Microsoft Access Source Code

Source Code in Microsoft Access

What is source code in the Microsoft Access world?

Source code is a universal term in the software industry. It refers to the actual commands that a programmer types in to a computer to create a program. The programmer may type the commands in a text editor such as Windows Notepad. There are many other more sophisticated text editors that programmers use to write code. Microsoft Access has its own code editor that helps programmers track down errors and write code in an organized fashion.

Microsoft Access and other systems can perform a process known as compiling. Compiling takes the instructions the programmer has written and converts them into a set of instructions that a computer can process more rapidly. Doing so makes the instructions much more difficult for a human to interpret and modify. So this is also a way that programmers and software companies “protect” their code. The compiling process makes it very difficult for anyone to modify or “borrow” the programmer’s code.

The majority of software licensed today only comes with compiled (aka object) code. Thus the customer is stuck with the way the software works which gives the software company more power and control over the customer. Source code gives the customer the freedom to modify the program they have licensed, but does require a person who is knowledgeable in the programming language the software was written in, to make the modifications. There are thousands of people around the world who are competent Microsoft Access programmers. Several of them are employed at WSI. WSI serves as a resource to persons and companies who do not have an Access programmer on staff or on call. WSI provides as needed Microsoft Access and Microsoft .NET/Microsoft SQL Server programming services to customers all over the world.