Open a database with no window, just form

[David Portwood]

I now have my own, home-built Auto FE Updater which basically involves first
launching a version-checker database (.mdb) which checks the file date of
the current app file on the user's local drive against the latest version on
a shared network drive and downloads from the net if the app version isn't
the latest. Then the version-checker mdb calls the actual application
database.

All of the above works nicely and is obviously easy to implement. So what's
my problem? Well, it may be nitpicky but I don't want the user to know that
the version-checker is actually a separate database. When the
version-checker launches, I want to hide the containing database window and
just show a form which just says, "Checking for new version...". The user
won't know the form is from a different database.

Can this be done?

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

Try this:

http://www.mvps.org/access/api/api0019.htm

 

[David Portwood]

Well, an API function call is not what I was expecting. Seems to me I read
in an Access text somewhere that it could be done using native Access
commands. Or am I mistaken?

I've never used an API function call before and with 30+ users of my app and
the entire office now depending on it I can't take the risk of maybe
tripping over something new if it isn't clearly necessary.

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

You can play around with using popup forms which are maximized and
borderless to hide the Access Window behind them, but since Access is a
Multiple Document Interface program everything takes place inside its
window. The API call is what changes the way it works. I'm sure you can test
your front-end copy without affecting other users.

BTW, the starter app on my website is an Access database that uses a custom
version property to update the local front-end. Since you set the version,
you don't have to worry about someone opening the copy on the server (thus
changing the timestamp) and triggering an update before you are ready:

http://www.datastrat.com/Download/Starter.zip
--
Arvin Meyer, MCP, MVP
http://www.datastrat.com
http://www.mvps.org/access
http://www.accessmvp.com

 

[David Portwood]

BTW, the starter app on my website is an Access database that uses a

custom version property to update the local front-end. Since you set the
version, you don't have to worry about someone opening the copy on the
server (thus changing the timestamp) and triggering an update before you
are ready:

The FE on the server is secured. I'm the only one that could make changes to
it. I will update the FE locally then post it to the server. When the user
launches my version checker, it will see the new timestamp, download (copy)
the new mdb file, and then launch the updated app.

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

The FE on the server is secured. I'm the only one that could make changes
to it. I will update the FE locally then post it to the server. When the
user launches my version checker, it will see the new timestamp, download
(copy) the new mdb file, and then launch the updated app.

It is opening the database to change anything, including the data that
changes the date in an Access FE.

 

[David Portwood]

I'm using FileDateTime() to check the timestamp of the latest version of the
FE.mdb file, which is resident on a shared network drive. I don't think
running the app changes that, or does it? I'll check this on Monday.

There are other options, of course. I could set and check a datetime field
in a table, for instance, and my version_checker.mdb database could track
that.

Doesn't really matter, because my users don't run the net version of the FE
file. They run a local copy only. They couldn't run the version on the net
even if they wanted to, because if they tried to open that database directly
(without using the \wrkgrp switch which is in the shortcut I've given them)
they would be denied access.

I suppose a knowledgeable and malicious user could switch to the appropriate
workgroup using the Workgroup Administrator and then run the app on the net,
but I'm not concerned with this. None of my users know anything about Access
and few know much about computers in general.