Making it Look Professional

[RodTheChemist]

Hi,

I am a new comer to Access and am finding it a valuable tool.

I have noticed that several of the database programs at my work are based on Access (E.g. the materials ordering system, the maintenance control/scheduling/recording systems). The forms resemble those in databases I have prepared myself, but do not appear to run from access.

I am wondering if these forms and user interfaces are, in fact, prepared using a programming language and simply send and retrieve data to the Access database.

If so, which language is most common/suitable, which would be the most useful to learn? If not, how do I make it look like my database is a program in its own right?

I've a few good ideas that I think could be marketable in my field, and want to be as professional as possible.

 

[Rohdem]

I commonly used programming language used for front ends is Visual Basic. In fact, Access forms allow the use of VBA (Visual Basic Application). However, in my opinion, Access is much easier to develop in than straight Visual Basic, and you will still pick up a lot of the essential VB commands. If you buy the Developer's Edition of Office you can create installable programs out of your Access databases. A runtime version of Access is installed with your database that allows the database to be opened on a computer that doesn't have Access installed on it.
Mike Rohde
rohdem@marshallengines.com

 

[MichaelRed]

Rod,

If it looks like a duck ...

Actually almost all of the Ms. Visual products use very much the same controls and therefore have a more-or-less common appearance. Ms. Access is probably the easiest to work with - up to a point. That point is generally in the menu bar and tool bar controls. Help systems also appear to be somewhat more restricted in Ms. Access than the other products.

I, personally, find that most 'limited' apps which want/need to overcome these issues are quite well suited to VB. By limited, I mean dedicated "tools" like a chemical calculator for specific properties (e.g. moles gram weight and other similar properties). For larger problems, a lot of developers use VC++ as it is supposedly more suitable to breaking down problems for multiple programmers to work on. It also has a cleaner access to the basic windows API than VB, so it is easier (in a sense) to manipulate the Windows environment from within VC++. For most, it does have a 'higher' learning curve.

I am from the school which belives that the problem always looks like it can (easily) be solved with the tool(s) at hand (If I've got a hammer - every problem looks (strangely) like a nail).

Another factor MIGHT be wheather you want to "publish" your app as a web/browser enabled application. If so, vbScript and / or Visual InterDev may be in your future. These BOTH much more resemble VB than anything else that I am aware of.

I have developed several of the limited purpose tools type programs as described above, including financial calculators for the Futures trading markets, and would welcom the opportunity to particiapate in your project as well.



MichaelRed
redmsp@erols.com

There is never time to do it right but there is always time to do it over