[AccessD] VBE

OK, this thread has gone on way too long.  Let me clarify a few things
and then we can continue on with our meager lives.  There's been a lot
of hair-splitting on this topic, so I'd like to define a couple of
things (as I understand the facts, that is):

1) Beginning with MS Office 95 (I think), all Office apps share a
unified subset of VB, called VBA (Visual Basic for Applications).  Each
app has its own object model, but the basic syntax (no pun intended) for
writing code in general is more or less the same.  This unification was
greatly improved in Office 97, and continues to be more similar in
subsequent versions.  VBA <> VB, though in most cases, code written in
either is interchangable or requiring modest changes.

2) Beginning with MS Office 2000, all Office applications share a common
code editing environment, also known as the VBE (Visual Basic Editor). 
This means that rather than each app using its own internal editor, all
share a common, external editor.

3) The VB development environment is completely different from the VBE. 
Even common form controls are drastically different between the two. 
Most elements and controls can be duplicated, but not without
significant modification in some cases.  There are no bound forms; even
if you use data controls, it's not the same thing nearly as what Access
provides.  Switching from one to another is possible, but, as with
learning any new development tool, requires a bit of a learning curve.

4) The object models for each MS Office app have become more similar in
the last few versions, but they are all still a bit different and each
has its own quirks.  You can "easily" pick up the basics moving between
object models, but more in-depth manipulation requires learning the
object.  There's no getting around that.  I choose to "live" in Access,
so I don't really care about the other apps.  Other developers here may
have the "opportunity" to develop in the other apps, which will require
learning the qirks of that/those app(s)' object model.  I say, "more
power to ya."

5) Are we done yet?

6) If you must continue this thread, please be a polite netizen and not
copy the entire thread in your response.

OK, so the last two weren't definitions, but requests.  It's a beautiful
day outside here.  I'm going to look out the window for a bit now...

Seth

-- 
Seth Galitzer			sgsax at ksu.edu
Computing Specialist		http://puma.agron.ksu.edu/~sgsax
Dept. of Plant Pathology
Kansas State University