Developer Extentions

[tracey]

I created an application in MS Access that has a front end
with all of the forms, code etc. It also has a backend
with all of the tables. I just got the Access 2003
Developer Extentions and I am trying to package the
application to be distributed. I need to install the
backend on a server and the front end on the local
machine. The packaging wizard doesn't give any options for
server installation that I could see. Does anyone know of
anywhere I could get more information on this. I looked
in the help files and didn't find anything. My idea is to
create 2 packages, one for the server installation and one
for the local installation and then package them together.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!!!!!!!!!

 

[Larry Linson]

There's really no "installation" required for the shared tables back-end
database. Just copy it to the shared folder to which the users have full
rights. Neither retail Access nor the runtime need be installed on that
server. Access and the Jet database engine run on each user's machine, and
all the data extraction, manipulation, and storage is done on the user's
machine.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP

 

[tracey]

How do I copy the backend to the server only one time and
referance the linked table to the backend, everytime the
app is installed on a new workstation?

 

[Larry Linson]

How do I copy the backend to the server only one time and
referance the linked table to the backend, everytime the
app is installed on a new workstation?

How do you copy any file to a folder? That's all that is involved, copying
the MDB to the appropriate folder on the server. Do it once. Don't try to
make it part of the "installation package".

I include code so the user can find the file through the Windows Common
Dialog, see: http://www.mvps.org/access/api/api0001.htm for code to do this.
Then I write code to update the links. If your users are even minimally
computer literate, they can do this. There's example code in the topic "Work
with multiple databases", subtopic "Relink tables at startup" in the
Developer Solutions database from Microsoft, temporarily hosted at
http://www.mvps.org/access/downloads/bapp2000.exe. For versions earlier than
Access 2000, it is on the installation CD, under a slightly different file
name.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP

 

[Guest]

I have solved this problem. I create one distribution package that I install on both Server and Workstations. I then have a Network Setup procedure that converts the Workstation installations into a true Workstation by deleting any Relationship references in the Database (excluding any 'MSys' ones), so that the Tables in the Workstation database can be deleted and replaced by linked tables to the Server Database. Everything is controlled by a ''Tables" Table that specifies the names of the Tables to be linked to the server or kept local. It also includes 'Aliasing' so that people can set things up differently on different networks

Unfortunately this is Not a trivial piece of coding, so if you would like to send me your E-mail I will consider selling you my code

Regards Brian McGuigan - New Zealand

 

[tracey]

I appreciate the response. Thank you. However, I am
planning on distributing this application. I have
installed a lot of software and never had to copy 1 file
to a specific directory and then run a "setup.exe"
seperately. I was hoping to make this installation
automatic and not assume that the user would know or
understand how to copy a file to the server location. I
have seen other software install all components from one
(1) setup.exe file, which has prompted me for details. I
understand that the easy way is to copy the file
manually. Is there a way to "bundle" or "package" the
workstation installation and the server file installation
into one setup.exe file? Again I appreciate the reponses.

Thank you