Rick Mara
Subforms
Although not new to Access 2.0, the subform feature lets you show an embedded subform on a main form. This type of display is convenient for showing one-to-many relationships, such as line items on an invoice. The main form can show an invoice's number and date, while an embedded form shows the invoice line items.
Control Wizards
Control Wizards make it possible to add command buttons, list boxes, combo boxes, and option groups by responding to a sequence of dialog boxes. These Wizards make it easy for developers to assign actions, such as running queries and opening tables, to controls. Developers can subsequently edit the code that Control Wizards build automatically.
New Macro Capabilities
New macro actions enhance object manipulation
and interoperability. For example, the OutputTo action allows a developer to output a Datasheet with its formatting in an RTF format and then invoke Word for Windows so that it opens the RTF file.
Rich Event Model
A new Build Event shortcut menu in the Design window makes it easy to program actions in response to default events, such as mouse-clicks, the loading of a form, or the passage of time. Developers can edit the event that invokes a procedure or macro in the Properties window. This window lists the subset of events that pertain to each object (e.g., a command button or form).
OLE 2.0
OLE 2.0 implements OLE Automation, the new technology that lets you manipulate an application's objects from outside that application. For example, you can print a Word 6.0 document through the click of a command button in Access 2.0. Unfortunately, the rules for implementing this kind of automation vary slightly, depending on whether you are manipulating objects from Word 6.0 or Excel 5.0. Access 2.0
is both an OLE container and an object controller, but it is not a controllable object from outside the Access application via OLE.
Access 2.0 Highlights for Programmers
