[AccessD] Access 2007 Question

Arthur,

It's really quite logical.  Every day in Access newsgroups and forums, you 
can see someone ask "can I put my Access application on the web".

If Microsoft didn't step in to fill this need, someone else would.  And the 
Access team, with the premier RAD database programme already in their hands, 
had a big head start.

So they stepped up to the plate, as the saying goes, and this, as you no 
doubt know, has been a major thrust of the work on Access 2010.

Now, when an Access 2010 application is published to the web, it gets 
converted to stuff like HTML and Javascript and SharePoint workflows.  How 
you going to do that with VBA?  Macros, based on XML, is going to work - VBA 
is not.  Simple as that.

So it seems to me that the enhancements to macros in Access is primarily 
related to the move towards web applications.  If you want to build 
applications that can run in a browser, then you will have to change your 
thinking, and change the way you do stuff, including learn how to use 
macros.

But here's the *absolutely critical* point to remember...  This is 
*additional*.  Nothing is being removed or replaced.  If you don't have a 
use for this new stuff, then you don't have to use it.  Desktop database 
solutions are not going away in a hurry.  VBA continues to be enhanced too, 
and VBA is not going away any time soon.  You will still be able to build 
good database applications using Access, just like you have always done. 
The current emphasis for the Access team's development efforts is just 
that... the current emphasis.  That does not mean it will stay that way. 
And the significant improvements in the macro functionality should *not* be 
taken to mean anything about any writing on any wall anywhere.

Regards
Steve


--------------------------------------------------
From: "Arthur Fuller" <fuller.artful at gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, October 26, 2009 9:39 AM
To: "Access Developers discussion and problem solving" 
<accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
Subject: [AccessD] Access 2007 Question

> I have downloaded and built all the Access 2007 template apps. Every 
> single
> one of them does its magic with macros not with VBA. This begs some
> questions:
>
> 1. Does this indicate that developers are no longer welcome in the Access
> community? How are we to read this, when even Northwind has been 
> translated
> to macros from VBA code?
>
> 2. Is there a wizard that converts a macro to VBA code? Or should I just 
> cut
> and paste the macro in question to the code window and then attempt to
> translate it to VBA code?
>
> 3. Should we Access developers regard this as the definitive signal to 
> move
> to Visual Studio or some other dev platform? (Just about the only thing 
> that
> keeps me on Windows is Access; take away that and you may as well call me 
> an
> Ubuntu boy.)
>