Understanding and Managing Microsoft Access Shift Bypass

Microsoft Access Shift Bypass is a feature that allows users to open an Access database without running startup options or AutoExec macros. This functionality can be crucial for developers and administrators but may pose security risks in deployed applications.
 

How Shift Bypass Works

When opening a Microsoft Access database, users can hold down the SHIFT key to bypass startup properties and the AutoExec macro. This feature is particularly useful for troubleshooting and accessing databases that might have errors in their startup code.
 
Continue reading →

How-To Restrict An Access Database To Only Run From A Specific Folder

A while back, I discussed password protecting a database:

Purplish Round Lock Icon
Access - Encryption and Password Protection
I thought I’d briefly cover the subject of Access database encryption and password protection. Historically, when we talk about the mdb file format, password protection was pretty much useless and could easily be cracked with free and widely available online tools. With the newer accdb file format things changed and cracking them seems harder. One word of caution here is that I’ve just recently been made aware that a company is developing, or has developed, an Access password cracker that they say can do so nearly instantaneously. That said, it is my personal opinion that every database should be password…

Continue reading →

and in that article I mentioned:

Code the database to close if not run in the proper directory

Today, I thought I’d explain how this can be done.
 
Continue reading →

Microsoft Access’s Rounding vs. Traditional Numeric Rounding

In the world of data management and calculation, rounding numbers is a common operation that seems straightforward at first glance. However, when comparing the rounding method used in Microsoft Access to the traditional numeric rounding taught in schools, significant differences emerge. These differences can have important implications for data accuracy.

Microsoft, in the official Access Round documentation, states:

This VBA function returns something commonly referred to as bankers rounding. So be careful before using this function. For more predictable results, use Worksheet Round functions in Excel VBA.Microsoft

Traditional Rounding: The School Method

Basic Principles

In educational settings, students are typically introduced to a simple and intuitive rounding method:
Continue reading →

An Nz() Function For All Applications

I was surprised to learn that the Nz() function that we, Access developers, count on simply does not exist in other VBA applications (Excel, Outlook, …).

Since I incorporate NULL checks in some of my procedures, and to allow them to work outside of just Microsoft Access, I thought it important to demonstrate how easy it is to create our own user-defined function for such cases.
 
Continue reading →

Using the File System Object (FSO) to Check if a Folder has an Attribute

After yesterday’s posting regarding enumeration a folder’s attributes:

Using the File System Object (FSO) for Retrieving Folder Attributes
Here’s a simple function to get the attributes of a folder, such as: Read-Only Hidden System Volume Archive Compressed and more…  

I thought I’d share another variation on that function, a function to test if a specific attribute is set for a folder.
 
Continue reading →

Locking the Keyboard and Mouse Input Using VBA

Have you ever wanted to lockout your user’s input temporarily while you perform some operation? Well, VBA offers you that possibility and that’s what we’re going to explore in this article.

The BlockInput API offers us a simple and convenient way of temporarily disabling user interaction with the system..
 
Continue reading →

Retrieving Email Header Information in Outlook Using VBA – Part 2

In my previous post on the subject:

Retrieving Email Header Information in Outlook Using VBA
Email headers are a hidden treasure trove of information that most people aren’t aware exists within their everyday emails. These headers contain crucial metadata about each message, providing a behind-the-scenes look at its journey from sender to recipient.   What Are Email Headers? Email headers are essentially the digital equivalent of an envelope’s postmark and routing information. They contain detailed technical data that isn’t typically visible when you open an email in your inbox. This information includes: The sender’s and recipient’s email addresses The date and time the email was sent The subject line The route the email took to…

Continue reading →

I demonstrated how to extract specific header property value by basically parsing the entire raw header.

After posting, I received an e-mail asking why I didn’t simply use the same approach I used to get the entire raw header, so .PropertyAccessor.GetProperty(), to get specific property values instead of parsing things as I had done.
 
Continue reading →

Run a VBA Procedure in an External Microsoft Access Database

In a recent post I was asked about running Macros and Code in external databases.

I quickly pointed to my article:

MS Access - Run a Macro in an External Database
Here is another common question: How can I run/execute a Macro in another external database? Well, like with most MS Access related things, there are several possible solutions.

but then realized I never posted my code for running VBA procedures in another Access database.

So let’s correct that oversight!
 
Continue reading →

Retrieving Email Header Information in Outlook Using VBA

Email headers are a hidden treasure trove of information that most people aren’t aware exists within their everyday emails. These headers contain crucial metadata about each message, providing a behind-the-scenes look at its journey from sender to recipient.
 

What Are Email Headers?

Email headers are essentially the digital equivalent of an envelope’s postmark and routing information. They contain detailed technical data that isn’t typically visible when you open an email in your inbox. This information includes:

  • The sender’s and recipient’s email addresses
  • The date and time the email was sent
  • The subject line
  • The route the email took to reach its destination
  • and so much more

 

Why Are Headers Important?

Spam Prevention

Email service providers use header information to filter out potential spam and phishing attempts. Such information is used by server to flag incoming message as SPAM, or not.

Troubleshooting

Headers can help identify delivery issues or errors in email transmission.

Security

They allow users to verify the true source of an email, which is crucial for detecting spoofed or malicious messages.

Tracking

Headers record the email’s journey through various servers, providing a digital trail of its route.
 
Continue reading →