Category Archives: Application Development

Aug 24

Total Visual Agent Available for Microsoft Access 2016

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topbannertotal-visual-agent-60scheduler

Total Visual Agent is the world’s most popular maintenance scheduling tool for Microsoft Access/Office and Visual Basic 6 (VB6) is now available for Microsoft Access 2016 (and earlier). This is the ninth major release of Total Visual Agent and introduces many enhancements to automate maintenance chores easier than ever.

To keep your Microsoft Access databases healthy, you need to regularly compact them. For disaster recovery, you should also be making backup copies of your database regularly. You may also have regular tasks such as printing reports that are performed regularly. Total Visual Agent does this and much more on a schedule you specify. Run tasks hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or just one time. Perform database chores, run Access macros or Windows command lines. A complete audit trail is maintained, and you can even be notified by email if something goes wrong. Total Visual Agent can also be run as a Windows service to restart if the machine reboots and for added security since a user doesn’t need to be logged in.

Total Visual Agent 2016 leverages our vast expertise, and offers the best database management solution with many new features:

Total Visual Agent

  • Supports Microsoft Access 2016
  • Supports Windows 8 and 10
  • Does Not Require Access to be Installed on your PC
  • Database Lock Error Identifies Offending Machines
  • Activity Log is Separated from Settings Database
  • Activity Log Shows Duration of Each Activity
  • Email Notifications Support TLS and Office365 SMTP
  • Tasks are Not Run at the End of an Event Interval
  • Enabled/Disabled Status Shown on the Event Form
  • More Robust Windows Service Feature
  • Improved Monitor Settings Tab
  • Default Location of Archive and Extract Folders Moved
  • Improved Setup Program
  • New user manual and help file
  • download-trial-blueand More…

Download the free trial version today!

Easily Define and Manage Events, Tasks, Databases and Folders

manager_2016

Aug 17

Total Access Emailer Version X.7 for Microsoft Access 2013, 2010, and 2007

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Microsoft Access Email BlasterTotal Access EmailerMicrosoft Access Email

With the recent release of Total Access EmailerTotal Access Emailer for Microsoft Access 2016, we are pleased to release updates of earlier versions to include the many new features:

  • Total Access Emailer 2013, Version 15.7
  • Total Access Emailer 2010, Version 14.7
  • Total Access Emailer 2007, Version 12.7

Total Access Emailer is the most popular email blaster for Microsoft Access. Easily send personalized emails directly from your Access database. Quickly communicate with every email address in your table or query. Use fields from your data source to customize each subject and message. Attach files from disk and also attach reports as PDF files filtered for each recipient.

The new X.7 version includes many new features since their previous version:

  • email-validationEmail Validation to check the syntax of the values in your email field so you can flag invalid emails in your table before you send your blast
  • Save Attached Files to Disk. This lets you document the attached files sent to all your contacts without using blind cc (Bcc).
    • This can also be used independent of sending emails as a way to distribute files and PDF reports to disk. You can even create folder names based on field values.
  • Preview Saving Files to Disk
  • New VBA Function to Preview Email Blasts with Save Files
  • Code Generator Supports Preview Email with Save Folder
  • Support for Office365 and other SMTP Services using TLS
  • Enhanced setup for Windows 10 and 64-bit installations
  • Updated user manual and help file
  • Complete list and additional details of new features in Total Access Emailer X.7.

download-trial-blueDownload the free trial version and send your own personalized emails from Microsoft Access.

Create multiple email blasts in your database and run them at any time through the Total Access Emailer add-in Wizard:

Main Screen of Total Access Emailer 2016

Jun 13

Total Access Emailer Ships for Microsoft Access 2016

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Microsoft Access Email BlasterTotal Access EmailerMicrosoft Access Email

Total Access EmailerTotal Access Emailer is the most popular email blaster for Microsoft Access. Easily send personalized emails directly from your Access database. Quickly communicate with every email address in your table or query. Use fields from your data source to customize each subject and message. Attach files from disk and also attach reports as PDF files filtered for each recipient.

Total Access Emailer is now available for Microsoft Access 2016. Total Access Emailer 2016 includes many enhancements since the prior release for Access 2013:

  • Supports Access 2016
    • 32 and 64-bit versions
    • Add-in and VBA Runtime libraries in the Professional Version
  • email-validationEmail Validation to check the syntax of the values in your email field so you can flag invalid emails in your table before you send your blast
  • Save Attached Files to Disk. This lets you document the attached files sent to all your contacts without using blind cc (Bcc).
    • This can also be used independent of sending emails as a way to distribute files and PDF reports to disk. You can even create folder names based on field values.
  • Preview Saving Files to Disk
  • New VBA Function to Preview Email Blasts with Save Files
  • Code Generator Supports Preview Email with Save Folder
  • Enhanced setup for Windows 10 and 64-bit installations
  • Updated user manual and help file
  • Complete list and additional details of new features.

download-trial-blueDownload the free trial version and send your own personalized emails from Microsoft Access.

Easily Run and Manage the Email Blasts You’ve Created in Your Database

Main Screen of Total Access Emailer 2016

Apr 15

Total Access Startup Available for Microsoft Access 2016 and 2013

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total-access-startupTotal Access Startup makes it easy to centrally manage all your Microsoft Access database deployments. Ensure that all your users run the latest version of your database application with the right version of MS Access. Easily deploy updates without having to manually change things on each user’s PC. Simply point your users to a shortcut and they never need to know the actual name of the database.

overview

Total Access Startup 2016 is now shipping to let you:

  • For optimal performance, deploy a local copy of your master database on each user’s PC and keep it updated when you update the master
  • Run it with a specific Access version or a range of allowable Access versions. This makes it easy to support legacy versions of Access even if users install later versions of Office/Access.
  • Specify the bitness (32 and/or 64-bit) that are allowed for Access 2010, 2013, and 2016.
  • Display a professional splash screen graphic while your database loads
  • If your users can’t launch your database, a message appears with information you provide to contact you. You can customize our messages or translate them to your user’s language.

startupMore Resources

Total Access Startup is also part of the Total Access Ultimate Suite. Existing Total Access Startup customers can upgrade at a discounted price.

Dec 18

Total Access Analyzer Available for Microsoft Access 2016

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Total Access Analyzer, the most popular Microsoft Access add-in, is now shipping for Microsoft Access 2016.

Total Access Analyzer offers comprehensive documentation and analysis of your MS Access databases so you can better understand individual objects, cross-references between objects, procedure and data flow diagrams, VBA module analysis, and much more. Detecting over 300 ways to fix and improve your databases, Total Access Analyzer improves the quality of your work, teaches you best practices for Access application development, and increases your productivity.

main-menu-2016

New FeaturesTotal Access Analyzer

  • Support for Microsoft Access 2016, 32 and 64 bit versions
  • New Suggestion: Incorrect Link to Subforms
  • New Suggestion: Relationship Field Cross-Reference and Field Type Comparison
  • Enhanced Cross-Reference of Aliased Tables in Queries
  • Pass-Through Queries are Not Cross-Referenced
  • Windows 10 Support
  • New Manual and Context Sensitive Help

For additional details, visit New Features in Total Access Analyzer 2016 for the enhancements since the Access 2013 version. Existing customers can upgrade at a discounted price. A demo version is available.

Oct 21

Microsoft Access 2016 and Invisible Picture Images

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December 8, 2015: Microsoft released an update that addresses this issue. Information and downloads are available here: Microsoft Access/Office Updates for December 2015. Updates were provided for Access 2016 and 2013, plus Office 2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, and 2003. Note this issue never affected Access 2013. Here is the KB Article and download for Access 2016. We’ve updated our Microsoft Access Version Releases, Service Packs, Hotfixes, and Updates History with the new updates.
NOTE: When we downloaded the update for 2016, we received build 16.0.6001.1038 dated 01-Dec-2015. That’s different from the 08-Dec-2015 announcement which described build 16.0.4312.1000 dated 12-Nov-2015. The update we installed resolves the invisible image issue, but we have yet to receive an explanation for the difference.

Microsoft Access 2016Microsoft recently released Office and Access 2016. In our preliminary testing and development with the 2016 version, there’s very little that has changed from Access 2013. However, a bug was introduced late in the development cycle that is quite annoying and serious.

Some Images (Pictures) are Missing

If you’ve added images (pictures) on your forms and reports, they may appear blank in MS Access 2016. For example, here’s a form with a picture image that is blank in 2016:

2016

This occurs with the 32-bit version of Access 2016 (16.0.4229.1024) and not the 64-bit version. That’s not a reason to use the 64-bit version, but it is a difference.

Not All Pictures are Invisible

Some images appear properly, while others don’t. With some research, we discovered:

  1. Images that were originally BMP files appear properly
  2. Graphic types such as GIF, JPG and PNG formats become blank

Impacted by the Picture Property Storage Format Setting

Upon further investigation, the problem is associated with the database’s Picture Property Storage Format when the picture was added to the form or report. This is under the Access Options setting for the Current Database:

Options-PictureFormat

There are two options:

  • Preserve source image format (smaller file size)
  • Convert all picture data to bitmaps (compatible with Access 2003 and earlier)

If the image is added when the option is set to the second option (Convert), the non-BMP graphics do not appear in the 2016 version.

Microsoft is Fixing the Problem

The Microsoft Access team is aware of this bug and fixing it. How long it will take before it’s publicly available is undetermined. It’ll probably be a few months as service packs take a while to get through the Office release process. We’ll let you know when we know.

What to do Now?

If you can’t wait for Microsoft to release a patch and need to use Access 2016 immediately, here’s what you should do:

  1. Set the Current Database, Picture Property Storage Format to “Preserve source image format”
  2. Reinsert your pictures. If your pictures are BMP files, the storage format setting won’t matter

Of course, it’s not easy to find all the places on your forms and reports where this is a problem, then reinsert every picture, especially if you don’t have or can’t find the original graphic files.

Total Access AnalyzerProperty Slices in Total Access Analyzer Can Help

Our Total Access Analyzer program documents all the objects in your database. While it can’t replace your graphic files, it identifies all the places where there’s a picture property. Whether it’s at the object (form or report) level or its controls, the Picture property shows whether an image file is assigned.

After documenting your database, from the Documentation Explorer, click on the Forms folder in the treeview, select the Property Slices tab, then choose the Picture property. This shows every form and its picture property value. The ones that aren’t “(none)” need to be reviewed:

property-slices-forms

Similarly, choose the Controls option and Picture property to see this value for all the controls on all your forms:

property-slices-controls

Press the Design button to put the current row’s form into design mode to make your changes. Then do the same for reports.

Unfortunately, this is quite a hassle for something that should just work. Let us know what you’re experiencing.

Aug 24

Total Access Analyzer 2010, 2007 and 2003 Updates Ship

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Total Access AnalyzerIn conjunction with the release of Total Access Analyzer for Microsoft Access 2013, FMS is pleased to release updates for earlier versions of MS Access:

Click on the links for detailed information on the new features.

Background

Total Access Analyzer is the most popular Microsoft Access add-in of all time. It provides detailed documentation and analysis of your MS Access databases to help you better understand how your objects work together, detect problems, improve your designs, and enhance performance.

This update is part of the 10th major release of Total Access Analyzer since its debut in 1993.

Free Demo

A demo is available for you to see the types of documentation it generates using the sample Northwind database. Look at the results, filter and search it, and see the reports it generates: Demo Download

Existing Customers

Customers on an annual support contract for Total Access Analyzer or the suites it’s in receive the new versions for free:

Other Total Access Analyzer customers can upgrade for a discounted price.

Jul 07

Total Access Analyzer Ships for Microsoft Access 2013

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Microsoft Access 2013FMS is pleased to announce the release of Total Access Analyzer, version 15, for Microsoft Access 2013. Total Access Analyzer 2013 is our 10th major release of this product since its debut with Access 1.1 in 1993.

Total Access Analyzer provides detailed documentation and analysis of your MS Access databases to help you better understand how your objects work together, detect problems, improve your designs, and enhance performance.

Over 300 Types of Issues are Detected

Total Access Analyzer examines all your database objects in detail to find 300+ types of issues including errors that crash your application, unused objects and VBA code, design inconsistencies, and other best practices to maximize your investment in your Access applications.

390 + Professional Quality Reports

Over 390 filterable and customizable reports are available to document your applications and help you develop more efficiently. Reports include table/field dictionary reports, object cross-reference lists, module printouts, application flow diagrams, field and SQL consistency reports, and much more.

Discover why so many Microsoft Access enthusiasts made Total Access Analyzer the most popular Microsoft Access add-in of all time and the winner of every Best Access Add-in Award for decades.

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New Features

Total Access Analyzer is now available for Microsoft Access 2013 with many new features:

  • Total Access AnalyzerSupports Microsoft Access 2013, 32 and 64-bit versions
  • New documentation of Conditional Formatting
  • Documentation of Navigation Control and Buttons
  • Documentation of Web Controls
  • New Control Type Reports
  • Support Procedure Calls to Libraries
  • 3 New Module VBA Coding Suggestions
  • Enhanced VBA Module Parser for Compiler Conditionals
  • New Search Bar for Selecting Objects
  • Improved Open Documentation Form
  • Report Filter Shows Count of Issues
  • New Treeview with 64-bit support
  • New user manual and help file
  • and more!

Here’s a complete list of new features.

Free Demo

A demo is available for you to see the types of documentation it generates using the sample Northwind database. Look at the results, filter and search it, and see the reports it generates: Demo Download

Existing Customers

Existing Total Access Analyzer customers can upgrade for a discounted price.

May 15

Windows 8.1 PCs Connect to the Network but not the Internet

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windows81This past Tuesday night, Microsoft released a security patch. On Wednesday morning, we and some of our customers encountered problems with connectivity that were quite unusual and different from past security updates. The update required servers to reboot which triggered some issues, but manageable. What was particularly troubling were multiple reports of problems with PCs using Windows 8.1.

The PCs could still connect to the network and see all the network resources, but they could not get on the Internet. Using different logins including Administrator logins didn’t make a difference. Other PCs using Windows 7 or older O/S were able to connect successfully even with the same cable as the Windows 8.1 PCs that couldn’t connect.

What Could be Wrong?

We struggled trying to see if there were issues with:

  • Hardware on the PC, network card, cable or switch
  • Software issues with the automatic Windows patches, DHCP network settings, IP addresses, Firewall, antivirus, etc.
  • Login rights and permissions

We couldn’t determine the problem or find a solution. Since the user could log into the network, permissions seemed sufficient.

From the Windows command prompt (Run cmd), we used the ipconfig command with the release and renew command lines to see if that would reset the IP address, but that didn’t make a difference either:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

Solution: Flush DNS

Finally, I posted a message to the Microsoft Access MVP group, which I’m honored to be a part of. Long time colleague, Tom Wickerath suggested flushing the DNS (Domain Name System) cache by using:

C:\> ipconfig /flushdns

We weren’t familiar with that command line option as it doesn’t appear when you enter

ipconfig ?

Well, it worked! We may never know whether the problem was caused by the Windows security patch or if it was just a coincidence. Regardless, the flushdns command reset the PCs that were affected by this problem.

Thanks for sharing your insight Tom!

Apr 16

Total Access Detective Review by Daniel Pineault

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MVPLogo[1]Microsoft Access MVP, Daniel Pineault, wrote a very nice review of our Total Access Detective program recently. Total Access Detective is a Microsoft Access add-in program that finds all the differences between two Access databases or two objects in one database. Changes with table and query structures, field properties, form and report controls and properties, macros, module VBA procedures and lines of code, and even data are detected.

Daniel found Total Access Detective very helpful when confronted with the challenge of determining exactly what changed between two Microsoft Access databases. Rather than manually and tediously trying to determine what changed, he used Total Access Detective to quickly generate a comprehensive comparison to find objects in one database and not the other, and a detailed comparison of objects with the same name. With Total Access Detective, he was able to pinpoint all the differences and make the necessary adjustments.

We were pleased he concluded with this:

Microsoft Access Difference DetectorFinal Verdict
“I am once again quite confident in putting my stamp of approval on this tool. If you are in a situation in which you quickly need to identify all the differences between multiple databases, FMS’ Total Access Detective will make short work of the job at hand! …
A very nice, easy to use and most importantly, effective and thorough tool!”

To learn more about what Daniel discovered and his experience, read his full Total Access Detective Review.

Thanks Daniel!