I've continued having wonderful experiences with chat GPT. I'm convinced that if it presented itself as a nubile young female, I might well be getting a divorce!
I wrote The following, well, a rough outline and then asked chat GPT to rewrite it in a humorous programmer voice. Here is the result:-
# A Developer's Misadventures: Google Sheets Meets MS Access
## Act 1: The Eureka Moment
Once upon a techie-time, I tripped over a code pile left behind by one
Bruce McPherson. Now, who is this guy? He's a tech wizard dabbling in 'Desktop Liberation' and seems to enjoy creating Google Apps Script functions that shadow Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Not like a carbon copy, but like a funhouse mirror reflection, a tad skewed, but recognizable.
This spurred a caffeine-fuelled idea: could I connect a Google Sheet with an MS Access database? Imagine MS Access being able to dip its toes into the vast ocean that is the internet! Alas, MS Access seemed more of a couch potato, comfortable in its local confines with no immediate tools to venture online. But who am I to back down from a challenge? The gauntlet was thrown.
## Act 2: The Agony of Initial Hiccups
I embarked on this seemingly noble quest, attempting to smuggle data from a Google Spreadsheet into MS Access. Unfortunately, the
JSON VBA code module decided to be a tricky customer. You see, I was trying to get it to work by copying and pasting the code directly into a module, like a midnight snack raid gone wrong. My gut feeling told me that importing the *.bas file could straighten things out. *(ChatGPT, playing the knowledgeable sidekick, chimed in to affirm that indeed, importing a .bas file can preserve some valuable properties that can get lost in the copy-paste operation.)*
To add to the comedy of errors, Google's permission system was as unyielding as a stubborn jar lid. Gaining access to the Google Sheet's JSON was proving to be an exercise in futility. With a sinking heart and my To-Do list growing at an alarming rate, the project was consigned to the digital equivalent of a dusty attic.
## Act 3: Resurrection, Courtesy of ChatGPT
The future, however, held a surprise. A beacon of hope, a robo-mentor,
emerged in the form of ChatGPT. My old projects were getting a new lease on life, and this shelved venture was no exception.
When I presented my rusty problem to ChatGPT, it first proposed a simple but graceless solution: export the Google Sheet to a CSV file, to be read by MS Access. I wrinkled my developer's nose at this, and inquired for a JSON-based solution, akin to asking the bartender for a more sophisticated cocktail. And ChatGPT, like a seasoned mixologist, provided just that.
The first trial run was a spectacle of HTTP error performances -
featuring 404 and 403. But with ChatGPT's guidance, I was able to dance my way through. When data refused to relocate into the Access table, I played the detective, suspecting datatype mismatch as the culprit. But the real offender turned out to be an auto-generated numerical ID field in the Access table that scoffed at text data.
ChatGPT, playing the savvy advisor, proposed a solution. It was like an enlightening 'aha' moment in a sitcom, only I didn't have a live audience to share the laughter with.
## Act 4: The Duplicate Dilemma
With data now smoothly flowing from Google Sheets into MS Access, a new villain appeared: Duplicate Data. It seemed every time I interrogated the Google Sheet, I was creating a clone army in my Access database. I needed a unique identifier, a 'mark of authenticity' if you will. ChatGPT and I brainstormed like two programmers on a caffeine bender, discussing the idea of adding a timestamp to each entry in Google Sheets.
In an epiphany that could rival Archimedes' 'Eureka,' I realized that I could add a data row in the Google Form to mark my spot. But interacting with a web instrument from MS Access felt like trying to pat your head and rub your stomach simultaneously while on a
unicycle. Surely, there had to be a better way?
## Act 5: A Developer's Fable
And that's the yarn so far, folks! This techy tale has seen its fair share of plot twists, hurdles, and comebacks. ChatGPT, the robot that could, provided invaluable guidance, transforming once insurmountable obstacles into laughable memories.
Currently, we are trialling a system that dances between Google Sheets and MS Access, a ballet of data transfer and processing. While an all-Google ecosystem would perhaps be a more elegant solution, it's not always about the smoothest path. Sometimes, it's about keeping things fun, challenging, and, most importantly, always learning.
So, to all you coders and developers out there, remember: not all dusty projects deserve their dust. Give them a good shake once in a while, and you may find gold hidden within. And if you get stuck, don't forget, you have your own robot buddy, ChatGPT, to give you a hand.
## Keywords
1. Google Sheets
2. MS Access
3. Database
4. VBA
5. Google Apps Script
6. JSON
7. HTTP Error 404
8. HTTP Error 403
9. Data Duplication
10. ChatGPT
11. Data Transfer
12. Timestamp
13. Google Form
14. Web Instrument
15. Google Account
16. Data Processing
17. Google Ecosystem
