Just a short commentary about the inconsistent behavior, unreliability of the Microsoft Access Modern Browser control.

This morning, I decided to try and dabbled with the Modern Browser control in preparation of a new article I was hoping to publish. Sadly, for whatever reason, it would not render a single page. At first I thought it was the page, so I tried different ones (my own, Google, …) and I always got a blank page, no content. I checked that the code was firing, and it was supposedly working just fine, yet nothing.

I pulled up my original web browser database that I used to create my original article on the subject, and it worked fine.

Doubled checked the code, and it was fine, no issue with what I had done, yet nothing.

Compacted, Compiled, … all the regular troubleshooting steps.

I copied over a form from the other db and started working…. Eventually the db crashed (my fault) and when it reopened, suddenly the form that wouldn’t work, now worked?! Same form, no change, but now, suddenly, it worked.

I’ve experienced other oddities where changes don’t get reflected unless you close and reopen the database, but this is taking things to a whole new level of dysfunctional.

Talk about unstable! How much time wasted chancing my own tail, when there was absolutely nothing wrong with anything I did. Is this the experience we are supposed to provide our users with?

Oh Microsoft, what have you done?! You have such an opportunity to knock this one out of the park when you create this new control and instead we get this.