Chapter 1 -- An Introduction to VBA

Chapter 1

Over a decade ago, Bill Gates proposed a universal macro language for desktop applications. Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the fulfillment of that dream and more. The VBA in Microsoft Access 2000 is common to all Microsoft Office components as well as scores of third-party packages. Its syntax is also consistent with the stand-alone Visual Basic programming language. VBA's ubiquity enables developers to use a single programming language in dozens of contexts simply by learning a new object model. VBA is like glue for an Access application. VBA holds everything together and gives an application form.

Access 2000 includes a new interface, the Visual Basic Editor (VBE), that brings it more in line with other Office components. However, you'll probably find yourself inserting VBA code behind the familiar Access forms instead of behind the user forms used in the rest of Office. This marriage of technologies will feel very natural.

This chapter will introduce VBA in Access 2000 and review VBA fundamentals as they relate to developing Access 2000 applications. It will also showcase major VBA innovations and demonstrate code-behind-form techniques. While this is a traditional Access development topic, there are some new twists to how you do it with VBE.

This chapter will cover seven aspects of VBA in Access, listed below, and will conclude with a brief discussion of macros.

• Collections, objects, properties, methods, and events
• Procedures and modules
• The VBE interface
• Jet, data types, and declarations
• Conditional logic and looping constructs
• Built-in functions
• Debugging and error trapping