Advanced interactive interfaces with Access : Building Interactive Interfaces with VBA

Explore and learn advanced techniques for working with graphical, interactive interfaces that can be built in Access. This book starts with best practices and tips to write code using VBA, and covers how to implement them in a real-world scenario. You will learn how to create and use VBA classes. An introduction to the binary code and the "bit vector" technique is discussed, followed by the implementation of a drag-and-drop engine. You also will learn how to design a timeline, and make it scrollable. What You Will Learn Write readable, easy-to-maintain code Add a drag-and-drop engine to an Access application Apply variations to the drag-and-drop technique to create different graphical effects Embed a scrollable timeline in an Access application, on which objects can be dynamically placed Who This Book Is For VBA developers Table of Contents About the Author About the Technical Reviewers Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Writing Code: Good Practices and Tips 1.1. Option Explicit 1.2. Option Compare 1.3. Variable Names 1.4. Private/Public 1.5. User-Defined Types (UDT) 1.6. Service Functions 1.7. Boolean Parameters 1.8. Optional Parameters 1.9. Control Names 1.10. Control Tags 1.11. Function Exit Point 1.12. Function Returning Value 1.13. Indenting, Spacing, Commenting 1.14. Object Destruction 1.15. Wall of Declarations 1.16. Dim ... As New 1.17. Make Variant Explicit 1.18. Boolean and Date Data Type 1.19. SELECT CASE 1.20. Call Instruction 1.21. Feedback 1.22. Conclusion Chapter 2: VBA Classes 2.1. Creating a Class 2.2. Instantiating a Class 2.3. Properties 2.4. Methods 2.5. “Companion” Module 2.6. Nested Classes 2.7. Conclusion Chapter 3: The Presence Vector Technique 3.1. Conclusion Chapter 4: Advanced Interfaces: Drag and Drop 4.1. How to Make an Image Draggable 4.2. Adding More Images 4.3. Connecting Two Images with Lines 4.4. Connecting Multiple Images 4.5. The “Ghost Label” Technique 4.6. Sliding Forms 4.7. Conclusion Chapter 5: Advanced Interfaces: Scrollable Timeline 5.1. Design the Timeline 5.2. Make It Scrollable 5.3. Add Navigation Controls 5.4. Placing Objects 5.5. Conclusion Chapter 6: Outro Index