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Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 with SP1 Management Pack for MOM 2000 SP1

Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006 Software Development Kit 1.2 Includes documentation and samples - everything developers need to write, build, and deploy Microsoft Small Business Accounting integrated applications.

Cool Tool Tips: A Better Control Tip Paradigm

In Access, the functionality of tools tips has not changed since they were introduced in Access95 ten years ago.

In a free sample Access2000 database Cool Tool Tips, which you can download, I have implemented a more functional and controllable paradigm, which also looks great. If you have an application that is to any degree complex to use, Cool Tool Tips is an easily-implemented solution that avoids the need for a Help file, and keeps tips on the screen for however long they are needed by the user:

When a control with a tip gets the focus, the tip is read from the control's Tag property, and when the control loses the focus the tip is hidden. Clicking on the tip while it is displayed hides the tip.

A tip's heading and text are separated by a "~" delimiter in the string assigned to a control's Tag property. The string is parsed by a generic public function in a module, called by another generic function behind the form.

Latest MS Office Downloads

Network Installation Wizard, Version 2.1 for Office 97 Download the Network Installation Wizard, Version 2.1, for use with the network installation of Microsoft Office 97 (5/24/2005).

System Policy Editor and Office 97 Policy Templates Download the System Policy Editor and Office 97 Policy Templates (5/24/2005).

Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2003 Hotfix This download contains the hotfix for Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2003 (5/25/2005).

Word 2003 Sample: Creating a Search Application with Visual Basic .NET Download this sample to create a simple application in Microsoft Visual Basic .NET that searches a database and uses the results to populate a Microsoft Word document using XML tags or bookmarks (5/26/2005).

Resources for Deploying and Automating MS Office

Step by step: Deploy Office 2003 with OneNote 2003 Learn step by step how to deploy Office and OneNote at the same time throughout your organisation.

The Office 2003 Resource Kit If you're a network administrator, you'll want to check out the free Office 2003 Resource Kit. It's the definitive guide to deploying, customizing, and maintaining Office throughout your organisation.

New spreadsheet reveals Office 2003 setup defaults A new spreadsheet, Office 2003 Setup defaults.xls, is now available in the Office 2003 Resource Kit. It documents the default installation settings for Office 2003 and the Office family applications FrontPage, OneNote, Project, and Visio.

Access FrontPage commands programmatically Discover how to access almost every FrontPage command from your VBA code - even commands that aren't available through the FrontPage object model.

Automating the XML data mapping process in Excel 2003 Learn how to use XML maps to customize Excel as a data input and display system.

Migrating to Microsoft Microsoft Office 2003

Microsoft Office XP to Microsoft Office 2003 Migration Issues This document discusses the possible problem areas administrators might encounter when moving from Office XP to Office 2003.

Webcast: Best practices to use when migrating from Office 2000 or Office XP to Office
2003

Migrating Smart Tags from Office XP to the Office 2003 Editions

Microsoft Office 2003 Editions Resource Kit The Office Resource Kit features a collection of tools designed specifically to support the Microsoft Office System, and includes comprehensive discussion of such topics as deployment, security, messaging, and worldwide support.

Fixing a Corrupt MS Access Database

If you suspect your MS Access database is corrupt, try the following fixes in this order:

1. Compact and Repair the Database. It is advisable to create a backup of the database before running Compact and Repair, in the event the operation goes wrong.

2. Check that .mdb compiles without error.

3. Make a backup copy of the original .mdb and use the undocumented /decompile switch to decompile the .mdb, by creating a shortcut to the .mdb on these lines:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 2003\OFFICE11\msaccess.exe"
"C:\MyDocuments\MyDBase.mdb /decompile

4. Use the undocumented SaveAsText and LoadFromText methods of the Application object.

a. Export all objects, except tables, in the database to text files using the following procedures:

Application.SaveAsText(acQuery, "<ObjectName>", "<Path\File Name>")
Application.SaveAsText(acForm, "<ObjectName>", "<Path\File Name>")
Application.SaveAsText(acReport, "<ObjectName>", "<Path\File Name>")
Application.SaveAsText(acDataAccesPage, "<ObjectName>", "<Path\File Name>")
Application.SaveAsText(acMacro, "<ObjectName>", "<Path\File Name>")
Application.SaveAsText(acModule, "<ObjectName>", "<Path\File Name>")

where <ObjectName> is the name of an existing object, and
<Path\File Name> is the path to and the file name of the text file to be created.

b. Create a new database and import all the database objects into the new database.

• With the new database open, point to Get External Data on the File menu, and then click Import. In the Import dialog box, locate and click on the damaged database, and then click Import. On the Tables tab in the Import Objects dialog box, click Select All. Click OK to import the selected tables.
• Import each of the exported text files to the new database by using the following procedures:
  
  Application.LoadFromText(acQuery, "<ObjectName>", "<Path\File Name>")
  Application.LoadFromText(acForm, "<ObjectName>", "<Path\File Name>")
  Application.LoadFromText(acReport, "<ObjectName>", "<Path\File Name>")
  Application.LoadFromText(acDataAccesPage, "<ObjectName>", "<Path\File Name>")
  Application.LoadFromText(acMacro, "<ObjectName>", "<Path\File Name>")
  Application.LoadFromText(acModule, "<ObjectName>", "<Path\File Name>")
  
  where <ObjectName> is the name of the object, and
  <Path\File Name> is the path to and the file name of the text file to be imported.

For more info about database corruption, refer to:

1. How to Troubleshoot/Repair a Damaged Jet 4.0 Database
2. Microsoft Access Corruption FAQ

The Latest Updates and Ehancements for MS Office

Microsoft To Lock up Office Documents As government gets strict on how companies manage data, Microsoft is looking at ways to make Office files more secure.

Microsoft Offers Peek at next Version of MS Office Slated improvements include enhanced collaboration and individual productivity.

Microsoft Office Live Meeting Office Live Meeting is a new Web Conferencing solution for hosting online meetings, training, and events, which integrates with standard Office applications. A 14 day trial is available.

Microsoft Office Update Check for and download free updates for Microsoft Office.

Resolving References in MS Access Revisited

More on the issue of referencing library databases in Access.

Access will try to update a reference if it cannot find the referenced database in its original location. If the RefLibPaths registry key does not exist or does not contain a proper reference, Access uses the SearchPath API to search for the referenced file.

The following searches are performed in the order indicated:



So for all versions of Access the most reliable approach is to locate the library file in same directory as the MSACCESS.EXE file. You can add additional directory paths to the hierarchy that Access searches by creating a Registry key called RefLibPaths:

\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Access\RefLibPaths

If Access sees this entry, it searches in the specified location before searching elsewhere. Create a string value within this key for each library fro which you want to establish a search path. The value name for the entry is the name of the library database, and the value data is the path to search.

You can bypass the reference model and "hard-wire" the location of a specific library without creating a reference to it by using a Registry key. Create the following key:

\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Access\LoadOnStartup

Enter a value name under this key that is the path and file name for a library database, with the value data set as "RO" if the library is read-only, or "RW" for read/write. you can call procedures in the referenced library using the Run method and the qualified name of the procedure, for example:

Run "MyLib.Mda.MyProcedure"

This approach has limitations however. Because Run cannot return a value and because a library referenced like this through the Registry does not appear in the Object Browser, you cannot directly call a library function in a database with a Registry reference and no reference in the References collection.

Sources:
How Access 2002 resolves VBA references
How Access 2000 resolves VBA references
How Access 97 resolves VBA references
Access 97 Expert Solutions (Que Publishing) by Stan Leszynski

Latest MS Office 2003 Downloads: Fabrikam, Outlook API's, and the Excel XML Toolbox

Office 2003 Tool: FabriKam – The Microsoft Office System Solutions Learning Platform Get a single compiled help file that describes how FabriKam incorporates tools, processes, and technologies that developers can use to build powerful solutions on the Microsoft Office System.

Outlook 2003: Integration API Reference Get reference materials for the Outlook 2003 Integration APIs, including the Account Management API, the Data Degradation Layer API, the Free/Busy API, the MAPI-MIME Conversion API, the Offline State API, the Replication API, and the Store API.

Excel 2003 Tool: Excel XML Toolbox for Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Learn how to use the Excel XML Toolbox to help you work with custom-defined XML schemas, XML and the Excel object model, and SpreadsheetML.

Checking, Resolving, and Fixing Broken Library References in your MS Access Applications

Access versions 97, 2000, and 2002/2003 resolve broken references differently, so you need conditional code for each run-time environment.

The following Access KB articles are a good starting point for this difficult topic:

• How Access 2002 resolves VBA references
• How Access 2000 resolves VBA references
• How Access 97 resolves VBA references

This article from trigeminal.com is the best I have read on the topic: How to guarantee that references will work in your Access Applications

Do-It-Yourself VB Script Center Kit

I have just come across this MS download containing sample scripts and documentation enabling you to create your own version of the TechNet Script Center, either as stand-alone Web pages, stand-alone .vbs files, or as a .chm Help file. The Kit also includes instructions for using these helper scripts, and the really great thing about it is that it contains an MS Access database with 2,214 sample scripts for the Windows Scripting Host!

Latest MS Excel Tools and Resources

Using the Excel XML Toolbox for Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Read this article to learn how to use the Excel XML Toolbox to help you work with custom-defined XML schemas, XML and the Excel object model, and SpreadsheetML.

Understanding Security for Add-ins and VBA Macros in Excel 2003

MS Office Version 12 out in 2006

New Microsoft Office in 2006 11 May 2005 Microsoft will release the next version of Office next year, Bill Gates said yesterday...

Code Sample: Shutdown Word from MS Access

Shut Down an Instance of Microsoft Word From Advisor.com. When an Microsoft Access application that uses Microsoft Word crashes, it doesn't always close the instance of Word. Find out how to shut Word down from within Access.

Excel 2003 XML Toolbox

Excel XML Toolbox for Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Just released and provides many useful tools for working with XML in Excel:

Working with Custom-defined XML Schema

• Reload schema into workbooks while preserving cell mappings.
  
• Build a schema or add to an existing schema, directly from Excel.
  
• View the schema for XML maps stored within workbooks.

Working with XML and the Excel Object Model

• Quickly refresh all XML maps with bound data sources.
  
• Refresh XML maps with bound data sources and persist cell formulas for
  mapped cells.
  
• Use a new XML Range Properties tool to view XML mapped cell properties and
  to copy the XPath or Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) statement
  to the Clipboard.
  
• View the exportable XML data without exporting.

Working with SpreadsheetML

• Quickly save the workbook as SpreadsheetML.
  
• View the SpreadsheetML for the active workbook.

Shortcuts and More

• Quickly open and close the XML Source task pane.
  
• Turn on and off the borders for XML mapped cells.
  
• Import and export XML.

Latest Service Packs

Windows SharePoint Services Service Pack 1 Windows SharePoint Services Service Pack 1 provides the latest updates to Windows SharePoint Services.

Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.8 SP1 Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.8 SP1 contains core Data Access components such as the Microsoft SQL Server™ OLE DB provider and ODBC driver.

New Tool for Viewing MS Access Object Dependencies

I have just launched my latest Add-In and Wizard for MS Access.

MS Access Object Dependency Browser (ODB): the easy way to explore all objects, objet collections, and dependencies of your Access database.

Microsoft introduced a native object dependency viewer in Access2003, where objects can be viewed in separate treeviews: objects that depend on me, and objects that I depend on.

ODB goes much further:

1. Supports Access 97, Access 2000, Access 2002, and Access 2003
   
2. The two dependency views are integrated in the one treeview: for example in the screenshot below, ODB displays not only the fields collection for the Customers table, but linked tables and joins, and all other objects in the database that depend on the Customers table. Clicking on a join field will show the related to table/field and the type of join.
   
3. Full dependency details are also displayed in the adjacent properties pane.
   
4. Each object can be fully documented in a formatted Access report by clicking the Document button.
   
5. Copy of all object details from the properties pane to the Windows clipboard by clicking the Copy to Clipboard button.
   
6. Open database objects in design view with a click of the Design button.

Latest MS Access 2003 Knowledeg Base Articles

Courtesy of kbalertz.com:

• 898469 The Office 2003 Setup program unexpectedly quits, and you do not receive an error message.
• 898512 You receive a "Microsoft has not been installed for the current user" error message when you try to start an Office 2003 program for the first time.
• 896865 You may receive a "The OLE server may not be registered" error message when you try to create a blank data access page in Access 2002 or Office Access 2003.
• 887971 Description of the Access 2003 post-Service Pack 1 hotfix package: November 1, 2004.
• 885259 Description of the French version of the Access 2003 post-Service Pack 1 hotfix package: September 30, 2004.
• 896013 Description of the Microsoft Office Access 2003 post-Service Pack 1 hotfix package: March 26, 2005.

SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 4 Now Available

May 06, 2005 SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4) adds platform support for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition, allowing 32-bit SQL Server 2000 applications to run on 64-bit platforms using the Windows on Windows emulator (WOW64).

SP4 also addresses specific issues discovered in SQL Server 2000 since its ship date and the first service pack to service the 64-bit edition of SQL Server. Because SQL Server service packs are cumulative, SP4 includes all fixes from previously released Service Pack 1 (SP1), Service Pack 2 (SP2), Service Pack 3 (SP3), and Service Pack 3a (SP3a). SP4 can be applied to an original SQL Server 2000 installation or to one where SP1, SP2, SP3, or SP3a was previously applied. This service pack includes the MS03-031 security bulletin released in July, 2003.

Installation of the update to MSDE 2000 is not straightforward, and details are available from the link above.

XML ADO and all that...

Beyond Tables: Dealing with the Convergence of Relational and XML Data Developers are under increasing pressure to work with heterogeneous information. The advent of XML provided a data representation suitable for both regular (database tables) and irregular content, and was a significant step forward, but representation alone is not enough. We need a powerful standardized method for querying that data as well. XQuery fulfills that need (from the DevX.com XML Zone).

ADOMD.NET is a .NET object model, used for building client applications that access an XML for Analysis 1.1 compliant data provider, such as that provided by the XML for Analysis 1.1 SDK.

Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) Utility: Component Checker Component Checker utility has been redesigned to provide XML support. The new tool includes updated snapshots for MDAC 2.7 SP1 on Windows XP SP1 and MDAC 2.8 SP2 on Windows Server 2003 SP1.

Outlook APIs, Price-Cut for Visual Studio, and a Better Inputbox

Outlook 2003: Integration API Reference This reference contains conceptual overviews and reference topics to guide you in developing solutions based on the MS Outlook 2003 Integration APIs.

New Pricing for Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Microsoft has cut the price of Visual Studio to encourage upgrades. Microsoft has announced pricing and licensing terms for Visual Studio 2005, its application development tool set, as well as Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) subscriptions, the program through which most developers buy Visual Studio.

Smart Access: Access Answers: Hide Your Input, and it's Pretty Common How to enhance the built-in InputBox, as well as how to programmatically call a couple of the standard Windows dialogs (the Color and Font dialogs).