FMS Inc products

[NauticalGent]

Good evening AWF,

As with many of you, I assume, I have used the FMS Inc website once or twice. Although I would love to use some of their products at work, our stringent IT department would never allow it.

There is the Total Visual Source Book though - has anyone here bought/used it and would like to share their opinions and/or thought on it?

 

[CJ_London]

I haven't, but suggest look at the routines that are available - if there are some there you havent got and need and think the cost is reasonable then give it a try.

What I think you need to consider is how you will incorporate into your own projects. If this is for something brand new in an area you haven't developed before then fine, but if you need to incorporate into existing applications, you may find the time saved by using the product is lost in 'making it fit'.

A quick glance through the features, and I reckon I have already developed quite a number of equivalent routines, and there is a fair number I would never use. There are also a number which as a requirement frequently get mentioned in the forum

 

[NauticalGent]

Thanks CJ, some of your thoughts echo my own. The one application I maintain is basically in "caretaker" status, but there are some improvements that need to be done.

That and the migration to Sharepoint so that our remote sites can work in real time is a bit of a challenge.

I am sure that a lot of what is contained in those pages can be found in this forum too. That being said, if I understand their advertising correctly, the "book" is actually in digital format that can be used as built in references...a built in tool box if you will. If I can get my employer to pay for it then I am thinking the juice is worth the squeeze.

 

[CJ_London]

the "book" is actually in digital format

yes - I think it is an add-in

good luck - will be interested to know how you get on

 

[NauticalGent]

As fate would have it, one of their reps answered my Email RFI after I posted. Wonder if they are monitoring this site...and you nailed it; it's an add-in.

Going to make the pitch to the VP tomorrow...will keep you posted.

 

[pbaldy]

Wonder if they are monitoring this site.

Possible, but... The owner (I think) posts here now and then. His user name is "LukeChung-FMS".

 

[NauticalGent]

Makes sense. He is scheduled to speak at a convention (Access DevCon) in Vienna later this year. I was thinking about attending since I am not that far away and Vienna is just freaking outstanding. Although I know I would be lost as a goose in a snow-storm, the snow-storm would still be in Vienna!

 

[pbaldy]

This from the guy living in Naples, where we'd all like to go.

I have heard nice things about Vienna; never been there. My daughter was stationed in England for 3 years, and they traveled all around Europe. You can get crazy-cheap air fares over there. I'm jealous. I say go for it!

 

[NauticalGent]

Ain't it funny how no matter where we are, we always think somewhere else is better. Human nature...

 

[GBalcom]

I have the sourcebook. I got it as part of the developer's suite. I like their products so much I updated to 2013 ultimate suite.

There are two things I really like about the sourcebook. One is obvious; the code. It really comes down to why reinvent the wheel? I've found the classes, and modules well thought out (please keep in mind my semi-pro experience). I can quickly find a function, and grab that, or the whole module and plop it in my code.

The second thing I love is the interface. You can open it as an add in to the Visual basic development environment, or open it as a stand alone application. It's well laid out, and makes it super easy to copy code into your application, or notepad, etc. You can also add your own code to the sourcebook and organize it as you see fit.

If you're pressed for time and don't have years worth of your own code at your fingertips, I don't see how you could go wrong.

 

[NauticalGent]

Excellent feedback GBalcom, did FMS pay you for this answer?

You can open it as an add in to the Visual basic development environment, or open it as a stand alone application.

I tried to download the trial version at work but our IT dept has everything on lock-down. It is a US Gov system and running an exe takes an act of congress. They won't even let me add my application to the Trusted Site so my users have to endure the security warnings at start-up. They will allow it all to run, but will not let us dispense with that annoying yellow banner the first time the BE is accessed.

I downloaded the trial version at home instead and even the scaled down version was 'purt near impressive. Like you, I'm all about "ploping" someone else's code in my modules and taking full credit for it, unless someone happens to get under the hood and see my comments. I always give credit to the source...which means my whole application is a quilt-work testimony to someone else's efforts!

My hope was to get the Gov to buy the suite but that appears to be a bridge too far. I was going to give it up but your input may have convinced to to just buy it out of pocket.

Appreciate the input...

 

[GBalcom]

Excellent feedback GBalcom, did FMS pay you for this answer?

Haha, no just a very happy customer. But here's my situation. I'm a General Manager in a small company. I wear many "hats" throughout the day. My development time in Access is just a small part of what I do, maybe 15-20% of my workload. Even though I've been working in Access for years, it's not full time day in day out. So, I can use all the help I can get. That's where FMS products have come into play for me.

My 3 favorite are probably the analyzer, the startup tool, and the source code. Honestly I just purchased the ultimate package less than a month ago, and have had zero time to explore the suite any deeper. But, at some point in the future, I'll begin to utilize the other tools a little at a time.

 

[RogerCooper]

I purchased Sourcebook years ago, and found it very helpful, especially when I was first learning VBA. I also find Analyzer useful (I have a database with 1,000's of objects).

My only disappointment was with EMailer. It was hard to work with and I found a simpler solution to the problem of Access not sending e-mails without manual intervention.

 

[NauticalGent]

Update:

I bit the bullet and bought the book. I tried to save some money by buying the 2010 Develpers Referance...it didn't answer anything specific to my issues but had some excellent nuggets for future use. The chapter on Class Modules was nothing short of fantastic, I have scoured the internet for guidance but the chapter in this book is by far the most comprehensive source in existance (so far!). Not a bad $30 investment.

From there I turned to Advisicon's "Access In a SharePoint World" which was advertised on AccessExperts Blog regarding SharePoint and Access. Ever go watch a movie because the previews were so good but then found out the best part WAS the previews? This is it. Waste of money ($75) for a technology (Web Apps) that is going to die next year. Thinking about changing my name to FoolAndHisMoney...

All that notwithstanding, I really needed some good code that allowed me to work with Sharepoint as a BE. So much so, I threw caution to wind and shelled out the dough for FMS's source book.

And I am so glad I did.

The 15 some-odd subs/functions for SharePoint are rock solid code that I wish I would have had a year ago. And that is just a small facet; this are levels of error handleing routines that are real time-savers. The more advanced level is an actual Class Module that I plan on incorporating into my mess to make it less of one.

Hope this helps anyone else who may be on the fence like I was...

 

[pbaldy]

Which book was the first one?

 

[NauticalGent]

Ciao Paul,

This one:
http://www.wrox.com/WileyCDA/WroxTitle/Access-2010-Programmer-s-Reference.productCd-0470591668.html

Lots of good stuff...chapter 8 especially.

 

[GBalcom]

Agreed! I own that book too. It taught me more about actual programming than anything else so far. Well worth the price and the effort you'll put in..

Glad to hear the sourcebook worked out for you!

 

[The_Doc_Man]

They will allow it all to run, but will not let us dispense with that annoying yellow banner the first time the BE is accessed.

Gent, you aren't alone. Before I retired, the Navy Enterprise Data Center in New Orleans followed that policy as well. My users got accustomed to it.