Leszynski/Reddick Naming Conventions For Microsoft Access
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Leszynski/Reddick Naming Conventions For Microsoft Access |
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Access won't allow you to name different objects with the same name but you might want to use the same base name to group objects together based on their meaning, the L/R naming standards allows this in an unobstrusive way, e.g.
| tblSupplier | Suppliers table |
| qrySupplier | Suppliers query |
| frmSupplier | Suppliers form |
| rptSupplier | Suppliers report. |
As you'll notice, the tags are in lower case and the main part of the name is in Proper case, your eyes are automatically drawn to the first capital letter (S in this case) so it's easy to read the name "Supplier" in all cases, even though each word starts with a different sequence of letters.
I won't go on and on about it here but will leave you with an explanation of why the naming standards database doesn't cover the naming of columns within a table.
Quite simply, Dr Codd (in his rules on relational databases) states that a column (or field, if you like) should be independant of type. This becomes obvious when, for example, you name a column "lngSupplierCode" to depict a supplier code that is numeric (long integer in this case), somewhere down the line, someone will decide that the supplier code should be alphanumeric for some reason or another. It's bad enough having to change the data type in all tables where this appears (probably just the one table if it's not the primary key of the supplier), but to have to go around and change all references to it in queries, forms and Access Basic Code in order to change the first 3 letters of its name it just too much and potentially error prone.
The L/R Naming Standard For Access Verison 2.0
Tags for Database Container Objects
Form frm frmCustomer
Form (dialog) fdlg fdlgLogin
Form (menu) fmnu fmnuUtility
Form (message) fmsg fmsgWait
Form (subform) fsub fsubOrder
Macro mcr mcrUpdateInventory
Macro (menu) mmnu mmunEntryFormFile
Module bas basBilling
Query (append) qapp qappNewProduct
Query (crosstab) qxtb qxtbRegionSales
Query (DDL) qddl qddIInit
Query (delete) qdel qdelOld Account
Query (form filter) qflt qfltSalesToday
Query (make table) qmak qmakShipTo
Query (select) qry (or qsel) qryOverAchiever
Query (SQL pass-through) qspt qsptOrder
Query (totals) qtot qtotResult
Query (union) quni quniMerged
Query (update) qupd qupdDiscount
Query(lookup) qlkp qlkpStatus
Report rpt rptInsuranceValue
Report (subreport) rsub rsubOrder
Table tbl tblCustomer
Table (lookup) tlkp tlkpShipper
Database Container Object Prefixes
Archived objects zz zzfrmPhoneList
System Objects zs zstblObjects
Temporary objects zt ztqryTest
Under development _ (underscore) _mcrnewEmployee
Tags for Control Objects
Chart cht chtSales
Check box chk chkReadOnly
Combo box cbo cboIndustry
Command button cmd cmdCancel
Frame fra fraPhoto
Label lbl lblHelpMessage
Line lin linVertical
List box lst lstPolicyCode
Option button opt optFrench
Option group grp grpLanguage
Page break brk brkPage1
Rectangle (shape) shp shpNamePanel
Subform/report sub subContact
Text box txt txtLoginName
Toggle button tgl tglForm
The L/R Naming Standard For Access Verison 2.0
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Tags for Access Basic Variables
Container con Dim conTables as Container
Control ctl Dim ctlVapour As Control
Currency cur Dim curSalary As Currency
Database db Dim dbCurrent As Database
Document doc Dim docRelationships as Document
Double dbl Dim dblPi As Double
Dynaset dyn Dim dynTransact As Dynaset
Field fld Dim fldLastName as Field
Flag (Y/N,T/F) f Dim fAbort As Integer
Form frm Dim frmGetUser As Form
Group gru Dim gruManagers as Group
Index idx Dim idxOrderld as Index
Integer int Dim intRetValue As Integer
Long lng Dim lngParam As Long
Object obj Dim objGraph As Object
Parameter prm Dim prmBeginDate as Parameter
Property prp Dim prpUserDefined as Property
QueryDef qdf (alternate: qrd) Dim qdfPrice As QueryDef
Recordset rec (alternate: rst) Dim recPeople as Recordset
Relation rel Dim relOrderItems as Relation
Report rpt Dim rptYTDSales As Report
Single sng Dim sngLoadFactor As Single
Snapshot snp Dim snpParts As Snapshot
String str Dim strUserName As String
Table tbl Dim tblVendor As Table
TableDef tdf (alternate: tbd) Dim tdfBooking as TableDef
Type (user-defined) typ Dim typPartRecord As mtPART_RECORD
User usr Dim usrJoe as User
Variant var Dim varInput As Variant
Workspace wrk (alternate: wsp) Dim wrkPimary as Workspace
Yes/No ysn Dim ysnPaid As Integer
Access Basic Variable Prefixes for Scope
Global g glngGrandTotal
Local (none) intCustomerld
Module m mcurRunningSum
Passed parameter p pstrLastName
Static s sintAccumulate