Programming Club

[pgp_protector]

Is Access even around anymore
(Yep, just saw it's part of my 365 install, time to get the flame thrower )

 

[rockytopva]

Since you are also an Access programmer, I'd like to share with you an article on VBA programming best practices. Would you be interested? You may comment on or contribute afterwards.

Always room to learn more in programming!

 

[Tomm]

Always room to learn more in programming!

Great, I'm going to share it with you via private conversation, if that's fine with you.
By the way, anybody else is welcome.

 

[Tomm]

What're the best practices for VBA programming?

There are much to be learned from quality management and software engineering principles. Quality management emphasizes the need for doing it right at the start and error prevention. Doing things right from the start will save you time in the long run, rather than wasting your time -- this is true in all aspects of life.

Software engineering advocates following the development process, modular programming and writing maintainable codes.

Firstly, one has to do the basic things right, which are common to all languages. Nothing would be right if the requirements are incorrect. After the requirements are confirmed, one has to do the planning and design right. Doing all these will be important, they will save you time in the long run.

Imagine if you were half way through your project, having spent already 4 weeks but suddenly discovered how you interpreted the requirements were totally wrong, you'd have to start all over again.

 

[John Mullally]

Programming with Microsoft Access as I am a Lab Technician.

Access & Excel VBA are fun to use. When I first used MS Access, I was impressed with its GUI and powerful data analysis feature that combines VBA functions with stacked MS Queries.

If you ever look to expand from MS Access, I suggest C# with its powerful and unique feature termed LINQ. LINQ allows you to use SQL like features over collections (arrays and lists of records) in a single line of code. Its development tool (free MS Visual Studio Community Edition) is excellent and updated every 2 or 3 years. C# is a modern programming language that is much better from a Software Engineering point-of-view: MS Access has poor built-in support for Object Oriented Programming, no built-in support for Test Driven Development, and has changed little in 25 years.

I still see Excel VBA commonly used for small projects.

P.S. I should really look at posting dates (this is an old thread), before I post.

 

[The Liturgist]

Access & Excel VBA are fun to use. When I first used MS Access, I was impressed with its GUI and powerful data analysis feature that combines VBA functions with stacked MS Queries.

If you ever look to expand from MS Access, I suggest C# with its powerful and unique feature termed LINQ. LINQ allows you to use SQL like features over collections (arrays and lists of records) in a single line of code. Its development tool (free MS Visual Studio Community Edition) is excellent and updated every 2 or 3 years. C# is a modern programming language that is much better from a Software Engineering point-of-view: MS Access has poor built-in support for Object Oriented Programming, no built-in support for Test Driven Development, and has changed little in 25 years.

I still see Excel VBA commonly used for small projects.

P.S. I should really look at posting dates (this is an old thread), before I post.

Well, I am glad you revived this thread, because it interests me - I am systems programmer specializing in embedded and real time OS development and implementation, which is my weekday job I use to pay for my ministry (I used to be a paid minister for a mainline denomination but left due to a move away from the traditions and scripture of the early church in that denomination).

 

[Brown Eyed Girl]

I'm not sure if anyone of you are are aware, but there's an organization called FaithTech. Very nice folks. Thriving community! They work on a couple of projects every year, completely volunteer save for a few directors. Check it out if you have time, energy, and will! If nothing else, at least join the community.

Home - FaithTech | Bridging the Gap Between Faith and Technology

 

[The Liturgist]

I'm not sure if anyone of you are are aware, but there's an organization called FaithTech. Very nice folks. Thriving community! They work on a couple of projects every year, completely volunteer save for a few directors. Check it out if you have time, energy, and will! If nothing else, at least join the community.

Home - FaithTech | Bridging the Gap Between Faith and Technology

I will check it out.

 

[elytron]

Hello everyone. Would it be okay for me to join this club? Though I have not mastered a programming language, I desire to learn. Currently am reading a book on Python. I love to create things, so I find this all very interesting.

I am 31 years old, so starting way late in life. Doubt anyone would hire me, so I learn as a hobby. Would love to create a useful, Linux desktop application. Of some type. Or possibly fork some abandoned open source project. Hopefully someday will be able to.

To be honest... I didn't progress very far into programming since my last post here. So I must exit my club member status at this time

 

[The Liturgist]

To be honest... I didn't progress very far into programming since my last post here. So I must exit my club member status at this time

That might be pre-mature, I would be happy to code with you if you wanted help. Also why not use chatGPT to help you write a program?

 

[Lost4words]

I tried programming but my paws are too big!!!

 

[pgp_protector]

Visual Studio now has an AI Copilot extension that's sorta cool.

About GitHub Copilot Completions in Visual Studio - Visual Studio (Windows)

Use GitHub Copilot completions in Visual Studio to use AI assistance to generate information about your code, including suggested edits and new code snippets.

learn.microsoft.com

 

[The Liturgist]

Visual Studio now has an AI Copilot extension that's sorta cool.

About GitHub Copilot Completions in Visual Studio - Visual Studio (Windows)

Use GitHub Copilot completions in Visual Studio to use AI assistance to generate information about your code, including suggested edits and new code snippets.

learn.microsoft.com

Nice. Bing’s AI is cool in that it reads current news unlike ChatGPT.

 

[The Liturgist]

I tried programming but my paws are too big!!!

Get a bigger keyboard.

 

[The Liturgist]

You know several famous programmers have conditions that interfere with their ability to type and make use of accessibility devices of different sorts, seriously. For example, there is a program in Linux where you select a letter by moving your hand around a large platform and it also works like typing on an iphone or android in that it predicts what words you might be about to use, and you can select those words. Then there’s also Wreck A Nice Beach (speech recognition; the humorous nickname for the joke is from Microsoft’s programming community because their first attempt at speech recognition had a bug wherein if you told it “Recognize Speech” it would think you had said “Wreck A Nice Beach.”

Modern voice recognition software is much improved however so the chances of inadvertently ordering the demolition of Waikiki or Malibu are greatly reduced.

 

[The Liturgist]

Visual Studio now has an AI Copilot extension that's sorta cool.

About GitHub Copilot Completions in Visual Studio - Visual Studio (Windows)

Use GitHub Copilot completions in Visual Studio to use AI assistance to generate information about your code, including suggested edits and new code snippets.

learn.microsoft.com

That said I have to confess I do my coding in vim, or on Windows, in cream, which is a configuration of gvim which is optimized for aesthetics.