3.3. New Wizards and Builders and Managers

As developers, we employ the proven engineering principle of building on established technology and techniques. So, even a dyed-in-the-wool coder should at least check out what the wizards, builders, templates, and other add-ins can do. After all, if Access provides a tool or resource, you owe it to yourself to be aware and use it when appropriate. Even if the results need to be modified, these tools can often save precious development time. There are so many tools included in Access 2003 that you can get a jump-start on nearly every object, including the database itself. But, if you don't know what is available, it's not very likely that you will look for it or try to use it. Appendix K provides a fairly comprehensive list of the current wizards, builders, and managers. Since some features are not installed during a typical installation, the tables also use an asterisk after the name to indicate whether the wizard is only installed if the Additional Wizards component is selected during set-up. If you don't at least select Typical Wizards, the only wizards that will be installed are the Color Builder, the Expression Builder, and the Query Builder.

3.3.1. A Wizard for Every Occasion

As you already know, we are aficionados of wizards. And, even if they don't create exactly what you want, wizards lay a foundation that can easily be modified. As mentioned, there were so many new or improved wizards in Access 2002 or Access 2003 that it seemed prudent to provide a complete list. With that in mind, there is a table in Appendix K that lists the currently available wizards. Note the term currently available, because this is a new day for Access at Microsoft. So, there is anticipation that the Access team will continue to add and improve features and wizards.

Although you may not need to use every wizard, it is handy to know what is available and to take advantage of the ones that might be applicable. Fortunately, it typically isn't necessary to search for wizards, because they are strategically placed or programmed to be where they are needed. Builders are equally handy resources for developers.

3.3.2. Available Builders

Wizards are there to do the work behind the scenes and provide a finished product. Builders, on the other hand, are there to guide the developer through a process rather than to do it. We probably use the Query Builder more than any other. It makes creating queries fast and intuitive. In fact, it is so easy, that we teach a lot of clients how to use it and give them a separate database just for working with ad hoc queries. The other builder that most developers would not want to be without is the Expression Builder. This can even be used in conjunction with a wizard.

Combining the use of builders and wizards is a convenient way to gain some tips and learn about writing code.

In addition to Access-specific builders, there are also some that are pretty much universally available in Microsoft Office, such as the Color Builder. There are several other builders that you may benefit from knowing about. The list of builders and what they do is provided in Appendix K.

Once installed, builders can be accessed from the toolbars and shortcut menus. Even though you may not need all of them now, it is often helpful to have them installed from the beginning. In fact, just to use the ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) Connection String Builder requires installing the "Additional Wizards" component. As developers work with more external data sources, the ODBC Connection String Builder will increase its value tenfold.

Most developers are familiar with Smart Tags. They have been used extensively in Word and Excel. So, user awareness can be leveraged as Smart Tags are incorporated into Access applications. They were available in Access 2002, so it is definitely time for them to become more prevalent. In addition to the Smart Tags that ship with Access, more Smart Tags are available on the Internet and you can create your own tags.

As mentioned earlier, it is possible to combine the power of wizards and builders. One example is to use the builder to create a table and then use the Lookup Wizard to set the properties for a look-up field. This is not an endorsement for rampant use of table-level look-up fields. And, that's as far as this discussion will go on table structure. There are entire books dedicated to that subject and there are camps ready to voice an opinion on the right way to manage tables and fields. And, that leads to the discussion of managers.

3.3.3. Managers

You may think of these as wizards, but managers are truly managers. They make things work or, more specifically, they manage how things work together. The linked table manager may be the most familiar manager. This manager makes it fast and easy to link the user interface to various data files. It is also a convenient tool for relinking tables when a database is moved, tables are updated, or an application is repurposed. The list of managers, what they do, and how to find them is given in Appendix K.

The Add-In Manager installs and uninstalls Microsoft and third party add-ins. It also assists developers in creating and adding their own wizards, builders, and menu ad-ins. There is additional information about creating your own add-ins at http://msdn.microsoft.com.

In addition to new features and tools that make work easier for developers, Access 2003 has some changes behind the scenes that you need to know about. All developers and users will need to learn about Service Pack 8 and how to work with macro security and digital signatures.