Alan's ReadMe File for MOM

MOM is a sample Mail Order Management System, designed to help
aspiring Access developers learn some tricks of the trade. 

For information on installing and using MOM, please see 
Appendix C in my book Understanding Microsoft Access 2.0. 

OBJECT HAS NO VALUE
If you get the error message Object Has No Value when you try
to print, it's most likely because all outstanding invoices and 
receipts have already been printed. You can use the new Reprint
button on the Orders Switchboard to re-flag the recent invoices
as not-printed. Then try printing or previewing again.

The Object Has No Value message also happens if you try to print
data before entering it. For example, if the Customers, Products,
Orders, and/or Order Details tables are empty when you try to print,
you'll get the message. Enter at least one customer, one product, and
one order before attempting to print anything.

VERSION 1.2
The version you're using is called 1.2. It's the same version
discussed in my Understanding Microsoft Access 2.0 book, with just
the "Reprint" enhancements added. (You won't find any of those
enhancements in the book.)

MOM'S STATUS
I'm assuming many of you will want to use MOM as a starting point for
developing your own applications. That's fine with me. But it's also the reason 
MOM is only 95% complete. If MOM were an "end-user" product, I would add
custom error messages, and custom help, right at this stage. 

But I haven't done that because if you want to modify MOM yourself, you'll
need to see Access's "real" error messages while you're debugging. Any custom
error messages that I display would just confuse the debugging process. (That's why
you should always do custom error messages last!)

THANKS
I appreciate all the great feedback I've gotten on MOM, and the book. And as always,
I'm open to suggestions. You can send me a fax or E-Mail at any of the numbers below.
 
Fax:		(619)756-0159
CompuServe:	72420,2236
Internet:	simpsonAC@aol.com

Alan Simpson

