Access 2013 Bible

Part VI: Access Programming Fundamentals

In This Part

Chapter 22: Using Access Macros

Chapter 23: Getting Started with Access VBA

Chapter 24: Mastering VBA Data Types and Procedures

Chapter 25: Understanding the Access Event Model

Chapter 26: Debugging Your Access Applications

Part VI introduces macro programming and explains the art and science of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Very few professional-quality Access applications have been written without liberal use of either the VBA programming language or macros, or a combination of both.

With Access 2007, Microsoft began a significant effort to enhance macros as a valuable contributor to Access development. Long maligned as weaker or inferior to VBA, macros were often relegated to second-class citizenship in many Access developer toolkits. However, as you'll read in Chapter 22, Microsoft introduced embedded macros, a very efficient technique for automating many tasks in forms and reports.

Starting with Chapter 23, Part VI turns your attention to automation with VBA. VBA provides functionality that goes far beyond simply opening forms and reports and controlling the user interface. You'll use VBA code to validate data, as well as to transform and combine data in new and interesting ways. VBA code is used to import and export data, respond to user input, and handle the mistakes inevitably made by users.