Prompting users to import data

D

DiamondDug

I'm trying to build a demo on how to use access for future employees.
Something to sort of walk them through simple tasks such as importing tables
from Excel or existing Access Databases and creating relationships between
tables. Is there a way I can create pop up messages which prompt the user to
do things such as browse for the table they wish to import or link?
 
A

Arvin Meyer

If you can write VBA code, it is a relatively easy task to pop up msgboxes
or labels in the mouseover event of various controls. You can also use the
form's Timer event to pop up explanatory forms for certain intervals. You
can also shell out to a PowerPoint slide show of screen shots, or even use a
more animated show made with something like Camtasia:

http://www.techsmith.com/products/studio/default.asp
--
Arvin Meyer, MCP, MVP
Microsoft Access
Free Access Downloads
http://www.datastrat.com
http://www.mvps.org/access
 
D

DiamondDug

Thank you for the suggestion. Saddly, in college they taught me a ton of
programming languages but neglected to have any classes about Visual Basic.
It seems stupid that we'd learn C++ but not a language that ANYONE can use on
the most popular software aplications that exist in EVERY business. That
being said, I don't know much about the VB language. Could you recommend a
source to get me started such as a VB for Dummies website or something.
Anything rudimentary will do, I'm sure I'll get the hang of it if it's
anything like SiMAN or C++.

thanks again,
Doug
 
A

Arvin Meyer

Look to Ken Getz's books or Sussman's books on Access VBA and VB as a couple
of good ones on learning the language. The code is so simple though, I'll
just write a generic sample for you. Use the Access property sheet to select
the Event tab, then a down arrow in the MouseMove to select [Event
Procedure]. Click on the ellipsis (...) button. It should then look like
this:

Private Sub Detail_MouseMove(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As
Single, Y As Single)

End Sub

Add the following code:

Private Sub Detail_MouseMove(Button As Integer, Shift As Integer, X As
Single, Y As Single)
MsgBox "This is the message", vbOKOnly, "Title bar test here"
End Sub

Instead of doing it over the entire detail section, use the same property to
do it over individual labels and other controls. This is just a simple
(perhaps overly so) method. You can get more sophisticated by using the
ControlTip property (look on the "Other" tab of the property sheet. Also
look at Stephen Leban's code at:

http://www.lebans.com/tooltip.htm

or a simple example of my code at:

http://www.datastrat.com/Download/MouseMove.zip
--
Arvin Meyer, MCP, MVP
Microsoft Access
Free Access downloads:
http://www.datastrat.com
http://www.mvps.org/access
 
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