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Asked: 2026-05-10T20:28:09+00:00

We have a large MS Access project that requires GUI functionality that is difficult

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We have a large MS Access project that requires GUI functionality that is difficult / impossible to do in the VBA / access forms environment.

Over time, we wish to re-write / migrate to a managed C# environment with WPF as the presentation layer.

The only practical way for us to do this is over a longer period of time – converting some of the VBA forms first (that would give the best productivity benefit), and then over the course of 12-24 months convert the entire system.

What do you believe is the best approach. Can MS Access host the WPF forms as we convert them?

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1 Answer

  1. What if you look into Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO) ? You can write managed .NET addins for Office in C#, that will integrate as ribbons with office.

    Now, the problem is that Access add-ins are not supported in VSTO AFAIK. But, take a look here, it seems to be not that impossible.

    So, if you happen to be lucky, you could

    • Write a C# ribbon for Access which would have all the advanced GUI you need
    • Write services in C# that could be accessed from Access to encapsulate important business logic for instance, so that you could gradually move not only GUI, but build proper domain object model in C#.

    If you decide to try it out, let me know how it turned out 🙂 Good luck anyway.

    PS something else which maybe is helpful? Access 2007 Developer Extensions (ADE)

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