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Copy your Outlook Express email files to a backup folder

dvanarsd — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:36:14 +0000

Internet Fixes has instructions on how to Copy Outlook Express Mail Files to a Backup Folder.

Email programs tend to bury files in odd places, so here's how to track them down if you're using Microsoft Outlook Express.

Exciting Changes on the Horizon

bluboo — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:09:13 +0000

Does Change Need To Be a Difficult Thing?

This week, the RETA folks continue their excellent webinar series on Monday night at 6PM with Having a Web Presence with Google Sites and Google Notebooks. Google is an extremely positive force in the classroom, offering teachers and students alike a broad range of free technology products and services. This webinar is a must for all educators interested in student engagement and differentiated instruction.

The weekly “Inbox” from The National Council of Teachers of English had some intriguing articles worth a peek:

Program Could Turn Arkansas' School Buses into Classrooms

On the Way: Nation's First Tech-Literacy Exam

Understanding Students Who Were “Born Digital”

Using Video Games as Bait to Hook Readers

Yearbooks Fade as Networking Sites Propagate

At the end of October, there will be another series of exciting technology changes taking place at Socorro Consolidated Schools. First, Windows users will notice our switch to Microsoft’s Vista operating system. If you are like me, the only exposure you’ve had to Vista so far are the TV commercials in which a test group is tricked into thinking that they are looking at some other Windows operating system. Click the Vista link to explore some of the fabulous new features that will be available to teachers, administrators and students.

Another major improvement will be the upgrade from Microsoft Office 2003 to Microsoft Office 2007. Microsoft Office 2007 includes the same products that many of us are already familiar with: Word, Excel, Power Point, Publisher and Access. We will have a new computer-based email client called Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, which also includes a calendar and an address book. Our web mail client will become Microsoft Outlook Web Express, a product with superior functionality to the present web-based client. You can visit the links at the right for more information.

All changes should be in place by the time teachers return from fall break

Changes of this magnitude make it natural for a couple of concerns to come to mind. One major question that we all need to ask ourselves is, “What are we going to do to make sure these new technologies translate into improved instruction and student engagement in the classroom?” Microsoft Office 2007 and Vista are great products … but they only have educational value if my students use it as a productivity tool. As a teacher, I’m obligated to ask myself, “How can I make these new resources have meaning for my students?”

Another obvious question involves the learning curve that may or may not have an effect on users who are new to Vista and Office 2007. Office 2007 has a whole different look to it and the old, familiar toolbars are gone. While I personally have Office 2007 on my home PC (the one that is currently residing in storage in Capitan), I haven’t used 2007 since June. Hopefully it is like riding a bicycle. On the other hand, Vista will be a whole new world to me. How much training and PD are we all going to need on this? How much time will users be willing to invest in learning about these new products?

On Friday, a sales rep said to me, “Well, you know how teachers are about change. They are worse than children and grandparents.” This statement was admittedly irritating to me as a teacher but, as a leader, it was cause for some reflection. Sure, some teachers I’ve known are resistant to any type of change. Is that more or less than anything I saw in the business world? It probably isn’t. In fact, the worst group I ever tried to lead through change were sales reps (a fact that I shared with the sales rep after I told him I wasn’t interested in his stuff).

Change is only as valuable as the perception of the people involved. All the propaganda, rationalization, logic and pleading will not force users to buy into Vista and Office 2007. The conventional wisdom being supported by many management tomes these days is that understanding the need for change is a strong contributing factor in successful change. Many of these same books suggest that instilling the fear of NOT changing makes sense.

Frankly, as educators, we are in the business of change. Our day-to-day activities in the classroom are essentially an effort to change the behavior, performance and knowledge of our students. We work hard to make sure that the change that we lead our students towards is a change for the better … changes that include improved behavior, better performance and increased knowledge. We live in a world where changes happen at faster and faster speeds, especially in technology, and that allows us very little time to get comfortable with new products. Just when we think we have something in our grasp, the next new product is coming down the pike at us at light speed.

While there are many reasons that a switch to Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 makes sense, there is one reason that should matter more than others. The primary beneficiaries of this change must be our students. If Vista and Office 2007 make the lives of teachers and administrators better, then that is a huge bonus. However, in order to prepare our students for college, careers and the world of tomorrow, they need access to and experience with the most current technology. Each of us has a moral, ethical and professional obligation to give our students access to these new productivity tools.

The choice of how teachers will use these tools is entirely a personal one. Teachers who place a high priority on student engagement, the quality of work assignments and the creation of dynamic student outcomes will find this to be a very exhilarating time. The Tech Team will be glad to support your choices and provide ideas for PD, lesson planning and student application. Hopefully, for our students’ sake, all teachers will get excited about the changes that will be happening in three weeks.

What is the fear of not getting excited about Vista and Office 2007? Ask yourself some questions. Am I being fair to my students? What will my students not be learning? Will my students be more engaged if we (teacher and student) use Office 2007? How can Office 2007 improve my students’ achievement? Where will I be if I don’t embrace what my colleagues are using? What is scaring me about trying these new products?

This week's Spotlight on Technology Award goes to Marian Royal, Socorro High School’s librarian. Marian has been a driving force behind technology for the district for some time, and her leadership at the High School is a great asset to the Tech Team. She has high expectations and is a powerful advocate for her students. She is an outstanding role model for the application of technology and a great resource for everyone at SHS. Congratulations, Marian (and thanks!).

The mail box issue!!!

sriwidu — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:14:23 +0000

Girl: Hey , You know what? My mail box isn't opening....seems like the migration is still going on!

Me: Hmm....must be true...Why don't you mail our manager informing him about the same?

Girl: !!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????????

P.S: Better prefer common sense to suggestions..:-)

iPhones, Illusions and the Information Age

Thomas E. Anderson II — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:25:24 +0000

A few weeks ago, I was at a meeting with colleagues and we were choosing dates for our upcoming Christmas cantata. We all pulled out our personal organizers and started flipping through our calendars. The tapping of the keys and rolling of the track ball has replaced the rustling of the planner pages. I noticed that our head director, Tony, was flipping through his calendar, but his phone did not make the same sounds as our PDAs. Looking over to investigate, I found out exactly why he wasn't making the same noise that I was. In the proverbial light shining down from heaven, I caught my first up-close and personal glimpse of the infamous iPhone. I do admit, the iPhone is very convenient and not to mention stylish. But until I learn how to plan my life using pen and paper (only because I'm a writer), an iPhone would make my life miserable.

About four years ago, I got a shopping itch that I needed to scratch. I wanted a new toy and it just so happened that my close friend, Junior had the gadget I thought I needed. He was about to buy a brand new PDA and wanted to get rid of his old Palm pilot. So I bought it with a single intention - to say that I had a Palm Pilot. (Keep in mind that I did not know the difference between a Palm Pilot and a PDA). But when I started using it, I found out that it would sync to my computer but I could not integrate the software into my current planning system. At the time I was using Microsoft Outlook to help organize my goals and information. So after hopping on the internet to research whether my Palm could accomplish my planning goal, I was left with a long face (lip poked out). It seems as though the Palm I had just paid $300 for could not be used with Microsoft Outlook. So I had to make a choice:

I could continue to use Microsoft Outlook in addition to Franklin Covey's paper planning system (yes, I was that determined to learn how to manage projects), letting my new gadget go to waste. No fun in that, is there?
I could have used my palm in addition to Microsoft Outlook and my paper planning method. That would mean I would now use 3 planning methods for one schedule. The problem was there was no way to streamline the process.
Sidebar: This seems like a no brainer, but it happens in large corporations all the time. For instance, 12 departments would use twelve different types of bookkeeping software that cannot be synchronized. Many companies have saved millions by simply streamlining the type of software they use and amount of personnel on staff.
Or I could sell the Palm Pilot on eBay and lose my new tech toy forever

(continue reading...)

I knew what choice made the most sense, but I wrestled with the decision for 6 months. And in this time, the Palm collected dust...literally. The reason I know that is because I had to clean it thoroughly after I sold it on eBay. Mind you - it only sold for about 2/3 of the original price. Originally, I convinced myself to buy this Palm Pilot because it was a "good investment".

Isn't it funny that when you set out to learn something, you never know which lessons you will encounter? My goal was to learn how to plan and manage my information. And I did learn it - the hard way. As it turns out, I didn't have enough information about the information manager - my Palm Pilot. Not to mention the fact that given my schedule at the time, the information I managed did not require a Palm pilot. Not only did I learn a lesson in planning, but I also found out that not every investment turns out to be an asset.

Turning my investment into an asset would have required me to have a working knowledge of setting goals and project management. At the time, I had no such knowledge. But remember Tony, my colleague at the meeting. The iPhone is perfect for him. He is a project manager who knows how to effectively organize information. I've seen him in action - he is a task master. So the iPhone literally makes his job easier. Some people buy iPhones and PDAs because they look great. Others because it's the latest gadget. And many think PDAs will organize their lives. But here is the truth and it may be a tough pill to swallow - it's up to you to organize your information and resources to support you life goals.

Technology can help you to plan your life a lot faster and easier. But it can only do this if you first have a plan. Using the easiest method for you, start setting your goals now. You can use a planner, your cell phone's schedule application or even a napkin (just make sure its paper and not cloth). Once you can organize your information on your own, then purchase something that will accelerate the process. If not, you may find your self looking good and going nowhere. iPhones and Blackberries are great...if...you know how to use them. Otherwise, they will cost you a pretty penny each month just to look nice or to sit in cases like mine, collecting dust.

I urge you to take the responsibility of managing your information, with or without an iPhone. If you become really great at setting and reaching your goals, one day you'll wake up and you will need a way to automate your planning process. At that point it will make sense to get a PDA. When I sold my Palm Pilot, I thought it was lost forever. But earlier this year, my father-in-law gave me his PDA. Why? Because he saw that I actually needed it. Because I changed my focus, it has accelerated my life and business.

Be careful of the illusion that technology can create. Easy access to your information can make you think that you are organized. But improper preparation for the task at hand can easily render the simplest task null and void.

<<page 1

All posts on "My Future In Focus" Weblog are the intellectual property of T.A. and are licensed under a

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No derivative Works 3.0 United States License

Giving Credit:

Definitions for PDA and Palm Pilot provided by Wikipedia.com

Nên dùng IMAP thay cho POP trong GMAIL

123zo — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:34:43 +0000

IMAP hay Internet Message Access Protocol, một giao thức mới mẻ tốt hơn POP thông dụng nhiều, giúp bạn tải thư về máy tính. Sau đó dùng Microsoft Outlook(MO) hay Outlook Express(OE) để xem thư này lại mà khỏi cần online nữa như khi dùng Gmail. IMAP sẽ tạo một kết nối bền vững giữa các hộp mail server với nhau (PC hay mobile và Gmail).
Thế thì giữa IMAP và POP có gì khác nhau?
Không giống như POP, IMAP giúp bạn có được thông tin 2 chiều giữa Gmail và các mail server khác: Có nghĩa khi bạn duyệt web đăng nhập vào

Gmail, bất cứ tác vụ nào ở MO hay OE cả công cụ di động (như là để thư mail ở thư mục WORK ) tức thì xuât hiện trong Gmail (như có sẳn nhãn “WORK” trên thư ấy).
Hơn nữa, IMAP cho bạn thêm cách tiếp cận thư tốt hơn ở nhiều công cụ khác nhau. Nếu bạn kiểm tra thư ở cơ quan, điện thoại di động rồi về nhà; IMAP giúp bạn giải quyết các thư ấy ở nhiều công cụ vào bất cứ lúc nào.
Cuối cùng, IMAP là một công cụ thật ổn định. Trong khi POP rfất hay làm mất thư của bạn hay tải về những thư tương tự nhiều lần.
IMAP tránh cho bạn được điều đó qua khả năng làm đồng bộ 2 chiều giữa Gmail và các mail server khác. Điều này tốt quá, vậy tôi bắt đầu từ đâu?
Đầu tiên, bạn phải đánh dấu nút kiểm enable IMAP trong Gmail account: Vào Settings trong Gmail ở mục Forwarding POP/and IMAP, tìm dòng cuối IMAP access, đánh dấu vào nút kiểm Enable và Save change.
Bạn phải qua tiếp dòng 2, để đọc Configuration settings nhằm biết cách làm cấu hình IMAP các Email khác nhau cho từng Email client hỗ trợ IMAP (OE, MO 2003_2007), Apple mail, Windows Mail, Thunderbird 20, Wireless như Iphone nhưng Blackberry, Symbian Windows Mobile, SnapperMail lại chưa hỗ trợ giao thức này.

I) Outlook Express : Sau đây là cách thiết lập IMAP cho Outlook Express:
1) Ở thanh Menu chọn Tools, chọn Accounts. Click vào add, kế click tiếp vào Mail
2) Điền tên bạn ở Display Name , click tiếp Next
3) Điền user name đầy đủ của bạn ở Gmail như là user@gmail.com ở Email address. Next
4) Đến Email server name, chọn my incoming server là IMAP. Điền imap.gmail.com Incoming mail và smtp.gmail.com ở Outgoing mail. Click next
5) Qua mục Internet mail logo, điền username có @Gmail.com ở User name và mật mã ở Password. Click Next, rồi Finish
6) Trở qua Account, chiếu sáng Imap.gmail.com chọn Properties, click General
Đổi tên imap.gmail.com thành Gmail để bạn dễ nhận ra sau này:
Đến reply address y như Email adress là user@gmail.com và chọn nút kiểm include this account when receiving mail and synchronising. Ấn Apply, rổi OK .
7) Qua tab Advanced trong Outgoing Mail( SMTP) và Incoming Mail( IMAP) chọn 2 nút kiểm This server requires a secure connection. Điền số 465 ở SMTP và 993 ở IMAP. Click OK
8) Click tab Servers, chọn nút kiểm My server requires authentication. Click lần chót OK là xong

Khi bạn làm xong vào Outlook Express nếu đang nối mạng, hỏi download thư mới hay all mails nó sẽ có ngay thư mục mới Gmail trong OE để soạn thư( oofline ), gửi thư mới, xem lại các thư mới nhận, rất tiện cho bạn khỏi on line liên tục như trước đây.

II) Microsoft Outlook 2003:

gần giống với Outlook Express phải chọn Enable IMAP trong Gmail, rồi Save change.
1) Ở MO, trên thanh Menu, chọn tools rồi Email account.
2) Click tiếp Add a new Email account, click Next
3) Trong server type, click nút kiểm chọn IMAP, rồi Click Next.
4) Điền hết các mục đòi hỏi trong Internet E-mail Settings (IMAP):
a) Thông tin người dùng (User information):
- Tên bạn (Your name) cần xuất hiện (display).
-E mail address: địa chỉ đầy đủ Gmail: username@gmail.com
b) Thông tin Server :
- Incoming mail server (IMAP): imap.gmail.com
- Outgoing mail server (SMTP): smtp.gmail.com
c) Thông tin đăng nhập (Login Information) :
User Name: điền tên Gmail username (bao gốm cả @gmail.com)
Password: mật mã bạn dùng trong Gmail
5) Click tiếp vào More setings: và click tiếp vào tab Outgoing server

6) Điền vào 2 nút kiểm My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication và Use same settings as my incoming mail server. Ấn tiếp OK
7) Click vào tab Advanced, rồi Outgoing Server (SMTP), điền thông số 465 và Incoming server (IMAP) con số 993. Đồng thời, chọn chọn 2 nút kiểm ở This server requires an encrypted connection (SSL) ở cả 2. Click OK.
8) Click Test account settings, sau khi nhận dòng Congratulations! All tests completed successfully. Click Close, tiếp là Next rồi Finish.
9) Nên tải về update Outlook từ Microsoft để tránh nhận báo lỗi errors trong Outlook với người dùng Gmail.

III) Microsoft Outlook 2007:
Có hơi khác vời phiên bản cũ 2003 .
1) Mở Outlook 2007, với new setups, chọn do not upgrade. Chọn Yes.
2) Điền Display name, Email address (có cả @Gmail.com) và mật mã.
3) Click vào Manually configure, chọn Internet Email.
4) Thiết lập Tên (name), địa chỉ email đầy đủ (có cả @Gmail.com)
a) Chọn IMAP cho Incoming/ougoing server
b) Username gồm cả @gmail.com.
Sau màn hình này, click Next để kết thúc phần setup đầu tiên.
5) Chọn vào Tools\Options\ Mail setup. Click vào Email account, chọn account và click Change trên danh sách các Accounts. Click vào More settings, kế là chọn Tab Advanced.
a) Thông số Incoming server phải là 993 và dùng SSL encryption
b) Outgoing server, dùng 587 với TLS encryption
6) Click OK, Next , Finish, Close rồi cuối cùng là click OK.

IV) Kết luận:
Bạn nên thử qua dùng IMAP để có thêm 1 bản nữa cho các thư lưu trử Gmail trong MO hay OE dành đọc lại offline khi cần thiết.
Báo thêm các bạn là IMAP tải thư Gmail về MO hay OE cực kỳ nhanh không thể nào tin nỗi: chỉ không đầy 30 giây phút là cả hơn 600 thư trong inbox Gmail đã có mặt trong OE rồi.

How to Finish Our Access And Outlook Data Management Tool

Patrick Wood — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:43:47 +0000

With this article we will complete our Appointment Dialog Form that will give us more choices and more powerful ways to manage both our Access and Outlook data. We are transforming it into something far better than just a Date Dialog Form. You will also learn new and important methods of managing data with Access.

1 ) Provide instructions for the user.

If others will be using our Dialog Form they may need some guidance. When you first open the Form there is no way for a user to know the right place to start. We can show a short message when the form first opens by adding the message on a Label. Add the Label as shown in the next image and type in some instructions on the Label. We have set the back color to draw the user's attention immediately. Name the Label "lblStartInfo". Next, open the Label's Properties, click on the "Format" tab and set the "Visible" Property to "No". Then add the following code to the Form's On Current Event:

Private Sub Form_Current()

    If Len(Me.txtDateSelection & vbNullString) = 0 Then

        Me.lblStartInfo.Visible = True

    Else

        Me.lblStartInfo.Visible = False

    End If

End Sub

If a date has not been chosen the txtDateSelection TextBox will be empty. Since selecting a date is the first step in using our Dialog Form our code will make the label visible when the Form opens but invisible when a date has been selected. We need to move the "Export By Dates" Button over to make some room. When our Form is opened it should look like this:

2 ) Add a Button to clear the Form.

Providing a way to clear the Form and start over would be helpful and it is not hard to do. Add a Button on the right side of our information label and name it "btnClearAll". Add the following code to the Button's On Click Event:

Private Sub btnClearAll_Click()

' Clear all controls on the Form

    Me.txtDateSelection = vbNullString

    Me.txtOneDate = vbNullString

    Me.txtStartDate = vbNullString

    Me.txtEndDate = vbNullString

    Me.cboDateRanges = vbNullString

    Me.tglSelectAll = False

    Me.lstAppointments.RowSource = vbNullString

    Me.lstAppointments.Requery

    Me.lblStartInfo.Visible = False

    Me.chkBusiness = False

    Me.chkHolidays = False

    Me.chkOther = False

    Me.chkPersonal = False

End Sub

3 ) Add a Button to add all selected Appointments to Outlook.

Place the Button as shown in the image above and set the Caption to "Export Selections to Outlook". Name the Button "cmdLstBoxToOutlook".

4 ) Enter the code to add all selected Appointments to Outlook.

Now we get to add some interesting code. The code has plenty of comments to help you understand what it is doing. This code will get the ID of all the selected Appointments in the ListBox, build a SQL string, use it to open a Recordset, add all of the Appointment information to Outlook, set "Added to Outlook" to True, and then tell us how many Appointments were added to Outlook.

Private Sub cmdLstBoxToOutlook_Click()

    Dim db As DAO.Database

    Dim rst As DAO.Recordset

    Dim strSQL As String

    Dim strWhere As String

    ' This variable will be used to tell us how

    ' many Appointments were added to Outlook

    Dim intCount As Integer

    ' This variable will be used in

    ' Looping through the ListBox

    Dim i As Integer

    ' Use late binding to avoid the "Reference" issue

    Dim olApp As Object 'Outlook.Application

    Dim olAppt As Object 'olAppointmentItem

    If isAppThere("Outlook.Application") = False Then

        ' Outlook is not open, create a new instance

        Set olApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")

    Else

        ' Outlook is already open--use this method

        Set olApp = GetObject(, "Outlook.Application")

    End If

    ' Build the first part of a SQL String that will include

    ' all of the Appointments selected in the ListBox

    strSQL = "SELECT tblAppointments.* FROM tblAppointments "

    ' Start the first part of the SQL "WHERE" String

    ' The "WHERE" String will hold the Database Appointment ID

    ' Use the "IN" Predicate to make building the SQL easier

    strWhere = "WHERE tblAppointments.ApptmntID IN("

We build the SQL "WHERE" String by using a Loop to go through all rows in the ListBox and get the ApptmntID of the rows that have been selected. The ListBox contains an Array. An Array is basically data that is arranged and defined in a specific manner. It can consist of just a list of items, but is usually arranged in rows and columns like the Appointments in our ListBox.

Because an Array's dimensions are known, we can easily get specific data from our ListBox. A ListBox Array has a 0 based index. That means the index number of the first item in our ListBox is 0. We will use code to Loop through every Row in the ListBox starting at 0 until the last index number is reached. We use the ListCount Property to know when to stop looping. We need to subtract 1 from our ListCount because ListCount started at 1 instead of 0. This is done in our code like this: For i = 0 To Me.lstAppointments.ListCount - 1.

Now we know how to get a specific Row using the variable "i". But getting the Row is not enough. We need to get the ID number of each Appointment selected. We do this by using the Column Property. Each Row in the ListBox contains Columns. Our ID information is in the first Column. The Columns are also 0 based so our code is ".Column(0, i)". The "0" indicates the first Column in the Row and the "i" is our Row's index number.

We want our "WHERE" String to look like this ...IN(3, 14, 26). We must separate our ID numbers with a comma, which our code adds at the end of this line: strWhere = strWhere & lstAppointments.Column(0, i) & ", ". So our code will loop through the rows in the ListBox getting the value of the first Column of all rows that are selected, and separate the ID numbers with commas and a space.

' Run the Loop adding a comma , between the ID numbers

For i = 0 To Me.lstAppointments.ListCount - 1

    If lstAppointments.Selected(i) Then

        strWhere = strWhere & _

          lstAppointments.Column(0, i) & ", "

    End If

Next i

' Remove the last comma and enclose with a Parenthesis

strWhere = Left(strWhere, Len(strWhere) - 2) & ");"

' Put the whole SQL Statement together

strSQL = strSQL & strWhere

At this point as the code runs our completed strSQL statement will look like this:
strSQL = SELECT tblAppointments.* FROM tblAppointments WHERE tblAppointments.ApptmntID IN(10, 12, 16);

We will use our strSQL to open a Recordset which will only contain the Appointments that have been selected. Then we will then loop through those Appointments, creating a new Appointment in Outlook with each loop.

    ' Set a Reference to the CurrentDb

    Set db = CurrentDb()

    ' Create a Recordset based on strSQL

    Set rst = db.OpenRecordset(strSQL, dbOpenDynaset)

    ' Begin a Loop through the Recordset

    ' Move to the first Record

    rst.MoveFirst

    ' Loop to the End of the Recordset

    Do Until rst.EOF

        ' Create a New Outlook Appointment Item

        ' with each loop through the Recordset

        ' 1 is an olAppointmentItem

        Set olAppt = olApp.CreateItem(1)

        ' Add the data to the Appointment Properties

        With olAppt

            ' Set the Appointment Property Values

            .Start = Nz(rst!ApptDate) & " " & _
              Nz(rst!ApptTime, vbNullString)

            .End = Nz(rst!EndDate) & " " & _
              Nz(rst!EndTime, vbNullString)

            .Duration = Nz(rst!ApptLength, 0)

            .Subject = Nz(rst!Appt)

            .Body = Nz(rst!ApptNotes)

            .Location = Nz(rst!Location)

            If rst!ApptReminder = True Then

                 If rst!ApptDate < Now() Then

                    ' Do Nothing no Reminder is needed

                Else

                    If Not IsNull(rst!ReminderMinutes) Then

                        .ReminderOverrideDefault = True

                        .ReminderMinutesBeforeStart = _

                          rst!ReminderMinutes

                        .ReminderSet = True

                    End If

                End If

            End If

            ' Add the Category if it exists

            .Categories = Nz(rst!Categories)

            ' Save the Appointment Item Properties

            .Save

        End With

        ' Use intCount to count the Appointments added

        intCount = intCount + 1

        ' Set the AddedToOutlook Database Field to True

        rst.Edit

        rst!AddedToOutlook = -1 ' True

        rst.Update

        rst.MoveNext

    Loop

    ' Release the Outlook object variables.

    Set olAppt = Nothing

    Set olApp = Nothing

    ' Inform the user

    MsgBox intCount & _

      " Appointments were added to Outlook.", _

      vbInformation

End Sub

We can now select individual Appointments in our ListBox and add them to Outlook. But what if an Appointment is canceled and we need to delete it? We can do that.

5 ) Add a Button to Delete selected Appointments in our Access Database.

Place the "Delete Selections" Button on the Form according to the image below and add an appropriate caption. Name the Button "cmdDeleteSelected".

6 ) Enter the code to Delete the Access Database Appointments we select.

It is important to understand that this will delete our Appointments in our Database but not in the Outlook Calendar. We will use the MsgBox as a reminder. Most of the remaining code we have examined previously and it needs no further comment except for one very important line of code, which we will examine.

Private Sub cmdDeleteSelected_Click()

    Dim db As DAO.Database

    Dim strSQL As String

    Dim strWhere As String

    ' Declare a Variable to use to show

    ' how many records were deleted.

    Dim lngRecDeleted As Long

    Dim i As Integer

    Select Case MsgBox("This action will delete the " & _
        " selected Appointments from your Access Database. " _

        & vbCrLf & "" _

        & vbCrLf & " Are you sure you want to" & _

        " permanently delete these Appointments?" _

        , vbYesNo Or vbExclamation Or vbDefaultButton2, _

        "Delete Database Records?")

        Case vbYes

            ' Let the code continue

        Case vbNo

            MsgBox "Deletion has been cancelled! ", _

              vbInformation

            Exit Sub

    End Select

    ' Build a SQL Statement to Delete the Selected Appointments

    strSQL = "DELETE tblAppointments.* FROM tblAppointments "

    strWhere = "Where tblAppointments.ApptmntID IN("

    ' Loop through the ListBox and gather the data

    For i = 0 To Me.lstAppointments.ListCount - 1

        If lstAppointments.Selected(i) Then

            strWhere = strWhere & _

              lstAppointments.Column(0, i) & ", "

        End If

    Next i

    ' Complete the end of Where Statement

    strWhere = Left(strWhere, Len(strWhere) - 2) & ");"

    ' Put all the SQL together

    strSQL = strSQL & strWhere

    ' Set a Reference to the CurrentDb

    Set db = CurrentDb()

    ' Delete the Selections but Rollback

    ' the deletions if there is an error.

    db.Execute strSQL, dbFailOnError

    ' Inform the user

    lngRecDeleted = db.RecordsAffected

    MsgBox lngRecDeleted & _

        " Appointments were Deleted from the Database.", _

        vbInformation

End Sub

Most of the code here we have seen previously. However, the line of code that actually did the work is an important snippet of code that we should discuss.

That important line of code is db.Execute strSQL, dbFailOnError. The Execute Method, when coupled with the dbFailOnError Constant protects our data by rolling back the SQL's changes if there are any errors executing the SQL. Our Database ends up exactly the same as it was before the Rollback. This is especially important if you are doing payroll or taxes!

If you have followed these articles and completed your Appointment Dialog Form then you have a valuable tool that can increase your productivity and save time. Even more important is the knowledge and ability you have gained. This Dialog Form handled our Appointments in our Access Database. Our next Dialog Form will help us manage our Appointments in Outlook.

To download the code used in this article visit our Gaining Access Website. While you are there, you can download the New Free Report Date Manager you can use in all your Databases. Also get the Free Access Pop-up Calendar--the easiest calendar I have ever used. It has no "Reference" problems because it is an Access Form.

To download our Appointment Manager Database and other Premium Databases become a Premium Member with Total Access.

Here is how our Appointment Dialog Form appears now:

[caption id="attachment_231" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Our Completed Appointment Dialog Form"][/caption]

Happy computing,
Patrick (Pat) Wood
Gaining Access
Church Management Software Solutions

Outlook Maintenance

SMallard — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:57:44 +0000

Rob discovered these tips on Outlook....

Ctrl +K

After typing a letter or series of letters in the TO: line, you can press CRTL+K. This will bring up a dialog box with the contacts that match the letter or letters you typed in the TO: line.

Name Removal from E-Mail Auto Population Option 1:

From a new E-Mail message type the first letter of the person you are sending in the TO: line. When the drop down list appears, arrow down to the name you want to delete and press the delete key. Right clicking will not work you must use the down arrow key to highlight the selected entry and press the delete key to remove the entry.

Name Removal from E-Mail Auto Population Option 2:

Microsoft Help & Support Keywords:

kbhowto KB287623

SUMMARY

Microsoft Outlook maintains a nickname list that is used by both the automatic name checking and the automatic completion features. The nickname list is automatically generated as you use Outlook. If the nickname cache is corrupted, Outlook may not be able to identify recipients, may offer incorrect recipients when automatically completing the e-mail address, or may send the message to the wrong person.

MORE INFORMATION

Use the steps in the following section to reset the Outlook nickname cache for Microsoft Windows XP.

1.	Quit Outlook.
2.	Click Start, and then click Search.
3.	In the Search Companion left-side panel, click All files or folders.
4.	In the All or part of the file name: box, type *.NK2.
5.	In the Look In box, click to select your local hard disk.
6.	Click More advanced options, click to select Search hidden files and folders check box.
7.	Click Search.
8.	Right-click the .NK2 file with the name of the profile that you want to reset, and then click Rename.
9.	Rename the file to profilename.bak, and then press ENTER.
10.	Quit Windows Explorer.
11.	Restart Outlook.

Outlook will generate a new nickname cache.

Use the steps in the following section to reset the Outlook nickname cache for both Microsoft Windows 2000 and Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me).

1.	Quit Outlook.
2.	Start Windows Explorer.
3.	On the Tools menu, click Folder Options, and then click the View tab.
4.	Under Advanced Settings, click to select the Show hidden files and folders check box.
5.	Click OK.
6.	Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
7.	In the Search for Files and Folders box, type .NK2 in the Search for files or folders named* box.
8.	In the Look In box, click to select your local hard disk.
9.	Click Search Now.
10.	Right-click the .NK2 file with the name of the profile that you want to reset, and then click Rename.
11.	Rename the file to profilename.bak, and then press ENTER.
12.	Quit Windows Explorer.
13.	Restart Outlook.

Outlook will generate a new nickname cache.

Use the steps in the following section to reset the Outlook nickname cache for both Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Microsoft Windows 98:

1.	Quit Outlook.
2.	Start Windows Explorer.
3.	On the Tools menu, click Folder Options, and then click the View tab.
4.	Under Advanced Settings, click to select the Show all files check box.
5.	Click OK.
6.	Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
7.	In the Named box, type *.NK2.
8.	In the Look In box, click to select your local hard disk.
9.	Click Find Now.
10.	Right-click the .NK2 file with the name of the profile that you want to reset, and then click Rename.
11.	Rename the file to profilename.bak, and then press ENTER.
12.	Quit Windows Explorer.
13.	Restart Outlook.

Outlook will generate a new nickname cache.

Sticky Notes

halley — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:38:53 +0000

Sticky notes, that's the technical term for them. And I've been trying to figure out how to get notes to stick on my desktop. I was even tempted to download a software for it, honestly, but I stopped myself. So, I went for Google and started researching. I found out that I can use Microsoft Outlook.

As usual, my initial attempts to post notes on my desktop were failures. So, I switched resource. I thought maybe the author of that article just didn't know how to write instructions properly 'coz obviously I was doing it the wrong way.

Anyways, here are the helpful instructions I got from bellaonline.com from Chris Curtis. >> Desktop Sticky Notes

• Open Outlook and navigate to the Notes component.
• Create a new note by clicking on the New Note button on the Outlook toolbar.
• Type your note.
• Size your note by stretching the borders – to do so, hover over the triangle in the lower right hand corner of the note until you see a double pointed arrow. Left Click, hold the mouse key down and drag diagonally.
• Close your note by clicking on the Close X in the upper right hand corner of the note.
• Minimize your Outlook window to a smaller size so you can see your desktop and still view the notes items in the Outlook window.
• Left click and while holding down the mouse key drag the note you want to put on your desktop out of the Outlook window onto the Desktop area. You will see a shadow of the note with a little plus sign indicating that you are creating a copy of the note. Let the mouse key go.

Find E-mail Documents in a Snap

WorkloadMaster — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:41:11 +0000

Do you ever feel frustrated or just plain angry at yourself because you spend too much time looking for things (often on you desk)? Do you have the same problem wit your stored e-mail? If so you're not alone. In fact it's one of the major pains expressed by my clients. Although computers are very good at finding things, the sheer volume of stored e-mail can make it difficult to find something important quickly.

This is further exacerbated when you have a large quantity of Outlook folders. The more places you have to put things the more places you have to look. If you have 50 folders (and I've seen people with hundreds) you may have to physically look in five or six related places to find something. You have a computer, let it do the work for a change.

Here's what you do:

Use a bare minimum of Outlook folders. Ideally have just one folder called "Completed E-mail" or something similar (please don't store your old e-mail in your Inbox). If you must have more try to limit them to four or five. If you already have multiple folders, keep them for now and crate a new one for your completed e-mail. I started doing this a few years ago out of sheer laziness. I created on folder titled "Customer Communications" and dragged all "processed" e-mails from customers (that I wanted to keep) into it. I thought that later I'd go back and create sub folders for each customer. I never did. Didn't have to.

When you need to find something in your folder you have two options; sort or search.

To sort your list simply click the appropriate column heading. The first time you click a heading the list will be sorted in ascending order, the next time descending and so on. You can sort by From, Subject or Date.

If your needs are more robust you can search within the folder. Type whatever text you want to find in the Look For box and click Find Now. By using the Options on the far right you can either search just the subject or the entire message. For really heavy lifting the Options box includes the Advanced Find tool that can really narrow it down. Also you have the ability to save a search as a pseudo folder if you do this search a lot.

I used Outlook 2003 as my example above. Outlook 2007 works exaclty the same when you sort. The search tool looks a little different. In the far right hand corner just above the e-mail messages is a small box that says Search (folder name). Just type your text in that box and Outlook will do work. The little down arrow to the right contains your search options.

Time for an apology. Earlier this week I said that I'd do a "How-to" about managing stored e-mails using Outlook categories. This requires creating a custom e-mail view. It's something I often do in a few minutes at peoples' desks. When I sat down to write it out I realized that it required a lengthy explanation with multiple screen shots which would take hours. Realizing that the vast majority of my readers probably wouldn't take the time to do this I decided to hold off. If you were really counting on this please contact me directly.

Microsoft Outlook otomatik tamamlama belleği

veribirtek — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:23:38 +0000

Microsoft Outlook otomatik tamamlama geçici belleğini ".NK2" dosya formatında saklamaktadır. Varsayılan olarak bu bellek "C:\" yolundadır. Bu dosyanın tam yolu Microsoft Windows XP için ;

( Document and Settings\"KULLANICI ADI"\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\*.N2K ) adresinde ve,

Microsoft Windows Vista için ;

( Users\"KULLANICI ADI"\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\*.N2K ) adresinde yer almaktadır.

Eğer siz de adres defteri oluşturmak yerine bu bellekte adreslerinizi sakladıysanız aşağıdaki adresten indireceğiniz NK2.info yazılım aracıyla bu kayıtlarınızı standart ".CSV" formatına dönüştürebilirsiniz.

http://www.nk2.info/

Detaylı bilgi için ilgili link:

office.microsoft.com/tr-tr/outlook/CH010496931055.aspx

Anahtar Kelimeler: Microsoft Outlook otomatik tamamlama belleği, Microsoft Outlook yerel adres belleği, Microsoft Outlook yerel adres dosyası, nk2 csv dönüştürücü, Microsoft Outlook autocomplete cache, Microsoft Outlook local address cache, Microsoft Outlook local address file, nk2 csv convertor

How To Tame Your Outlook Folders

WorkloadMaster — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:13:23 +0000

Does this look like one of your file drawers? How about your Outlook folders about the same? Because your Outlook folders are electronic it doesn't mean they're neat and tidy. Here's the key. If you're spending more than two or three minutes searching through your Outlook folders each time you need something, then it's time to re-think how you're using them.

One of the biggest frustrations my clients face is that they're "always looking for things". It is a major time waster.

If you've attended on of our basic Outlook workshops then you know we teach you how to create and use folders to store e-mail after it's processed. When I do one-on-one coaching I find the people who struggle the most with finding things (and even front-end e-mail processing) are those with lots of folders (sometimes even dozens).

By having too many folders you increase the number of places where things are not. Too many folders often causes paralysis when deciding where to file something. I see it all the time while coaching. "where do I put this...if I put it there I might forget...how about this folder...no I might forget it's there to" yada yada yada. I'm thinking of putting a heart rate monitor on coaching clients to watch their anxiety levels.

Here are a few simple tips to keep your Outlook folders under control:

Use a few a few very broad categories. For example have one folder called "Customers" as opposed to one folder for each customer. Don't forget, Outlook can sort that folder several different ways so why impose tight restrictions when the computer can find and sort in seconds. Use that power.
Use only one folder for processed mail. "What's that", you ask, "didn't you initially teach me to create multiple folders?" Yes I did, but there are other ways depending upon how you work. The important thing is to get old e-mail out of the Inbox (one of our basic principles). You can create one folder called "Completed E-mail" and drag everything you want to keep into it after its processed.
Use Outlook categories instead of (or in combination with) folders. Applying a category (or categories) to each message you store gives you the ability to find and group it much faster. Just like your folders (and paper filing system) keep your categories broad.
Use Outlook's views, sorting, Search Folders and Show in Groups functions. Computers are great at finding things (especially when we give a little thought before storing them) and showing the results to us in multiple ways. Take advantage of this power to save time for you. I'll also discuss this in more detail in a future post.

Filling is an art in itself. For more reading on this subject I highly recommend The Organized Executive by Stephanie Winston. I read it back in the 1980s (it's been updated several times since) and it made a huge impact on how I managed my work. It's a classic in the area of time management and is just as relevant today as it was then.

Easily Save Outlook Appointments In Access With A Custom Dialog Form

Patrick Wood — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:18:46 +0000

Today we will make our Appointment Dialog Form very User Friendly. We will be able to Filter and Select the exact Appointments we want. First we will add several checkboxes to be used in filtering data and then we will add a Multi-Select ListBox so we can see and select the exact Appointments we want.

We are naming or are renaming our Form "frmDBApptDialog" for Database Appointment Dialog. We will have another form later named "frmOLApptDialog" for Outlook Appointment Dialog. Here is how our frmDBApptDialog appears so far.

1 ) First we will add 4 CheckBoxes to the Form.

Open your Form in Design view and place the CheckBoxes below the Date TextBoxes. Adding an informative Label and a Rectangle around them gives the Form a nice look and makes it easier for the user.

Enter the Label Captions you see in the image above. Add a name for each of the CheckBoxes in the Properties Sheet under the Tab "Other". Name them according to their Captions:

Label Caption: "Exclude Holidays", CheckBox Name: "chkHolidays"

Label Caption: "Exclude Other", CheckBox Name: "chkOther"

Label Caption: "Exclude Business", CheckBox Name: "chkBusiness"

Label Caption: "Exclude Personal", CheckBox Name: "chkPersonal"

2 ) Add an Unbound ListBox to the Form.

It should look something like this:

[caption id="attachment_233" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Our Form after adding CheckBoxes and a ListBox"][/caption]

Name the ListBox "lstAppointments". Copy the following into the RowSource because we do not want to see anything there when the Form is opened: SELECT tblAppointments.ApptmntID FROM tblAppointments WHERE ApptmntID = 999999999;

Click on the Properties Sheet "Other" tab and in the Multiselect Property select "Extended" from the Drop Down List. This will enable us to select any or all of the Appointments in the ListBox.

3 ) Add the code for each of the CheckBoxes.

Private Sub chkBusiness_AfterUpdate()
    If Len(Me.txtDateSelection & vbNullString) > 0 Then
        OptionsSet
    End If
End SubPrivate Sub chkHolidays_AfterUpdate()
    If Len(Me.txtDateSelection & vbNullString) > 0 Then
        OptionsSet
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub chkOther_AfterUpdate()
    If Len(Me.txtDateSelection & vbNullString) > 0 Then
        OptionsSet
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub chkPersonal_AfterUpdate()
    If Len(Me.txtDateSelection & vbNullString) > 0 Then
        OptionsSet
    End If
End Sub

OptionsSet is a Sub that builds a SQL "Where" Statement that we will use to filter out the dates that we do not want. For example, if you do not want your Personal Appointments in the list they are instatly removed. Each time a CheckBox is clicked the OptionsSet Sub is run and it sets the RowSource for the ListBox and requeries it so the right Appointments appear in the ListBox.

4 ) Add the OptionsSet code.

You can place this sub anywhere in the Form. The first part is the declaration of the SQL string Variables.

Private Sub OptionsSet()    Dim strSQLlbx As String ' A SQL Statement for the ListBox.
    Dim strWhere As String ' To build final "Where" Statement
    Dim strWherechk As String ' To filter using the CheckBoxes

    ' This is one way you can build a SQL "Where" Statement
    If Me.chkBusiness = True Then
        strWherechk = strWherechk & ",'Business'"
    End If

    If Me.chkHolidays = True Then
        strWherechk = strWherechk & ",'Holiday'"
    End If

    If Me.chkOther = True Then
        strWherechk = strWherechk & ",'Other'"
    End If

    If Me.chkPersonal = True Then
        strWherechk = strWherechk & ",'Personal'"
    End If

    ' If the first part of strWherechk is a comma: ,
    ' We know that strWherechk has a value to use
    If Left(strWherechk, 1) = "," Then

' Remove the comma: ,
strWherechk = Right(strWherechk, Len(strWherechk) - 1)

' Add the beginning part of the Where Statement
strWherechk = "AND Categories Not In (" & strWherechk

        ' Add the end part of the Where Statement
        strWherechk = strWherechk & ")"
    Else
        ' If the , was not added to strWherechk then
        ' No value was there--clear strWherechk
        strWherechk = vbNullString
    End If

    ' Add the dates that were selected to another "Where" Statement
    strWhere = " WHERE ((tblAppointments.ApptDate)" & _
        " >= [Forms]![frmDBApptDialog]![txtStartDate])" & _
        " AND ((tblAppointments.EndDate)" & _
        "<=[Forms]![frmDBApptDialog]![txtEndDate])"

' Put together both of the "Where" Statements.
strWhere = strWhere & strWherechk

    ' Build the entire SQL Statement
    strSQLlbx = "SELECT tblAppointments.ApptmntID," & _
        " tblAppointments.Appt, tblAppointments.ApptDate," & _
        " tblAppointments.EndDate, tblAppointments.Categories" & _
        " FROM tblAppointments" & _
        strWhere & _
        " ORDER BY tblAppointments.ApptDate DESC;"

' Set the ListBox's RowSource to show the Appointments
Me.lstAppointments.RowSource = strSQLlbx

' Requery the ListBox to update the data
Me.lstAppointments.Requery

End Sub

Now we are really getting somewhere! We can filter the Appointments and see the exact Appointments we want to select. Now we can set up some time-saving features.

5 ) Add a Toggle Button to Select all or Deselect all Appointments.

Open the form in Design View and add a Toggle Button centered directly above the ListBox. Name the Toggle Button "tglSelectAll". On the Button's AfterUpdate Event add the following code:

Private Sub tglSelectAll_AfterUpdate() ' Declare a Variable to use to select Appointments
Dim i As Integer

' If clicked select all of the Appointments
If Me.tglSelectAll = True Then

        ' Get a range for the Loop
        ' ListCount gives us the total number of Appointments.
        For i = 1 To lstAppointments.ListCount
            lstAppointments.Selected(i) = True
        Next i

        'Change the Toggle Button Caption to Deselect
        Me.tglSelectAll.Caption = "Deselect All"
    Else

        For i = 1 To lstAppointments.ListCount
            lstAppointments.Selected(i) = False
        Next i

Me.tglSelectAll.Caption = "Select All"
End If

End Sub

Now we can select the exact Appointments we want in the ListBox. We can select all with one click and then deslect them all.

Our next step is to add code that will process the Appointments. In our next article, we will add the ability to Export the selected Appointments to Outlook or to Delete them from the Database.

To download our Appointment Manager Database and other Premium Databases become a Premium Member with Total Access.

Here is a preview of the Dialog Form we will complete with our next article:

[caption id="attachment_231" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Our Completed Appointment Dialog Form"][/caption]

Happy computing,
Patrick (Pat) Wood
Gaining Access
Church Management Software Solutions

How to Process Your Inbox

WorkloadMaster — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:07:41 +0000

Photo by Howard R. Hollem, October 1942

Earlier this week I gave you a list of principles to help you take control of your e-mail. Now I'll get into some specifics. You may remember that I said to process your e-mail at specific times each day. I won't get into the theory behind that now, just do it.

When you do sit down to do the processing it's time to switch gears. You are now going to be the shipping/receiving clerk of your little knowledge factory. In a manufacturing or warehousing environment the shipping clerk has a very specific role. They receive new material (using a defined process) and send it to it's proper place. That has to be your frame of mind in processing your new e-mail. It's a very suble but important change in attitude. Keep this in mind.

The process is simple, deceivingly simple. It's called the 4-D Process (somebody else made this up long ago but I like it and it works). You must consciously apply this to each and every message in you Inbox. Here it is:

Delete It - Let's face it, a large percentage of E-mail is junk. This is quick and easy. If you may want something one day but not sure create a folder called Junk Drawer (or something like that) and drag it there. Outlook has a great search tool that will allow you to find anything quickly. Just get it out of your Inbox.
Do It Now - If you can do it in two minutes or less, then just get it done. But you have to be very ruthless with how long something will really takes to complete. You can eat up the rest of your day just by digging too deep into one message. Remember it's processing time.
Do It Later - If it's going to take longer than two minutes then Right-Click and drag and drop it into the Task Folder. Here you have the option to make a copy it as a task or convert it into a task thus removing it from the Inbox (I like the latter best). If you use a paper planner then drag it into a holding folder and schedule the task in your planner. We'll talk about this in more detail in a later post.
Delegate It - Easier said than done I know. We can do a whole series on delegation so I won't spend much time now. Just be sure the delegatee understands what's going on and create a task for yourself for a later date to remind yourself that something is due from somebody else.

That's it. It's easy, but difficult to do consistently. Keep reminding yourself that It's Processing Time. By the way this also applies to paper mail and dealing with piles of paper you've decided to finally deal with.

Note: To all of my friends and readers in the financial community. You probably don't have time to read this right now because your Inbox (and voice mailbox) is probably overflowing. Hang in there. When you get around to it this technique will help you dig out.

Get the Dates You Want With Your Own Microsoft Access Dialog Form

Patrick Wood — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 06:50:52 +0000

Today you will be able to use your own Date Dialog Form to export your Access Appointments to the Outlook Calendar after you follow the steps in this article. You will also learn one of the most import tasks in programming Access. You will learn how to create and loop through a Recordset, exporting the Appointments within your selected dates to Outlook. But first, let us consider the benefits of using a Custom Dialog Form.

The Date Dialog Form we have been making is a great help to the user. But it is far more than just window dressing. Not only does it make certain tasks easier, the user can get results more quickly, it gives the user more choices and control, and it also helps to avoid errors. The Pop-up Calendar and the Select Dates Combo Box eliminate typing errors that the user might make if the dates had to be typed in. Our code also checks to make sure the selected dates do not cause an error. So there are many benefits to using our Custom Dialog Form. When we are finished with this form (we will have at least two more articles about it) it will be an even more user friendly and powerful tool which you can also use in other Databases.

Here is how our Form appears now.

All of the controls are in place and named and we just have to finish adding code to make it work. We will go step by step.

As I was going through the code I found that we could save a little bit of coding if we modified our existing code just a little.

1) Find the following Sub: Private Sub txtOneDate_GotFocus()
and change this code:

       ' Clear the other textboxes
        Me.txtStartDate = vbNullString
        Me.txtEndDate = vbNullString

to this:

        ' Put the Single Date in the other textboxes so
        ' we can use them in our SQL "WHERE" Statement
        Me.txtStartDate = Me.txtOneDate
        Me.txtEndDate = Me.txtOneDate

So that your sub looks like this:

Private Sub txtOneDate_GotFocus()

    ' If txtOneDate has a value
    If Len(Me.txtOneDate & vbNullString) > 0 Then

        ' Put the Single Date in the other textboxes
        ' so we only have to build one SQL statement
        Me.txtStartDate = Me.txtOneDate
        Me.txtEndDate = Me.txtOneDate

        'Add the Formatted Date to the DateSelection textbox
        Me.txtDateSelection = "#" & Me.txtOneDate & "#"
    End If
End Sub

2) Add a Procedure to the "Export By Dates" button's On Click Event.

To do that Open the Form in Design view and right-click on the "Export By Dates" button. Select "Properties" at the bottom of the shortcut menu. Click on the "Event" tab. Find the On Click line and click one the ... on the right like this:

Select "Code Builder" in the Pop-up Window and click OK. The Code Editor should open and you should see the following lines of code:

Private Sub btnExportApptByDates_Click()

End Sub

3 ) Declare the Variables to be used in the Procedure

    ' Declare a variable for the Database
    Dim db As DAO.Database

    ' Declare a variable for the Recordset
    Dim rst As DAO.Recordset

    ' A variable for Recordset's SQL Statement
    Dim strSQL As String

    ' A variable for our "WHERE" statement
    Dim strWhere As String

    ' A Variable used to count the number
    ' of Appointments added to the Outlook Calendar
    Dim intCount As Integer

We are using DAO (Data Access Objects) code instead of ADO (ActiveX Data Objects) code for two reasons. DAO is Access's native language. It is what Access uses to process data. That means DAO is a little faster. Plus it has the added benefit of being a little easier to use because there is less code to write. If you are using Access 2000 or 2002 you may need to set a Reference to the Microsoft DAO 3.6 Library Reference. Other versions have the Reference set by default.

DAO and ADO both have Database and Recordset Objects, but the code for using them is different. If you do not specify DAO or ADO then Access "guesses" at which one you are using and it can cause errors. So always make sure you Declare which one you are using whenever you use a Database or Recordset in code.

4 ) Use late binding as before to create an instance of Outlook.

    ' Use late binding to avoid the "Reference" issue
    Dim objOutlook As Object 'Outlook.Application
    Dim objAppointItem As Object 'olAppointmentItem

    If isAppThere("Outlook.Application") = False Then
        ' Outlook is not open, create a new instance
        Set objOutlook = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")
    Else
        ' Outlook is already open--use this method
        Set objOutlook = GetObject(, "Outlook.Application")
    End If

5 ) Build the SQL Statement

To do this we must use the values selected in the Textboxes as a part of our SQL. We add the dates to the SQL statement by concatenating (Geek Speak for "putting together") the controls (which automatically gets the control's value) with the SQL statement by using the & character.

We must also use the # delimiters for the dates so Access will recognize them as dates. Do not worry if you do not understand all of that now as long as you know that this is needed for the code to work.

    ' Start building the SQL "WHERE" Statement
    strWhere = "WHERE ApptDate >= #" & Me.txtStartDate & "#" _
    & " AND ApptDate <= #" & Me.txtEndDate & "#"

    ' Finish building the SQL string
    strSQL = "SELECT * FROM tblAppointments " & strWhere & ";"
    'Debug.Print strSQL

The "WHERE" statement filters the data so we only get the records that we want. ApptDate is the Field in the Table which we see on the Form as Start Date. So our "WHERE" statement tells us that we only want Start Dates the are Greater Than (>) or Equal To (=) the date contained in our StartDate Textbox. Likewise, we only want End Dates that are Less Than (<) or Equal To (=) the date contained in our EndDate Textbox.

The * is a wildcard character meaning "all". So we are Selecting all records from the Table tblAppointments. We do not want all of the records, just the ones that fall within the dates we select. Our "WHERE" statement does that for us.

We also enclose our SQL Statement in Quotes because it is a string. However, whenever we use the Control Names in our SQL statement, we must not enclose them in Quotes because in Access Dates are really numbers. Access does not recognize numbers within quotes as numbers, but rather as Strings. When we are finished we have: strSQL = "SELECT * FROM tblAppointments " & strWhere & ";". Now we have it all together so we can open our Recordset.

6) Open the Recordset

    'Instantiate database
    Set db = CurrentDb()

    ' Create Recordset based on strSQL
    ' Note: You cannot open a Recordset using SQL
          ' with Parameters or criteria if the values
          ' of the Parameters are not provided. That is
          ' why we built the complete SQL string and used the
          ' Text Boxes to supply the values for the criteria.
    ' Open the Recordset and use dbOpenDynaset so we can modify records.
    Set rst = db.OpenRecordset(strSQL, dbOpenDynaset)

With most Recordsets some type of Loop is used to cycle through each record and get or set the values. There are a number of ways to do this.

    ' Move to the first Record in the Recordset
    rst.MoveFirst
    ' Begin a Loop and keep looping
    ' until the last record is reached.
    Do Until rst.EOF

We have instructed Access to keep doing commands until it reached the last record in the recordset. Think "End of File" when you see rst.EOF.

7) Add a New Appointment Item with each loop through the Recordset

        ' Create the New Appointment Item each loop through the Recordset
        Set objAppointItem = objOutlook.CreateItem(1) ' olAppointmentItem = 1

        ' Add the data to the Appointment Properties
        With objAppointItem

            ' Set the Start Property Value
            ' ApptDate is Required by the table no need to check it
            ' The Nz Function can handle a Zero Length String or a Null
            .Start = Nz(rst!ApptDate) & " " & Nz(rst!ApptTime)

            ' Set the End Property Value
            .End = Nz(rst!EndDate) & " " & Nz(rst!EndTime, "")
            .Duration = Nz(rst!ApptLength, 0)
            .Subject = Nz(rst!Appt)
            .Body = Nz(rst!ApptNotes)
            .Location = Nz(rst!Location)

            If rst!ApptReminder = True Then
                If rst!ApptDate < Now() Then
                    ' No Reminder is needed
                    .ReminderOverrideDefault = False
                    .ReminderMinutesBeforeStart = 0
                    .ReminderSet = False
                Else
                    ' Use the Reminder data
                    If Not IsNull(rst!ReminderMinutes) Then
                        .ReminderOverrideDefault = True
                        .ReminderMinutesBeforeStart = rst!ReminderMinutes
                        .ReminderSet = True
                    End If
                End If
            End If

            ' Add the Category if it exists
            .Categories = Nz(rst!Categories)

            ' Save the Appointment Item Properties
            .Save
        End With

        ' Get the number of Appointments added to Outlook
        intCount = intCount + 1

8 ) Set the AddedToOutlook Field to True for each Appointment added to Outlook

We have been using the Recordset to add data to Outlook. Now we will change that and use the same Recordset to add data to the Appointment Table.

        ' Set the AddedToOutlook Field to True
        rst.Edit ' We want to edit existing records
        rst!AddedToOutlook = -1 ' True
        rst.Update ' With DAO we must remember to use Update
        ' Move to the Next Record
        rst.MoveNext
    ' Here is where you loop back to the
    ' beginning of the Recordset
    Loop

9 ) Release Memory

    ' The Loop is finished so release the
    ' memory used for the variables.
    Set objAppointItem = Nothing
    Set objOutlook = Nothing
    Set rst = Nothing
    Set db = Nothing

10 ) Inform the User

If we did not let the user know that the Appointments were added to Outlook then would see no sign that they had been added to Outlook. They would have to open their Outlook Calendar to verify that the Appointments had been added. Since we are trying to save the user time we keep them informed.

' Tell the user how many Appointments were Exported
MsgBox intCount & " Appointments were added to Outlook.", vbInformation

End Sub

We have shown you how to create, open, and use a DAO Recordset to get data from Access and also use the same Recordset to Add data to Access. Recordsets are a popular and powerful feature of Access for which you can find many uses. Now you can use the Dialog Form with other Forms, Reports, and Databases.

Our next article will feature making our Dialog Form more powerful and giving the user more choices. We will build a more complex SQL "WHERE" Statement and use a ListBox to select the exact Appointments we want to Export.

To download the code used in this article visit our Gaining Access Website. While you are there, you can download the New Free Report Date Manager you can use in all your Databases. Also get the Free Access Pop-up Calendar--the easiest calendar I have ever used. It has no "Reference" problems because it is an Access Form.

To download our Appointment Manager Database and other Premium Databases become a Premium Member with Total Access.

Happy computing,
Patrick (Pat) Wood
Gaining Access
Church Management Software Solutions