[AccessD] Where do we go from here?

jwcolby jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com
Wed Feb 11 16:45:28 CST 2009


ROTFL.

You laugh but when I learned about classes, I rewrote my entire framework from scratch.  It was 
sooooo much cleaner and so much more functional.  Then, with the experience I gained from that I 
rewrote it a third time.

Classes really do rock!

In this case however I am looking for ideas on what simple things we can do to better illustrate how 
and why you would use a class.  If you get too complex people will drop like flies.  Let them get 
hooked, then we can do some more complex stuff.  Perhaps an audit trail for changes?

For now I think the next step will be to build some tables with data and a form to load / edit data 
for a combo box.  Once we have that then I can demonstrate having the combo class double click event 
automatically open the form, seek to the right record (or the new record) and let the user add new 
records to the list table.  When the form closes, the combo requeries to get the changes to the list 
data.

This is actual stuff that I do with my combo class, and displays how a combo can have behaviors 
added in the wrapper class to make it more useful.  Additionally it demonstrates how these behaviors 
can be available in any combo in any form, with a very simple "setup" to cause it to happen.

Have you ever inherited a database (or designed one for that matter) where dates are entered and 
displayed in different formats all over the various forms.  No consistency, drives the users crazy.

I also have a behavior where (in a bound form) I dig down to discover the data type of the field 
that a control is bound to (DAO here).  Once I have the datatype, I automatically cause the text box 
to display a specific date mask if the text box is bound to a date field.  Having this behavior in 
the text class allows me to tell the system in one place what the date format should look like, and 
then when any form (that uses the form class) opens, it automatically discovers all date fields and 
sets them up to a common date mask.

Stuff like that.

We have pretty much learned how to build classes, and how to sink events in classes, so it is time 
to put this new knowledge to use.

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com


Max Wanadoo wrote:
> Well, for me it would be a project.  I have suggested a fully functional
> import/export to text for all objects to help people avoid bloat and recover
> from disasters.  My second project request would be to re-write the whole of
> my work project which started in 2000 and really, and I mean really, do with
> a make-over.  On second thoughts, my second request is now my first
> request!!!  When do we start?
> 
> Max
> Ps.  Well, you did ask!
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of jwcolby
> Sent: 11 February 2009 22:06
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> Subject: [AccessD] Where do we go from here?
> 
> So what would you folks like to see next?  I still have a rabbit in the hat
> and a few things up my 
> sleeve.
> 



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