I think that the read only attribute, would need to be enforced by the dBase
database. That said, if you only view the files through a form, you can
easily lock the controls so they can't be edited. Reports cannot be edited
either. Assuming that you don't give your users access to tables by hiding
the database container or the navigation pane, you should be OK.
--
Arvin Meyer, MCP, MVP http://www.datastrat.com http://www.accessmvp.com http://www.mvps.org/access
Co-author: "Access 2010 Solutions", published by Wiley