand. Over time, as you accumulate more utilities like these, your projects become both faster to develop and easier to support.

Building on this, I will be sharing more advanced lessons aimed at developers, including topics like class modules, workflow automation, sophisticated form design, and clever uses of VBA to solve common challenges. My goal is to deliver high-quality content that helps you level up your skills and tackle the real-world problems you face in your database work.

If you have ideas or requests for topics you want to see covered next, please let me know in the comments or send me a message. Your feedback will help shape the direction of future lessons. As always, thanks for being part of this community and trusting me to be part of your learning journey. I am excited to share more advanced developer tutorials with you very soon, so stay tuned and keep coding.