Northwind 2.0 Feedback

[GPGeorge]

As far as I know, MS Access templates have never been localized. These are not localized.

We did respond to a request for non-US centric date handling, so that should not be a problem. Please verify that if you wish.

I suppose this is another opportunity for enterprising developers. If you want to use the templates to show off translation capabilities and offer them in another language, that would be rather interesting.

 

[isladogs]

Actually several of the templates have been localised into multiple languages. For example, Contacts, Project & Assets
Here the Japanese version of the Project template

Amongst other localised versions, I also have an Arabic version of the Assets template.
I downloaded several last year for testing with my own much delayed Access Application Translator utility

As I'm hoping to finally release that this month or in June, I was intending to translate the new Northwind into several languages. For example:

However, because a lot of the text on several forms is actually stored in tables as data, the app doesn't translate those parts
e.g. Recent Orders for ... caption below

The results will still need checking by a native speaker but this could do a lot of the work

 

[GPGeorge]

I changed preferred item in "Office authoring language and proofing" to "English (United States)" ... Northwind appears

BTW:
Tip for first run of NW2-DEV: use "Break on Unhandled Errors"
I usually work with "Break on All Error" and then an error raised in modDAO.HasField which is used in AddDataMacros.
=> Maybe switch to "Break on Unhandled Errors" by code: Application.SetOption "Error Trapping", 2

Thanks, that change in the language version has worked for many people, but unfortunately, not all. It seems the roll out of the template through all the regions took longer than we anticipated.

Also, thanks for that tip on error handling. Can we pursue that a bit further? To be honest, asking people to modify options BEFORE a first run seems impractical. I get it that is might be effective, but not the experience we want.

However, if it refers to the problem I think it does, there is a step in a macro to handle that problem.
To be sure we are on the same page though, can you look at the macMainMenu_UpdateSubs macro for the line:

OnError
Go to Next

Again, we really appreciate community feedback.

 

[GPGeorge]

A poster at UtterAccess has confirmed they now have the template available on a Chinese language page for Featured Access Templates, using ZH-CN instead of EN-US in the link.

I should also make it clear, these are not localized versions of the template itself. They are the download links for other regions. You can incorporate Colin's tool yourself to make the conversion, if you wish.

Also, when I have suggested that anyone who wants to use the NW templates as a starting point for your own enhancements, I did not intend to imply they would be published via Microsoft. I was thinking of making them available from your own sources, or as download files on sites like this. Sorry to have mislead you on that point.

 

[AngelSpeaks]

I have Access 2013. Can I download Northwind?

 

[Josef P.]

Also, thanks for that tip on error handling. Can we pursue that a bit further? To be honest, asking people to modify options BEFORE a first run seems impractical. I get it that is might be effective, but not the experience we want.

simple method:

Public Function Startup()

   If Application.GetOption("Error Trapping") <> 2 Then
      Application.SetOption "Error Trapping", 2
      'perhaps with info:
      ' MsgBox "Error Trapping changed to 'Break on Unhandled Errors'", vbInformation
   End If
....

The more elegant method:
Class that is instantiated when the application is started and restores the original state when it is terminated.

 

[GPGeorge]

simple method:

Public Function Startup()

   If Application.GetOption("Error Trapping") <> 2 Then
      Application.SetOption "Error Trapping", 2
      'perhaps with info:
      ' MsgBox "Error Trapping changed to 'Break on Unhandled Errors'", vbInformation
   End If
....

The more elegant method:
Class that is instantiated when the application is started and restores the original state when it is terminated.

Sorry, I should have been more clear about the request. I am not looking for code to make that change in behavior.

I was trying to ask WHY you got the error in the first place. As noted, we experienced it in an early version which was quickly replaced with a version that doesn't cause the error. If you downloaded the template before the fix (and that would have been within the first day or so of the "soft launch") the line in the macro I quoted won't be there. If it is there, and you still get an error, that's what we need to know.

 

[GPGeorge]

I have Access 2013. Can I download Northwind?

What language and regional Windows settings do you use? If you can see it in either Access or on the Featured Access Templates page for your region, yes you can download it.

We don't necessarily have tests to confirm it runs under A2013, but I have successfully run it on A2010, so I'd be delighted to hear of your experience with A2013.

 

[Josef P.]

I was trying to ask WHY you got the error in the first place. As noted, we experienced it in an early version which was quickly replaced with a version that doesn't cause the error. If you downloaded the template before the fix (and that would have been within the first day or so of the "soft launch") the line in the macro I quoted won't be there. If it is there, and you still get an error, that's what we need to know.

The macro macMainMenu_UpdateSubs is not in NW2-DEV.

Tested with starter edition: same error ... I also expected this, as the error is triggered at the 1st application start over Autoexec and Startup().
Note: "on error ... goto next" exists in macMainMenu_UpdateSubs of starter edition.

Test sequence:

1. Change error trapping to 'Break on all errors"
2. Close Access
3. Create a new database from template.

 

[AngelSpeaks]

What language and regional Windows settings do you use? If you can see it in either Access or on the Featured Access Templates page for your region, yes you can download it.

We don't necessarily have tests to confirm it runs under A2013, but I have successfully run it on A2010, so I'd be delighted to hear of your experience with A2013.

Thanks George. USA is my setting.

 

[GPGeorge]

The macro macMainMenu_UpdateSubs is not in NW2-DEV.

Tested with starter edition: same error ... I also expected this, as the error is triggered at the 1st application start over Autoexec and Startup().
Note: "on error ... goto next" exists in macMainMenu_UpdateSubs of starter edition.

Test sequence:

1. Change error trapping to 'Break on all errors"
2. Close Access
3. Create a new database from template.

I have never seen that error in Northwind Dev version. Only in Starter.

By the way, I have to admit that I am not thrilled with the idea of changing this or any other Access options via code in any user's Access installation as it would potentially impact all other accdbs they use. I can see managing an individual accdb for deployment. I can't see trying to manage a user's Access installation.

 

[isladogs]

@Josef P.
Whilst I can see some use in setting the option to Break On all Errors whilst in development, I'd never consider using that for files that are deployed.
I'd be interested to know why that is your default setting.

 

[Josef P.]

I develop with this option because it takes me directly to the error line when testing. Unfortunately, this is a VBA-wide setting that cannot be set for each application.
By the way, this is another advantage of providing an accde for the users, because an accde runs something like "Break on unhandled errors".
I don't want to go into any more detail here, otherwise it would go beyond the scope of the thread.

Note: I don't have a problem with the error when creating the NW2 because I simply change the error trapping setting while the code is stopped at the error and then let the code continue. I just wanted to point this out in case there are people who think the template is broken when an error occurs.

 

[GPGeorge]

"I don't have a problem with the error when creating the NW2 because I simply change the error trapping setting while the code is stopped at the error and then let the code continue"

That's the whole point to trying to get you to answer directly: does the error occur or does it not occur "out of the box", with no changes to options.

Templates like this one are not supposed to raise errors in the first place. Perhaps, for you, "it's not a problem" because you just go alter the behavior of the template.

"I just wanted to point this out in case there are people who think the template is broken when an error occurs."

Yes, that's why it matters! We do not want errors to occur if they can be prevented in the first place. Most people would assume it's broken and dismiss it. dismiss the template without trying it out.


Thanks, though. We did get to the answer in the end.

Your feedback and help is invaluable.

 

[BAntar]

Please Anyone!
I have a Microsoft Office 2010 64 bit, the template don't work for me... can you Upload ACCDB Files for me. Thanks in Advance.

 

[tvanstiphout]

Check this out: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...-edition-32eb79d2-bede-4ea4-b575-0714ca8dc1e2
It lists at the very top the versions of Access that are supported: Access for Microsoft 365 Access 2021 Access 2019
Your version is not among them.
It is very unlikely to work, because we use layout grid and control anchoring, features which were not available in A2010. Software is rarely forward compatible.

 

[isladogs]

Check this out: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...-edition-32eb79d2-bede-4ea4-b575-0714ca8dc1e2
It lists at the very top the versions of Access that are supported: Access for Microsoft 365 Access 2021 Access 2019
Your version is not among them.
It is very unlikely to work, because we use layout grid and control anchoring, features which were not available in A2010. Software is rarely forward compatible.

Hi Tom
Sorry to disagree but layout grids & anchoring were both available in A2010.

I've just checked and in fact, NW2 DOES seem to run perfectly in that version (both Dev & Starter editions) though I haven't checked each feature

Actually,

 

[tvanstiphout]

Thanks for the correction Colin. I thought those features had come later.
One feature that is certainly not there is Modern Chart, but at least in 2016 the reports open just fine, and the label behind the chart will show a message that charts are not supported in this version.

So it appears BAntar has an environmental problem. Maybe an Office Repair (if available in that version) would be in order.

 

[isladogs]

I haven’t seen any modern charts in NW2 but in A2010 those would also open and just have a blank space where the chart should be.
AFAIK you haven’t used the new Large Integer or Date Time extended data types so I see no obvious reason why NW2 wouldn’t work for @BAntar

 

[CJ_London]

I played around with NW2 in 64bit 365 and 32bit 2010.

what I found was if you opened the template in 365, save and closed, then opened in 2010 you get errors

if you open the template in 2010, save and close you then got errors if opened in 365

I didn’t test all the functionality but if you create from template in each Access version it seems to work OK. What I couldn’t do was share the same file in both versions (I don’t mean at the same time), not sure why since the code should be compatible since it otherwise seems to work

I downloaded my file from (I think) the AUG site when George demoed it, not from the template now available in access.

I advised George of the issues and workaround at the time, don’t know if that would subsequently have been fixed