MS-Access / Getting Started

DAO Property Types

In contrast to Access object properties, the three types of object properties are: built-in, system-defined, and user-defined.

  • Built-in properties exist when the object is created, and like most of their Access counterparts, define the characteristics of the object itself. For example, Name and Type are examples of builtin properties.
  • System-defined properties are those that Access adds to the object's Properties collection when it needs the property in order to work its magic. These are not Access database engine properties, but are created and used by Access.
  • A user-defined property can be added to an object's Properties collection when you explicitly set a value to it. For example, a field's Description property is a user-defined property. Although you can set a value to it when you define the table, Access doesn't recognize that the property exists until after you've done so. In fact, after you've set its value, it appears in the field's Properties collection, but you still can't see it in the Object Browser.

Creating, Setting, and Retrieving Properties

Without even thinking about it, you've been setting and retrieving properties for as long as you've been programming. Whenever you check the value of a TextBox, or set the Enabled state of a command button, you are working with object properties. This section explores how to manipulate Access properties, object properties, and user-defined properties.

You can refer to built-in properties either directly through the object to which they belong or through the object's Properties collection. User-defined properties, on the other hand, do not form part of an object's type library, and thus are not available via that route, so you have to refer to them through the object's Properties collection.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Using DAO to Access Data
  2. Data Access Objects
  3. New Features in DAO
  4. Referring to DAO Objects
  5. The DBEngine Object
  6. Using Transactions
  7. The Errors Collection
  8. The Databases Collection
  9. The CurrentDb() Function
  10. Opening an External Database
  11. Closing and Destroying Database Object References
  12. DAO Property Types
  13. Setting and Retrieving Built-In Object Properties
  14. Setting and Retrieving SummaryInfo Properties
  15. Creating Schema Objects with DAO
  16. Creating Indexes
  17. Creating Relations
  18. Creating Multi-Value Lookup Fields
  19. Database Encryption with DAO
  20. Setting Encryption Options
  21. Managing Access (JET) Security with DAO
  22. Creating Security Objects
  23. Creating and Deleting Groups
  24. Managing Passwords
  25. Data Access with DAO
  26. Modifying a QueryDef
  27. Filtering and Ordering Recordsets
  28. Navigating Recordsets
  29. BOF, EOF
  30. Navigating Recordsets with Multi-Value Lookup Fields
  31. Bookmarks and Recordset Clones
  32. Finding Records
  33. Working with Recordsets
  34. Using Arrays with Recordsets
  35. Working with Attachment Fields
  36. Append Only Fields