Welcome To The Access Unlimited Newsletter - Edition 51
See all newsletters

Produced by Garry Robinson (known below as "Ed") from Sydney, Australia.

In this edition, 

Stop Those Access Menus and Toolbars From Moving (97 upwards)
Citrix / Remote Desktop – for an Access-developer
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, and all about Anti-Spyware Software
Instant Desktop Searching – A Knowledge Workers Constant Companion
Good Reading

Stop Those Access Menus and Toolbars From Moving (97 upwards)

Have you ever got annoyed with a toolbar such as the Access form view or even worse the top menu moving from its right place at the Top of window? If you have, first postion the menu or toolbar where you want it and then right click anywhere on any toolbar and choose customize. Now choose the Toolbars tab and select the menu/toolbar in question which should be marked with a tick. Choose properties and now clear the Allow Moving and the Allow Showing Hiding check boxes. This will also make your Access environment look a little less busy.

Special Article from A Reader

In this newsletter, I am very pleased to introduce a detailed article on the pro’s and con’s of using Access across the internet with tools such as Terminal Server/Remote Desktop from Microsoft and Metaframe from Citrix. As my company is right in the middle of a major Access project where we are using Remote Desktop to maintain our Access software, I am finding this Internet based interface invaluable. Anyway, enough of my ramblings, here is Ricard’s article and if you ever want to use this technology, his insights into remote desktop issues such as printing and file transfers are really worth the admission price.  “Ed”

Citrix / Remote Desktop – for an Access-developer

By Rickard Olsson from Ricol IT in Sweden ~ January 2005  English Link here

Running an Access-application from anywhere over Internet (modem connections included) with great performance whilst sharing the data in a local mdb-file – That is what Citrix and Remote Desktop is all about to an Access- or Office- developer.

There are no hassles of sending data back and forth from client to server, the data is where it should be, close to the program, the only known way to construct user friendly software with good performance.

If any of your users need assistance, have a glimpse on their screen in a few seconds to help them. Or use ‘shadowing’ to test their impressions of your prototype for the new functions they have asked for.

This should be a dream-scenario for the future when everybody has dotnet and Microsoft has solved all their problems and we have converted all our code to dotnet. But it is here right now, if you develop and distribute your Office application in the Citrix environment.

That is my view of Citrix when trying to convince people about it, but for sure it has both pros and cons so I will try to be more honest from right now…

Read the rest of the article here at vb123.com

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, and all about Anti-Spyware Software

 Check out all the things that Microsoft have deemed important security risks using this very detailed analyzer software.  Things included are version updates, passwords, MSDE and SQL Server patch readiness,  password strength, Office Update levels,  how your local accounts are setup and a number of Windows Domain vulnerabilities if you log into a domain.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/tools/mbsahome.mspx

Getting ahead of spyware

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/default.mspx

Another good review on Ed’s Access security book

http://www.woodyswatch.com/access/archtemplate.asp?6-04

Instant Desktop Searching – A Knowledge Workers Constant Companion

I am at the stage now where I doubt that I would turn off the google desktop searcher or its replacement, whatever it is. It has significantly changed the way I find things, especially emails. Usually I just type the name of the person and bingo, there are the emails sorted by date and even more important, all the threads are merged into a single result. Another thing that I do now is save an important web page to a group of folders that I call my knowledge base. Now I know that information will be available a later date if I do a search.

The Access Workbench Improves Again

The next version of the workbench will include messages that you can apply to a database as soon as it is selected. That way when you are about to open a database to change something, a warning like “The Client is modifying this database, do not edit” will appear. As “Ed” manages over a 100 databases, this certainly is starting to help with all those little things to remember.

Tell us what you would like to see in the Workbench or Click here for more

GOOD READING

Links to many free articles including articles by Scott and Garry. Remember to use the Sync TOC link when you see it so that you can find other articles from the same magazine.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/office/technologyinfo/columns/default.aspx

The Future Of Access
http://www.databasejournal.com/features/msaccess/article.php/3385961

Popup buttons
http://www.databasejournal.com/features/msaccess/article.php/3437731

VBA Coding and debugging white paper
http://www.fmsinc.com/tpapers/vbacode/Debug.asp

SQL Server and SQL Server Express 2005
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/2005/default.asp

Google Desktop – The story thus far
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-5408765.html

Google Search poses security risks
http://www.securitypipeline.com/news/50500728

Google fixes desktop security hole
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5420211.html

Tips from Microsoft on using public computers such as internet cafes
http://www.microsoft.com/nz/athome/security/onthego/publiccomputer.mspx

Tips on protecting your laptop on the road
http://www.microsoft.com/nz/athome/security/onthego/ontheroad.mspx

Success in software selling in a tough world
Http://www.capient.com/enter/exec-thoughts/?ca=vgr-ISV-Trust
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1711072,00.asp

Updated version of the Access freestuff page at vb123 so you can again track download those 97 downloads
www.vb123.com/toolshed/99/freestuff.htm

Folder Tree creation user interfaces using XML and XST
http://nl.internet.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=1,17al,1,cbxa,9tsd,39gr,amjy

Hide the Access database window using VBA
http://www.mvps.org/access/general/gen0031.htm

Tony Toews on terminal server
http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/terminalserver.htm

How to use Pivot tables in Excel
Microsoft page

Manage your business contacts – a marketing perspective
Microsoft page

A good website on setting up your website for search engines
http://www.search-marketing.info/

- A List of Ultimate Visual Studio.NET http://www.hanselman.com/blog/PermaLink.aspx?guid=0f086d87-de5f-4ac0-9f20-f044c0826d0a

Microsoft finds a partner to get into TV over IP.. That should speed up my downloads when my neighbour watches reruns of Jerry Signfield !!
http://www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3436941

Heavy computer use linked with glaucoma
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=64dae8368aacc3b4

How to hold a successful IT meetings
https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40009707

If you like this newsletter, why not try

Rick Dobson’s Web Site for Access Programmers
http://www.programmingmsaccess.com

Simply-Access Tips - Weekly tips on Microsoft Access
www.simply-access.com

Helen Feddema - Book Author and Editor of Woody’s Access Watch
http://www.helenfeddema.com/

Tony Toews, Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm

Code Thought for The Day

Generally the quickest way to solve a programming problem is to divide and conquer using debug  !!  If you are not into vb debug mode, get into it. All you need is a stop point, F8 to step F5 to run Control F8 to jump subs and control G to view the variables.  One smart person once said, “you are not a programmer until you can debug”.

WRAPPING THIS EDITION UP

So thanks for reading our popular newsletter.  Feel free to make comments, copy the email to a friend or maybe even contribute to the next edition. And if you can, have a look at our software by using the Marketing section on the left hand side of this newsletter. If you really like this newsletter, why not purchase The Toolshed and you will get all the other newsletters and plenty more in a developer’s knowledge base tool with super searching facilities.

Garry Robinson - Software Consultant and Author
 

Click on this button to read the previous edition of Access Unlimited 
Published  2004-12

Links >>>  Home | Search | Workbench | Orders | Newsletter | Access Security | Access professionals