Top 10 Ways To Not Get An Answer

The joy / pain of learning

Oh so true. Like wrasslin' wit' a big 'gator - but the Alligator Sauce Piquant you can make afterwards (assuming you win) convinces you it was all worth while.
 
Doc - sometimes I wonder about you , is this what you do for kicks ??:D
lol
 
Aww, mon cher, don't worry. I'm good at it. Haven't lost anything vital yet! And the wife enjoys the alligator handbags.

OK, now the truth: If you see me and a big gator in the same pit, either I'll already be dead of a heart attack or he'll be dead from the stench when I fill my drawers.
 
As far as normalization goes #6 covers that. Access Help is extensive and it speaks American, English, Aussie and Kiwi.
 
Doc - just read your last post - spat me tea all over the screen , the office here think I am a looney tune ( got the giggles) - now time to clear up the mess I've made ..
lol
 
I agree with what others have said, this forum has been a god send for me. There is so much talent and willingness to help. I have done many a search's and if I am able to find what I am looking for I will leave a positive reputation for the person.........

Thank you.
R~
 
What is the question?

Wile I agree with the posts above there is something I like to add.

I have noticed that frequently people are not able to explain in clear language what their problem is. I read the question several times and I still don't understand what they mean. Sometimes another user asks for a better explanation with no result.

Now I understand that this may be caused by either a language barrier or the inexperience with Access (or may be both). However I also get the impression that some users simply don't take the time to formulate their question in such a way that others can clearly understand what they mean.

A badly formulated question does not invite others to help solving the problem.
This Forum is a great tool, but it's like any other tool: it is no good if you don't know how to use it.

Trucktime
 
I have noticed that frequently people are not able to explain in clear language what their problem is. I read the question several times and I still don't understand what they mean. Sometimes another user asks for a better explanation with no result.
I think this is often caused because the person understandably doesn't know what they don't know and so finds it hard to describe in detail what they need to find out. This also makes it difficult for them to carry out a sensible search before posting and thus causing various degrees of irritation among those who might be able to help them.

Often too they have preconceived ideas on the solution and design of the database which is making their solution more difficult than it needs to be.
 
My personal bugbear is people who put 'Help' or 'urgent' in the thread title. Yes, it's obvious you are after help since you are posting to the forum and no, it's not urgent. To you it may be but when the advice is free you'll take it when you get it and nobody will drop what they are doing just to service you. If you have a problem describe it in the thread title. It's no wonder people (those that try, anyway) can't find historical solutions when the threads are all 'total noob needs urgent help plz', or whatever.

Amen to that! :eek:
 
Yeah, the US and England: two countries separated by a common language.
 
Bump

Bump. This needs to happen at least once a year so that everyone knows how everyone else actually feels half the time in here. :)
 
I think most intelligent users (I know I am treading in dangerous waters by using this phrase) of resources like these forums realise that "free help" is a gift. Sometimes just picking an outsiders brain can point you in the right direction. Sort of like a second pair of eyes when proof-reading. I have said in the past that often just writing the problem in the thread window turns the light on.

One of the best resources I've found has been the canned examples provided. And looking at solutions offered to specific problems. I look for entries with dbs attached for code ideas.

I have a suggestion - it may have been proposed and discarded for various reasons before. Why not categorise the examples with plain language headings? For example "cascading combo boxes" is not a phrase full of meaning to new-comers. How about "autofilling from a drop-down menu"? That might make it easier for people to find what they are looking for.

I find the forum search results arcane sometimes, since it appears to be an all or nothing approach. Google has spoiled us for intelligent search alternatives.
 
myself along with perhaps the majority of others that answer the majority of the questions, I'm asking on their behalf to please take the time to figure some of this out. If you can't do VBA, you are using 25% maybe of Access.
Amen to this. In my field at least, there are other programs that you can start learning and operating way before you dive into something like Access. It's too bad that people get into running this program long before they should. For anyone in this situation, I would tell you to consider other programs that are a little less complicated, but can still fulfill your needs. I love Access, and yes, I did break my own rules and started out doing this kind of work with the program, but I really had no choice. Maybe some of you are in the same boat that I once was, and if you are, it doesn't hurt to do a bit of research on other programs that function in a similiar way that Access does.

The best thing I can say here though is this: Don't be afraid to admit what you don't know. That has gotten me in trouble many times. And, it has given me some enemies too. If you want sincere help here, try the best you can to be sincere and understanding on your end. And most of all, the one thing that can never be stressed enough around here; BE SPECIFIC!!! :)
 
I have a suggestion - it may have been proposed and discarded for various reasons before. Why not categorise the examples with plain language headings? For example "cascading combo boxes" is not a phrase full of meaning to new-comers. How about "autofilling from a drop-down menu"? That might make it easier for people to find what they are looking for.
Rexes,

I like that suggestion, but I think there might be a problem with it: Broadening the scope of the already confusing "conventional jargon". The "official" name, for example, of filtered combos is "cascades". Now, I never got any schooling in Info. Tech., but I am aware of the phenomenon called "naming conventions". I would think that anybody who works in IT would know and understand this. I'm certainly not trying to be rude, and I would LOVE to carry out your suggestion more than anyone!! But, I'm afraid that something like that would add to the confusion of this already complex subject matter, and we (the people that have to communicate this information to others) would lose what little control we now have over this mess. :rolleyes:
 
Rexes,

I like that suggestion, but I think there might be a problem with it: Broadening the scope of the already confusing "conventional jargon". The "official" name, for example, of filtered combos is "cascades". Now, I never got any schooling in Info. Tech., but I am aware of the phenomenon called "naming conventions". I would think that anybody who works in IT would know and understand this. I'm certainly not trying to be rude, and I would LOVE to carry out your suggestion more than anyone!! But, I'm afraid that something like that would add to the confusion of this already complex subject matter, and we (the people that have to communicate this information to others) would lose what little control we now have over this mess. :rolleyes:

Perhaps another approach would be "filtered combos - autofilling with drop down menus". ie have a geek translator so we can see both the "official term" and the plain-language term. This is just posing ideas to help people find what they are looking for. Getting lost in translation seems to be a big issue.

BTW Happy New Year All
 
Another thing that encourages me from posting a reply is where someone has posted a large mass of code without using the code tags. It's so much easier to read in a code box.

Also I find it irritating when the post is littered with spelling errors. And even if English isn't your first language you should be able to spell Access correctly.
 

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