2010: Essential Diffs?
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From: (PeteCresswell) on 8 Apr 2010 19:54 Sounds like Access 2010 is something of a different animal from preceding versions. Could anybody generalize the big issues? -- PeteCresswell
From: Banana on 8 Apr 2010 20:20 (PeteCresswell) wrote: > Sounds like Access 2010 is something of a different animal from > preceding versions. > > Could anybody generalize the big issues? One starting point would be to browse Access team's blog. http://blogs.msdn.com/access/default.aspx Click on "2010 Intro Series" tag, which is high on the top of the tag list and you'll get plenty of general info on what's new to 2010.
From: Albert D. Kallal on 8 Apr 2010 21:16 "(PeteCresswell)" <x(a)y.Invalid> wrote in message news:g3rsr5pq77gh73inbqep9h30m8qlbn94ln(a)4ax.com... > Sounds like Access 2010 is something of a different animal from > preceding versions. > > Could anybody generalize the big issues? > -- > PeteCresswell How big of post do you want? Perhaps the big news is the new version of VBA, or what we call VBA 7. This new version of VBA now has a true pointer data type called longPtr. We also get a 64 bit wide data type called longlong. There's a few new compiler definitions, and of course we get a 64 bit version of the jet engine (now since 2007 called ACE - for the remainder this article I'm going to use the term JET, but I really talking about ACE). Note that this new version of VBA of course is also runs on the 32 bit version of windows. ->Database triggers and stored procedures: New for 2010 in jet is table events and table stored procedures. When you write table triggers for jet, even on a file share with five users (split front + back end), and someone opens up one of those files directly, or even with VB6 via ODBC if they update a row, then your table trigger stored procedure code will run and fire. In fact you don't even have to have a Access installed on your computer. This is a true engine level store procedure and trigger system. If you attempt to open accdb file in access 2007 and you have table code attached as events, you will get a warning message that there are triggers for this table, and the table be opened as read only. I'm starting to write some table level procedures, it really is a terrific feature, and it does move logic out of your forms. It also means that you can maintain some totals like inventories etc. So, if you update this data through a table direct, through DAO recordset code, or have five different forms - it simply does not matter, your aggregate totals will remain intact. ->New macro editor + new macro language: While the macro system is able to execute old commands, you now have an if+then+else block structure language that includes the ability to loop, declare variables and also that of being able to update and read records in a table. It is this language that's used for the above table triggers. So the new macro language and new editor is a system we use to maintain + run + design and build those table triggers. ->New Web browser control: This is a fantastic control. In fact this probably is near tops in my favorite new feature for 2010. We can now embed a browser control into a form and this is a bound control to a column in the table like any other control from the toolbox on that form. If you've not see my bookin video (link later on here), you'll see how I used a bound browser control inside of a form to show the current weather outside for a patio that can be booked. ->New web style navigation control: This is simply a browser WEB like navigation control that you typically see in so much software today . Even the Acronis disk imaging tools for the desktop has a very similar navigation control. You can stack this control going horizontally across the top, or up down on either side of your forms. It looks really nice and certainly is about time that we got something beyond that of the old switchboard that has been around for far too long. ->New button and tab styles. For buttons and tabs, you have the ability to create round, oval and shaded buttons with shadows, glow features. the "hover" options also thus can be set as for color and effect also. With these shading and transparency controls, you can now give your application a modern look. Here is a composite screen shot of what this looks like: http://cid-b18a57cb5f6af0fa.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/.Public/roomboking/roomlistround.png and http://cid-b18a57cb5f6af0fa.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/.Public/roomboking/RoundB1.png and http://cid-b18a57cb5f6af0fa.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/.Public/AccessHelp/ButtonsOP.png ->Ability to drop reports into a sub form control. This means we can make some pretty cool - cordite displays where some form action displays a report in the form. ->Shared images: When you insert an image into a form , we are used to having two options (imbedded, and linked). You now see a 3rd new option in the combo box drop down called shared. If you choose shared, then the image choice becomes a combo box drop down of all the currently existing images in your application. This means you can use the ONE same imbedded image over and over again in the application. Even more cool as that this means only one a copy of the image exists and you can change it and thus every part within your whole application that referenced that shared image will also change! Access 2007 address the image bloating problem when you insert images inside your application, now this goes one step further and allows you to share those images you've inserted into the application. This works really great for client based applications, but also was a great feature when you're building web based applications. So for things like company Logos etc., this is ideal, because then you can change one and it changes everywhere because it's not really everywhere. And if you don't use the Manual way of inserting an image, there's also a new option on the ribbon that allows you to see and view and insert all you shared images. It is a ribbon gallery. Here is a screen shot: http://cid-b18a57cb5f6af0fa.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/.Public/roomboking/imageG.png -> Application template parts: This simply means you can go raid a bunch of your old applications, and take bits and parts out, and save them as separate new applications that appear in your application parts as templates. You can even have the insert option prompt you for what table to insert and relate to this new "application part". Here is a screen shot, you can see that I already have an insert option for my custom calendar: http://cid-b18a57cb5f6af0fa.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/.Public/roomboking/aparts.png So not only can you define things like the icon you'll see in your template gallery, you can also define the action such as including tables, and things such as prompts for what the included tables will be related to in a current application that you're inserting the table and application parts. ->Web based applications: The other big news is that we can now create browser neutral WEB based applications when you published your Access application to the web. All of the above features from triggers to shared images, new navigation control and even a web browser control also work when you publish your applications to the WEB. Here is a video of me running a Access application, and then I flip at the halfway point in the video to running the same application 100% inside of a browser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU4mH0jPntI The above is a short list of new features, but they're all ones I've used in ones that are basically sitting on the top of my head, there's a lot a little lines and a lot of other features of Ms., but I have to run right now..so I stop... -- Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP) Edmonton, Alberta Canada pleaseNOOSpamKallal(a)msn.com
From: Tom van Stiphout on 8 Apr 2010 23:02 On Thu, 8 Apr 2010 19:16:28 -0600, "Albert D. Kallal" <PleaseNOOOsPAMmkallal(a)msn.com> wrote: In his enthusiam Albert meant to say: ...when you write your application for, and publish to SharePoint. -Tom. Microsoft Access MVP >The other big news is that we can now create browser neutral WEB based >applications when you published your Access application to the web.
From: Salad on 8 Apr 2010 23:14
Albert D. Kallal wrote: > "(PeteCresswell)" <x(a)y.Invalid> wrote in message > news:g3rsr5pq77gh73inbqep9h30m8qlbn94ln(a)4ax.com... > >> Sounds like Access 2010 is something of a different animal from >> preceding versions. >> >> Could anybody generalize the big issues? >> -- >> PeteCresswell > > How big of post do you want? > I am curious as to what you think of somebody in an upgrading to 2010. The person has put together some tables, maybe used the wizard a couple of times to create a form or report. Very little error checking. Do you think A2010 is more beneficial to developers/require more developer input or is it easier for somebody that is not as technical but has put together a couple of small apps for the company? |