CTredway said:
I have a 2003 database that is shared between just a few of us (it is not
split into Front/Back) and I have one user who can not access all of the
switchboard commands. She is on Windows XP and Access 2003 (same as
myself
and the others). She can use the Main Switchboard just fine but when
selecting any of the items on the secondary switchboards, nothing
happens..no
errors, no nothing. I have made sure that SP3 for office was installed
and
all Windows udates as well but have had no luck. Also, the switchboard
was
created using the built-in Switchboard Manager. Since she is the only
user
with these problems, I can only assume that it is a PC setting/issue and
not
a database issue???? Any suggestions?
As I have always considered the Switchboard Manager to be a complex solution
to a simple problem, and to be quite limited in function, I've only used it
in demonstrations to my user group (and, in each of those cases, also
demonstrated a functionally comparable switchboard hierarchy created with
unbound forms and command buttons, to which I also added functionality for
selecting data, selecting reports from a combo box, and the like). The
number of puzzling questions I see here in the newsgroups tends to confirm
my view. The simpler heirarchy of forms, not relying on a table, is easier
to understand and debug, as well.
I haven't even tried a shared, single monolithic application (UI and data
together) with a Switchboard, opened by concurrent users, and do not
recommend that for any multiuser application. Having multiple users logged
in to the same copy of an Access database significantly increases the
probability of corruption. If you haven't experienced that, whatever is the
next change to your application might bring it on.
If it were my application, the first thing I would do is to split it... user
interface (front end) database on each user's machine and linked tables,
relationships, and data in a back-end database in a shared folder. I find it
just as easy to split manually as to use the Splitter function in Access.
Remember that the switchboard's table, IMNSHO, should be on each user's
machine, not shared in the back-end, if you insist on continuing to use the
SM-generated functionality.
However, I would spend a few minutes (and, usually, that is all it really
takes) to recreate the Switchboard functionality with unbound Forms and
Command Buttons, test it, distribute a new front-end, direct the users to
test it some more, and go with that.
If you feel compelled to stick with a single, shared database I just "won't
be a party to that" and if you feel compelled to stick with the Switchboard
Manager-generated functionality, I'm afraid someone more "into" the inner
(and not well-documented) workings will have to assist you. I'll point out
that the complexity to accomplish simple functions and its sensitivity to
changes not generated by the SM makes it not easy to debug.
Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP
