Can't access VB help files

[purpledawn]

I am having problems with accessing the Access Help and VBA Help files. Many of the results from doing a search are dead links. The topics I need help with are all inacessible ( Recordset, querydef,etc.) I have uninstalled Access and the VB help, rebooted, reinstalled Access and VB help and rebooted, but this doesn't seem to help. Does anyone have any ideas why this problem is occurring?

 

[MTBChik]

We often call Microsoft Help - Help-LESS especially when it comes to VBA. Your best bet is to head to the MSDN website
(

http://msdn.microsoft.com),

type in the keyword that you are looking for and you should get what you need. The VBA help that is installed is pretty meaningless a lot of time unless you are already a VB programmer or have some knowledge base. In other words, it sure won't teach you how to program!

Good Luck

 

[Hap007]

Dear purpledawn,

I will offer my 2 cents for what it is worth.

The help files that came with Access97 were excellent. You could search for a word, property or method and there was a description and example.

Move forward to Access 2000 and then Access XP. Each version, the help got worse. Microsoft must now assume that you know nothing and only provides the very basic. (Maybe they are trying to promote Access book store sales). You must first ask the stupid wizard, before you can actually get to the true searching.

Move forward some more, if you ever install any product such as VB 6 or VB.net, then Access well use the MSDN help, which really is looking at the VB help for VBA Commands. Almost nothing relating to Access itself can be found. Always comes back with just browser page that repeats my problem in a different format.

So, how to solve? Here is what I did.

1) I found all the help that came with Access 97, placed a copy of those files in their own directory and put shortcuts to each of them on my desktop. Now, if I need some of the basic info, I go there directly.

Hope This Helps,
Hap


Access Developer

http://www.fcs-software.com/fcsaccessdev.html

-
Specializing in Access based Add-on Solutions for the Developer

 

[purpledawn]

Thanks for all your help. Turns out subject I needed help with that was missing was DAO; it seems all DAO and ADO object references have been eliminated from the VBA help in Access. Somehow they were there in previous installations, but after reformating they have mysteriously disappeared! DAO help is in MSDN, however it is nowhere on the tree. I had to type in a DAO method or property to work backwards to object references. Typing in the object name led to C++ DAO, with no method or property descriptions, and no links to the actual DAO object reference, EVEN THOUGH IT RECOMMENDS LOOKING AT IT!!!!!. Seems MS wants to discourge people from using DAO

The following link is the best I could come up with as a gateway to DAO help.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d.../en-us/dao360/dt_dahowDataAccessOverviewC.asp

As you will see, in the tree you remain at the root of Visual Tools (with no mention in the tree of DAO) and never move as you cruise around the DAO objects.

Thankfully it's there at least... somewhere.