Frontend Downloads

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Guest

Hi All,

I created a database about 12 months ago which is secured and split into a
front end and a back end. I used a very helpful download from The Access Web
(i think called AutoUpdater) to download a new copy of the front end to each
user when i made changes to the server copy. Is a little "buggy" strange
error messages appear at different times but it does the job and that's all i
care about.

Our IT infrastructure is quite appalling and my users in our Glasgow and
London offices (the server and I are both in Birmingham) find the database
runs incredibly slowly. Having tried many solutions, the only fix that works
is for me to create a 'lite' version of the front end.

Now i have two front ends and i want to use the program twice to create one
set for my main users and one for my 'lite' users. However when i make a
second copy and change all the parameters, it downloads what i want it to but
the original which should download the original front end now downloads the
'lite' version as well.

I tried to re-download this program from the Access Web so i could start all
over again but it no longer seems to be available, is it possible for me to
get this from somewhere else or is there another (free, sorry!) similar
program that anyone can recommend that will do the same trick, preferably
with as simple as possible interface.

Thanks
Emma
 
Emma Hope said:
Hi All,

I created a database about 12 months ago which is secured and split into a
front end and a back end. I used a very helpful download from The Access
Web
(i think called AutoUpdater) to download a new copy of the front end to
each
user when i made changes to the server copy. Is a little "buggy" strange
error messages appear at different times but it does the job and that's
all i
care about.

Our IT infrastructure is quite appalling and my users in our Glasgow and
London offices (the server and I are both in Birmingham) find the database
runs incredibly slowly. Having tried many solutions, the only fix that
works
is for me to create a 'lite' version of the front end.

Now i have two front ends and i want to use the program twice to create
one
set for my main users and one for my 'lite' users. However when i make a
second copy and change all the parameters, it downloads what i want it to
but
the original which should download the original front end now downloads
the
'lite' version as well.

I tried to re-download this program from the Access Web so i could start
all
over again but it no longer seems to be available, is it possible for me
to
get this from somewhere else or is there another (free, sorry!) similar
program that anyone can recommend that will do the same trick, preferably
with as simple as possible interface.

Thanks
Emma
Click to expand...

I use batch files - simple and quick. Here's an example:

ECHO OFF
DEL "%userprofile%\MyLocalFolder\*.*" /Q
XCOPY "X:\MyPublicFolder\MyGUI.mde" "%userprofile%\MyLocalFolder" /I
START "MyApp" /MAX "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office11\MSACCESS.EXE"
"%userprofile%\MyLocalFolder\MyGUI.mde" /wrkgrp "X:\MySecurity\MyWIF.mdw"

What it does is to copy the GUI into a known folder in the user's profile
then launch Access and the GUI, referencing the appropriate security file
where necessary.

HTH - Keith.
www.keithwilby.com
 
Thanks Keith, it does sound quite simple but having never used or come across
batch files before i wouldn't have the foggiest where to start.
 
Hi Joan et al,

Thanks very much, you are right it was Tony Toews updater, i was looking
totally the wrong place. However i need some more help if you or anyone else
can help:

I used the updater and set up two ini files for my two frontends, no
problem, they validate successfully and run successfully (shortcuts created,
frontend downloaded etc) on my own machine. However when i use the
startmdb.exe on anyone elses machine, i get the following error message:

Null command line sent to utility.
If you are using a shortcut the the target in the the shortcut hasn't been
properly setup. If you are using a bat or cmd file then the line calling this
utility hasn't been properly setup. It should be in the folling format:
StartMDB.exe / cmd /inifile: "z:\test\ini file name.ini" or
StartMDB.exe / cmd /inifile: "\\server\sharename\ini file name.ini"

This is the text from the ini file:

[Settings]
MainApp="H:\%User%\RO Tracker Database.mdb"
Server="\\BPCISGBBH101\SharedData$\GFSL\RO Trackers\Front Ends\RO Tracker FE\"
Lockout=No
LockoutMsg=Sorry, not allowed into the system right now.
SupportMsg=Please contact your Emma Hope 0121 450 6018 for support.
CommandLine=/wrkgrp "\\BPCISGBBH101\SharedData$\GFSL\RO Trackers\Secured.mdw"
ShortCutName=RO Tracker Database
CreateShortCutOnDesktop=Yes
CreateShortCutOnCommonDesktop=No
ServerShortCutName=RO Tracker Database
ShortCutIconFile="\\BPCISGBBH101\SharedData$\GFSL\RO Trackers\Icons\Ball.ico"
QuickLaunchShortCutName=RO Tracker Database
Shortcut Error Message Handling=2
MDWFile=\\BPCISGBBH101\SharedData$\GFSL\RO Trackers\Secured.mdw
MDWUser=hopee
MDWPassword=(Password is encrypted)
MDWPasswordEncrypted=D27EDAA256FB

I don't understand what the error message wants to me to do, nowhere on Tony
Toews site can i find anything that tells me to create a shortcut, so i
believe the program is supposed to do this, so in this case, it must be the
ini file that has something missing i presume, however it runs fine when i
run it from my machine (master) but not on anyone elses, can anyone help me
understand what i need to do.

Thanks
Emma
 
Emma Hope said:
Thanks Keith, it does sound quite simple but having never used or come
across
batch files before i wouldn't have the foggiest where to start.
Click to expand...

Open notepad and paste the code I posted into it. Substitute the paths and
filenames with those for your database. Save the file as *.cmd. Double
click the *.cmd file. That's it. Post back if you need more help.

Keith.
 
I haven't used Tony's updater, but is it possible that other users don't
have H: drive mapped the same as you?

You might try Keith's suggested method of the batch file.


--
Joan Wild
Microsoft Access MVP

Emma said:
Hi Joan et al,

Thanks very much, you are right it was Tony Toews updater, i was
looking totally the wrong place. However i need some more help if you
or anyone else can help:

I used the updater and set up two ini files for my two frontends, no
problem, they validate successfully and run successfully (shortcuts
created, frontend downloaded etc) on my own machine. However when i
use the startmdb.exe on anyone elses machine, i get the following
error message:

Null command line sent to utility.
If you are using a shortcut the the target in the the shortcut hasn't
been properly setup. If you are using a bat or cmd file then the line
calling this utility hasn't been properly setup. It should be in the
folling format: StartMDB.exe / cmd /inifile: "z:\test\ini file
name.ini" or
StartMDB.exe / cmd /inifile: "\\server\sharename\ini file name.ini"

This is the text from the ini file:

[Settings]
MainApp="H:\%User%\RO Tracker Database.mdb"
Server="\\BPCISGBBH101\SharedData$\GFSL\RO Trackers\Front Ends\RO
Tracker FE\" Lockout=No
LockoutMsg=Sorry, not allowed into the system right now.
SupportMsg=Please contact your Emma Hope 0121 450 6018 for support.
CommandLine=/wrkgrp "\\BPCISGBBH101\SharedData$\GFSL\RO
Trackers\Secured.mdw" ShortCutName=RO Tracker Database
CreateShortCutOnDesktop=Yes
CreateShortCutOnCommonDesktop=No
ServerShortCutName=RO Tracker Database
ShortCutIconFile="\\BPCISGBBH101\SharedData$\GFSL\RO
Trackers\Icons\Ball.ico" QuickLaunchShortCutName=RO Tracker Database
Shortcut Error Message Handling=2
MDWFile=\\BPCISGBBH101\SharedData$\GFSL\RO Trackers\Secured.mdw
MDWUser=hopee
MDWPassword=(Password is encrypted)
MDWPasswordEncrypted=D27EDAA256FB

I don't understand what the error message wants to me to do, nowhere
on Tony Toews site can i find anything that tells me to create a
shortcut, so i believe the program is supposed to do this, so in this
case, it must be the ini file that has something missing i presume,
however it runs fine when i run it from my machine (master) but not
on anyone elses, can anyone help me understand what i need to do.

Thanks
Emma

Joan Wild said:
It was likely Tony Toews' updater you have. You'll find it here...
http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/autofe.htm
However, you should also read
http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKallal/Wan/Wans.html
as it sounds as though you are trying to run the mdb over a WAN.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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