Category Archives: MS Access Bugs

Access Calculated Control Blank/Empty/Null

Now the following is for a very niche market, but I thought I’d share none the less.

Access 2010 (although I seen reports in other versions such as Access 2013) had a major issue in which calculated control would not display their content. Yet, if you clicked on the control, it would then display the proper value. Now Microsoft eventually remedied the issue by issuing an update (I believe https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2827138/access-encounters-multiple-issues-if-the-pc-has-been-running-more-than). So there is a real solution available, which is to update your installation.

However, I had a client, whose IT Dept. would not, will not, install the updates and I left me with no choice but to come up with a workaround of my own. As such, I created a routine that simply goes through a form and sets the focus on each control, one by one. It’s not ideal, but it works.

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Action Queries Do Not Work and Crash Access

Since the most recent Office 365 (1706) update Action queries make Access crash in foreign language installation.  It does not appear to impact English editions.

The Microsoft Access Dev Team was advised of the issue.

The only known workaround is to open the query in design view and run it from there or uninstall (or what Microsoft is now referring to as Revert) the latest update.

 

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Open last used database when Access starts Not Working

There’s a new bug with Access 2016 in which the Open last used database when Access starts property does not work.

This issue also seem to involve hung msaccess.exe process, so Access does not appear to be shutting down properly.  When exiting Access, be sure to use check the Windows Task Manager for hung processes and end them.

A Few Threads on the Subject

Office 2016 Access not automatically opening last database used.
ACCESS 2016
Build 1705 and Client Settings
MS Access 2016 will not release CPU after shutting down.
The Confirm Action Queries, Document Deletions and Record Changes options will not stay unchecked.

Update

The bug in questions appears to be much more generalized and impacts many, if not all, of the database options/settings.  So the workarounds below can be generalized, with the obvious need to first identify each options corresponding registry key (most are pretty obvious).

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Access USysRibbons Bug

Software Bug

Last week I experienced some weird behavior while trying to split a database I was working on (which took me a little while to figure out since my db had table relinking code included in it) and then yesterday fellow MVP Jack Leach started a discussion regarding the same problem. So having been confirmed by a 2nd completely independent source, I am dubbing it a bug.

The Bug

Here’s how you can reproduce the issue easily.

  1. Create a new db and create a USysRibbons table to create a custom ribbon from. Set the db to use that ribbon.
  2. Split the db, but place the USysRibbons table in the back-end (yes, this isn’t a best practice, but regardless).
  3. Now, do one of 2 things:
    • Encrypt the back-end
    • Move the back-end file location

The next time you try to open your FE you will be presented with the default Access GUI to select the database you wish to open, as if you didn’t just ask it to open the FE. Even the Shift-Bypass will not work. As such, a relinking table function will not even fire.

MS Access USysRibbons bug

The issue here being that Access’ bug does not give the developer/user any means to rectify it (as stated above, the even the shift-bypass does not work to get the developer back into the database to address the root cause of the problem), does not report any error, …

The Workaround

The solution is to deleted the linked table in the FE prior to encryption or relocating the BE and then recreating the linked table thereafter.

So basically, once you discover the problem you can’t actually address it.  You have to undo the encryption or relocation, so your FE will work again, delete the linked USysRibbons table, then make your changes, then relink the table.

Note

  1. This problem only occurs with the USysRibbons table.  Other tables properly display the

    Could not find file ‘C:\…\…\…\databasename.accdb’

    when you try to access them after relocation or encryption.

  2. I experienced the problem in Access 2013, and I believe Jack was having the issue in Access 2016.

The Bigger Question

The bigger question that should be asked here is why is it that a decade into the ribbon is it soooo fragile and temperamental without error reporting?  If you have flawed XML why can it not report the line causing the error?  Why in the above case, does this cause a fatal application error and not allow the developer any means to correct the situation?  Why has the ribbon stood still for 10 years now?!