Chapter 1. MACROS ARE FOR WEENIES; CODE IS COOL!
IN THIS CHAPTER
Many of you reading this book have been using Access for quite a while and automating it quite nicely with macros. Macros work quite well for applications used by one or maybe a few people in a controlled environment. But when it comes to creating powerful, robust applications, VBA is the only way.
Microsoft Access is unique in that the macro language it uses isn't the “recording” of commands, as in Excel or the Windows Recorder, but instead is made of the commands created from a set list of actions, each with its own set of arguments. Figure 1.1 shows an example of several macros that perform the OpenReport and OpenForm actions.
Figure 1.1. Macros give users a jump start in automating their applications and perform commands, such as these OpenReport and OpenForm actions.
Although macros are very versatile and can take care of quite a few tasks that need to be performed, they do have limitations. For example, you can't perform Automation with macros, loop through recordsets, or set up error handling. These actions all require the use of VBA.