front end options?

[wh00t]

I currently have 1 form which displays the content of 118 bays on a trailer park, it also changes the background colour based on the status of each bay. The content is gathered by using DLookups in each control and the colour changed using code (Access 97).

The form gets used a lot and the performance isn't ideal for such high usage so I am enquiring on what options are available to me to improve it.

1 - Convert it to Access 2000 and use conditional formatting to control the colour.

2 - Use a query to obtain the control contents and base the form on this query.

3 - Use an external program.

or is there something that else within Access that can assist?

 

[LaBelette]

1-Function domains, like DLookup, are very bad when it comes to performance.
2-Changing a lot of controls aestetic values, like its color, is also pretty bad, since Access will have to redraw the whole screen each time you change one of them.

Primo, putting a field in your query that contains the color, or something to helps you calculate the color, will be better than doing a DLookup all the time. Conditionnal formating is a good way to do it in Access 2000, but you'll have to do it in VBA in Access 97.

Secondo, when playing with a lot of controls properties, Access will redraw the screen each time you change one of them. If you do it in a loop, you can do Docmd.echo False before the loop and Docmd.echo True after the loop, so Access won't redraw the whole screen for every change you make.
Just be absolutely sure to put it back to true, if not Access will cease to redraw the screen, which is very confusing. If it happens, go to the code editor, press ctrl+G to pop-up the Immediate window and type DoCmd.echo True.

Hope it helps