Chapter 15: Libraries and Add-Ins

Overview

This chapter is all about code libraries. We're all familiar with libraries of books, and the concept of code libraries is similar. A book library is a public place, and after a quick registration process, you can borrow books. You can join many different libraries, giving you a wider range of books to select from. The books are generally arranged according to subject (Fiction, Reference, and so on) and there is usually a full index allowing you to quickly find what you are looking for.

A code library is much the same. It will contain code, forms, tables, and so on, and after registering it, you can use the items in the library as though they were in your current database. This means you can use other people's code as well as your own. You've already seen the advantages to code reuse, so this just takes it one step further.

In this chapter we'll be looking at the following:

• Creating a library database

• Referencing library databases

• Creating class libraries

• Using Add-Ins

• Creating your own Add-Ins