Loading Workgroup Admin in runtime & a Digital Certificate Question

[Jen S]

Hi. I'm a VB/VBA programmer who gets easily confused when I get outside
of my little worlds of ADO/DAO coding. I have an Access 97 database that is
distributed as a runtime app to various 3rd Party users. I'm running into
two questions almost immediately:

1. In my A97 install, I gave users a shortcut to Workgroup Administrator in
the program group for my app and instructed the user to point to their
company's security mdw as part of the install process. With the Wrkgrp
Admin running from within Access now, does anyone have a recommended method
of giving users access to it?

I tried simply adding the command to my custom menus, but for some reason
nothing actually HAPPENS when I click the new menu item, even on my
development machine. Should this have worked? And is there a programmatic
way to load it instead? Or am I forced to use the command line switch? Any
general tips for handling workgroup connections in 2003 in a
runtime-intended environment would be welcome.

2. A slightly OT question about the Digital Certificate I apparently need
to keep my users from being bothered by the macro/unsafe expressions
messages: I think I understand how these certificates work, but what
happens when a user opens my application and does not have an internet
connection to connect to Verisign (et. al.) to get confirmation of the
certificate? And can someone confirm that signing the app will eliminate
BOTH of those warnings?

Thanks in advance!
Jen

 

[Lynn Trapp]

Jen,

I can't help you much with the Certificate question, although I would think
they wouldn't need an internet connection (please don't quote me on
that...<g>). As for your security question, the /wrkgrp switch is the
recommended way to implement User Level Security. That allows users to join
the default system.mdw file through the workgroup administrator, for
databases that they don't need to have secured, and use the secure.mdw file
for secure databases.

--
Lynn Trapp
MS Access MVP
www.ltcomputerdesigns.com
Access Security: www.ltcomputerdesigns.com/Security.htm
Jeff Conrad's Big List: www.ltcomputerdesigns.com/JCReferences.html

 

[Jen S]

Lynn,

Thanks. I was afraid of that. <g> One other question, then.

I'm probably just being lazy for asking instead of researching more, but do
you know if there's a way to change the target of my shortcut from within
Access?

I'm in a situation where a security mdw will exist somewhere on a central
server that multiple clients will have to hook into, so after install, the
client users will *have* to specify the server path through my application
front-end. I may be able to rig something in the client setup to prompt
them for the path then and build the shortcut accordingly, but my app will
still need to be able to handle it internally, in case the path to the
server file changes.

Thanks, again.

Jen

 

[Lynn Trapp]

Hi Jen,
You could try having your users open a different database that is not
secured and have that database prompt them for a path to the security.mdw
file. Then use that in the Shell command to open your secure database.

Shell("FullPathToMSACCESS.EXE FullPathToMyDB.MDB /wrkgrp
FullPathToMyMDW.mdw ")

I've never tried that but don't see why it shouldn't work. Obviously, what I
have above is going to take a bit of manipulation but you ought to be able
to go from there.

--
Lynn Trapp
MS Access MVP
www.ltcomputerdesigns.com
Access Security: www.ltcomputerdesigns.com/Security.htm
Jeff Conrad's Big List: www.ltcomputerdesigns.com/JCReferences.html

 

[TC]

Jen S wrote:
(snip)

2. A slightly OT question about the Digital Certificate I apparently need
to keep my users from being bothered by the macro/unsafe expressions
messages: I think I understand how these certificates work, but what

happens when a user opens my application and does not have an internet
connection to connect to Verisign (et. al.) to get confirmation of the
certificate?

First, there's a waaaay easier method of suppressing the security
warnings. Do a google groups search for posts containing the work
automationsecurity, from author TC.

Second, I'm no expert on digital certificates, but I believe that they
do NOT require to "phone home" to confirm their validity. They use
cryptographic techniques to determine that. There's no way to change a
digitial certificate, but make it look like an original (unchanged)
one.

HTH,
TC

 

[Guest]

Second, I'm no expert on digital certificates, but I believe that they

do NOT require to "phone home" to confirm their validity.

I can confirm from a test I performed this afternoon that an internet
connection is not required for the certificate to be effective.

 

[Guest]

Second, I'm no expert on digital certificates, but I believe that they

do NOT require to "phone home" to confirm their validity.

I can confirm from a test I made this afternoon that an internet connection
is not necessary for the certificate to be effective.