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People I meet, often ask for several simple features missing in Access. Sometimes, I say, "Can't be done", other times I say "You could do that if you programmed"...

Setting Names of People, Companies, Addresses to Proper Case

Dev Ashish wrote the authoritative article Capitalize first character of every word automatically. To put it in context of a text box on a form, this would be typical:

Assume the form thus:

Use the following VBA Code:

Private Sub chkConvertCase_AfterUpdate()
  ContactName_AfterUpdate
End Sub

Private Sub ContactName_AfterUpdate()
  If Me.chkConvertCase = True Then
    ContactName.Value = StrConv(ContactName.Value, vbProperCase)
  End If
End Sub

The checkbox allows you to defeat this feature at whim, for those names that don't follow Proper Case rules.

Making the Hyperlink field more intelligent

Private Sub emailaddress_AfterUpdate()
Dim stDisplayText As String
Dim stAddress As String
Dim stSubAddress As String
Dim strControlName As String

On Error GoTo Err_Label

  strControlName = "emailaddress" ' *** remember to ensure this is relevant name ***
  stDisplayText = HyperlinkPart(Me(strControlName), acDisplayText)
  stAddress = HyperlinkPart(Me(strControlName), acAddress)
  stSubAddress = HyperlinkPart(Me(strControlName), acSubAddress)

   If InStr(stAddress, "@") <> 0 Then
     If UCase$(Left$(stAddress, 7)) = "HTTP://" Then
         stAddress = Right$(stAddress, Len(stAddress) - 7)
         stAddress = "mailto:" & stAddress
     End If
  End If

   Me(strControlName) = stDisplayText & "#" & stAddress & "#" & stSubAddress

Exit_Label:
   Exit Sub

Err_Label:
   MsgBox Err.Description, vbExclamation, "Problem encountered. Error code : " & Err.Number
   Resume Exit_Label
End Sub

What do I do with those files ending in .zip?

You haven't heard of .zip files yet? Golly! .zip files are compressed files. We often use .zip files because we are stuck at a PC with this archaic thing called a 1.44Mb floppy and we have more than that amount of file and we can't fit even one on a floppy much less 5 times more.

Windows XP and Windows ME have built-in facilities to detect and transparently open a .zip file like it was a normal folder in Windows Explorer. Users of earlier Windows need utility programs that can unpack the .zip file into the many "real" files that it contains.

The most famous Windows Zip/Unzip program is Winzip. Winzip is uncrippled shareware which means (aside from the banner telling you so when it runs) you can use it until your guilt catches up with you. Lesser known are:

• PkZip for Windows (from Phil Katz's original company)
• Power Archiver (shareware).
• Ultimate Zip (donationware).
• Freezip is Australian and free (28th November 2002)
• Stuffit is a famous and free Unzipper - To Zip, you need to pay.
• PowerZip (has trial version)
• PicoZip (has evaluation version)
• ZipItFast is free. (28th November 2002)
• Enzip is free. (28th November 2002)
• Info-Zip's UnZip runs on many platforms.
• ZipWrangler is free (28th November 2002)

For a few francs, my favourite Swiss Army Knife utility of all time is Christian Ghisler's Total Commander (shareware) - it does lots of file management things as well as zip/unzip. If you buy it, tell him I sent you.