FM20.DLL : 64 bit version available?

[mike012321]

Is a version of the Forms 2.0 FM20.dll available for use in Access 2010 64 bit? Am trying to see if an Access 2007 project can be easily converted for use with 64 bit Access 2010 and it uses FM20.dll

If this doesn't exist, are there similar controls elsewhere in Access 2010 64 bit? Is there a good choice of controls generally?

Do Microsoft provide a table or similar whereby one can see if a controls DLL used in Access 2007,say,is available in the Access 2010 64 bit version? That would be really helpful.

Thanks.

Mike

 

[the_net_2.0]

if you want to see if it exists, try looking at the ref list in the vbe. more than likely, the name will start with "Microsoft".

what happens a lot of times with broken references, and their unexpected appearance when a switch is made from 32 to 64 bits, is that they either were eliminated from windows/office because of the version change, or the location moved due to the change in OS bits. I've found that this is pretty commonplace. You can even re-download dll's in many scenarios because the compatibility is the same. If a lib has been eliminated by MS for some reason, that doesn't mean it can't be re-used.

 

[mike012321]

Thanks for the interesting reply. I do not have Access 2010 64 bit yet and wondered if FM20.dll can be used with it-if it does not show up in the ref list,but is ok for use with the Access 64 bit version, I could just add it to the ref list I guess.

Is it correct that, if it can be used with 64 bit Access, it must have been rewritten so it contains a 64 bit version, because 32 bit dlls won't work with Access 64 bit?

 

[the_net_2.0]

Is it correct that, if it can be used with 64 bit Access, it must have been rewritten so it contains a 64 bit version, because 32 bit dlls won't work with Access 64 bit?

Correct. In general, 32-bit dll's don't work with 64 bit app platforms. And it may be all of them. I think this is right, although I don't know for sure.

Your best bet is to give it a go. There probably won't be much backlash from trying, other than the program crashing on a code line.

I've never heard of FM20.dll, but that doesn't mean anything. did you look it up?

 

[mike012321]

I found FM20.DLL almost by accident when using Access 2003. Its full name is:

Microsoft Forms 2.0 Object Library

It consists of:

Checkbox,Combobox,Commandbutton,Frame,Image,Label,Listbox,Multipage,OptionButton, ScrollBar,SpinButton,TabStrip,TextBox,ToggleButton.

Each of these has "Forms 2.0" as a prefix.They are all unbound controls.

I started using some of them because sometimes they were easier to work with than the "standard" Access controls, which seem oriented towards database work (fair enough!) You don't have to sort of disentangle these from database use as they aren't especially intended for that.

e.g. Combobox or listbox:

There is no rowsource property etc. You can use .listindex, which returns or sets the selected item in the list and the methods .additem/.removeitem to add/remove list items, etc.

e.g.
list1.clear ' empties listbox (I think)
list1.additem "Item no 1" 'adds item
list1.additem "Item no 2" 'adds item
list1.listindex=0 'selects first item (zero-based)

They are very similar to some of the controls found in vb4,vb5 or vb6,say.

If there was something like that in Access 64 bit, I'd be tempted to go for it. Want to try to avoid a lot of recoding/testing if poss. My Uncle uses this database on his personal computer for a small charity and I try to help him with it. He'll be retiring from this soon and I wondered if converting it for use with 64 bit Access (before I also stop helping with it) would position it better for the future. Still,maybe that's a bit premature? Doubt that the average volunteer who takes the database over would yet be running Access64 bit on his or her computer! And Microsoft is still recommending use of 32 bit Office 2010 for the home user I think? But over time Office 64 bit (so Access 64 bit) will become norm for home users I guess?

 

[the_net_2.0]

everything will be 64 bit here shortly. If you're in the USA, then you know that right now if you go to any place to buy a machine, like Best Buy for instance, you can't even get 32 bit machines anymore.

MS is doing a "little" better job of supporting people that can't upgrade as fast as they can, however they still suck at it. The best example of them doing this is the virtual XP machine that you can find in the 64-bit windows 7 machines. Obviously that is there because they know not everyone has trillions to spend on upgrades like they do.

but in general, yes, 64 bit will be the norm. And it won't be long (in years) before that happens. Honestly, I don't know why people put so much emphasis on 64 bit office vs. 64 bit OS's. the OS is really the thing that matters. I think (not 100%) the only thing 64 bit office is relevant to is how much memory the office programs can use and manipulate. And for most people, that doesn't even matter. How many people do you know that need more than 65535 rows in excel? or more than a 2GB access file? Yeah, NOT MANY.

You can actually do the conversions yourself. It takes a little bit of math, but it's quite interesting. For instance, 65535 as a value is 2 bytes in size. And the max columns in Excel, I think, convert to a nice round value (in size) too. That is not really connected though, to how much actual memory those programs can use. But still, it's all a pattern. Food for though, I suppose?

But the general concept here is that, 32 bit office vs. 64 bit office - for a charity, I would seriously doubt that it would matter at all unless it's the size of the United Way or something like that.

 

[mike012321]

I live in UK but it is pretty much the same here. Dell etc only advertise 64 bit machines in newspapers. "PC World", a big chain-store computer outlet, only seems to sell 64 bit machines now, etc.
Think you're right that it wouldn't really matter whether this charity database is 32 bit or 64 bit. It is a smallish database for a small local charity.

Dilemma is: If I make it 64 bit (Uncle is buying a new computer soon, so he could use database by getting Office 2010 64 bit with Access) it would be set up for the next few years, but if anything happened to my Uncle in the near future, it could be no other volunteer yet ran Office 64 bit,so database couldn't be used!

On other hand, if I choose to keep it 32 bit and my Uncle carries on with the charity work for next few years, perhaps there'll be no volunteer - or anyone!- with Office 32 bit to take it over and run it when he leaves.

Think I'll keep it 32 bit for now but offer to change it to 64 bit if it becomes necessary.