Access 2010 - Display Custom Menus

Question

Hello,

I could not get the following 2 articles to actually work. Has anyone been successful?

I am trying to display a custom menu bar and not the ribbon bar (DoCmd.ShowToolbar "mymenubar", acToolbarYes)

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff194314.aspx

Set Access 2010 to use custom menu bars

1. Open your legacy database in Access 2010.
2. Click the File tab, and then click Options.3
3. In the Access Options dialog box, click Current Database.
4. Under Ribbon and Toolbar Options, clear the Allow Full Menus and Allow Built-in Toolbars check boxes.
5. Click OK

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access-help/use-the-custom-toolbars-and-startup-settings-from-earlier-versions-of-access-HA010342090.aspx

Set Access 2010 to use only custom menu bars

1. Open your previous version Access database in Access 2010.
2. Click the File tab, and then click Options.
3. In the Access Options dialog box, click Current Database.
4. Under Ribbon and Toolbar Options, clear the Allow Full Menus option, and then click OK.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

---

Thank You, Timothy Vandeweerd

Answer 1

I assume you left the format in mdb?

If you still using "mdb" format then the option is not Allow full menus, but in fact the option is:

Allow Built in Tool bars.

I would check/test if you left the format as mdb. If you convert to accDB format, then I don't believe that the settings you are using will work.

The options are pointed out:

http://www.accessribbon.de/en/index.php?FAQ:7

Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada

Answer 2

Albert,

Thank you for your quick reply. The format is "accdb". The database has been converted from 2000 -> 2003 -> 2010 (x86) -> 2010 (x64). Is there no way of showing custom menus under Microsoft Access 2010 (x64)?

Would you know why the two Microsoft articles would not work? (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff194314.aspx & http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access-help/use-the-custom-toolbars-and-startup-settings-from-earlier-versions-of-access-HA010342090.aspx?

The article (http://www.accessribbon.de/en/index.php?FAQ:7) shows a check mark option for "Allow Full Menus" which I checked. It also shows "Allow Default Shortcut Menus" which I also checked. There is no checkbox for "Allow built-in Toolbars".

Have you been able to achieve this?

Thanks, Timothy

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Thank You, Timothy Vandeweerd

Answer 3

Hello Timothy,

Timothy Vandeweerd wrote:

The article (_http://www.accessribbon.de/en/index.php?FAQ:7_) shows
a check mark option for "Allow Full Menus" which I checked. It also
shows "Allow Default Shortcut Menus" which I also checked. There is
no checkbox for "Allow built-in Toolbars".

This option is only in a mdb available.

HTH
Gunter

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Access FAQ: http://www.donkarl.com

      http://www.avenius.com - http://www.AccessRibbon.com
http://www.ribboncreator.com - http://www.ribboncreator2010.com

Answer 4

Gunter,

Thanks for your reply. So do you know if you can display a custom menu for an Access 2010 (x64) ".accde" database?

Thanks

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Thank You, Timothy Vandeweerd

Answer 5

Hello Timothy,

Timothy Vandeweerd wrote:

So do you know if you can display a custom menu for an Access 2010 (x64) ".accde" database?

Create your own Ribbons for your Database.
That is the best for A2010...IMO

HTH
Gunter

---

Access FAQ: http://www.donkarl.com

      http://www.avenius.com - http://www.AccessRibbon.com
http://www.ribboncreator.com - http://www.ribboncreator2010.com

Answer 6

Gunter,

Thank you, I do not want to go through the learning curve. Is this the only option? Is there a converter available?

Thanks.

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Thank You, Timothy Vandeweerd

Answer 7

No converter, but building a ribbon would not take much time.

It seems to me that if you looking to keep backwards compatibility and not needing (or wanting to) spend the time on a ribbon, then the obvious choice and road is keep the file in a format that supports the features you need.

This is really the same issue as User Level Security.  Access 2010 supports User Level Security, but only if you keep using the mdb format.

So, it not clear why you moving to the new format, but wanting to keep using the older features?

It would seem the best course and most sensible approach here is to simply continue using the mdb file format that works happy and fine with Access 2010, and gives you the ability to continue to use those menu bars.

I would then assume as time permits, you develop a newer version over time, or simply stick with what you have and what works well for you.

It not clear how many menu bars you have, but re-building them as a general rule should not take much time (less then a day). 

The on-Action you specify for a menu bar that calls VBA code will work the same in a ribbon. So if you have a custom menu bar that calls VBA code in a form the same on-Action to call that VBA used for the ribbon "on-action" setting. In these cases I suggest you do NOT use ribbon callbacks, but simply function expressions since this is exactly the same as how menu bars worked when they call VBA code. So if your meuu bars happen to call VBA code directly, then the change over will be very easy. I suspect that a lot of the custom memu bars don't necessary call VBA code direct, and thus this would result in some additional  work.

Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada

Answer 8

Albert,

Thanks for your reply. The format of the database needs to be accde (Access 2010 x64). The client will be running it via the runtime version of access. I simply want a text based menu system like I had in Access 2000 and Access 2003. I am getting the feeling this is not supported even though two Microsoft articles (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff194314.aspx & http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access-help/use-the-custom-toolbars-and-startup-settings-from-earlier-versions-of-access-HA010342090.aspx) say it is.

Can you please help?

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Thank You, Timothy Vandeweerd

Answer 9

Gunter,

Thanks. How is the quickest way to get started? Many articles online. So far all I see is a toolbar look & feel. I simply want a text based menu system like I had in Access 2000 and Access 2003 with a multiple submenu structure.

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Thank You, Timothy Vandeweerd

Answer 10

Can something like this work from a Standard Module?

Function ap_CmdBrsF()
 Application.CommandBars("File").Enabled = True
End Function

Then make a call to it.

Maybe you would have to change CommandBars to something else?

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Chris Ward

Answer 11

Chris,

Thanks for your reply. I simply want a text based hierarchical menu structure when I assign each branch to either open a form or a report.

Do you know if this could be done using my existing Access 2003 menubar?

Would I need to create a custom ribbon bar for this?

Can it be not button based and instead text menu based that is customizable to either hold a menu branch to another set of menu items or a menu item itself?

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Thank You, Timothy Vandeweerd

Answer 12

I don't know I was really just suggesting that maybe there is some code to make what you have visible or workable. I would defer to Albert Kallal based on his knowledge and wisdom especially when referring to all things access including menus and toolbars. Albert knows what he is talking about. As far as I know about Menu bars in Access 2007 / 2010 is they were replaced with the Ribbon. I don't have a lot of experience with db's older than 2007 so I don't really know about menus. However I read this recently maybe it helps?

Set Access 2007 to use custom menu bars

1. Open your legacy database in Access 2007.
2. Click the Microsoft Office Button , and then click Access Options.
3. In the Access Options dialog box, click Current Database.
4. Under Toolbar Options, clear the Allow Full Menus and Allow Built-in Toolbars check boxes.
5. Click OK.

---

Chris Ward

Answer 13

Hello,

I could not get the following 2 articles to actually work. Has anyone been successful?

I am trying to display a custom menu bar and not the ribbon bar (DoCmd.ShowToolbar "mymenubar", acToolbarYes)

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff194314.aspx

Set Access 2010 to use custom menu bars

1. Open your legacy database in Access 2010.
2. Click the File tab, and then click Options.3
3. In the Access Options dialog box, click Current Database.
4. Under Ribbon and Toolbar Options, clear the Allow Full Menus and Allow Built-in Toolbars check boxes.
5. Click OK

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/access-help/use-the-custom-toolbars-and-startup-settings-from-earlier-versions-of-access-HA010342090.aspx

Set Access 2010 to use only custom menu bars

1. Open your previous version Access database in Access 2010.
2. Click the File tab, and then click Options.
3. In the Access Options dialog box, click Current Database.
4. Under Ribbon and Toolbar Options, clear the Allow Full Menus option, and then click OK.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

---

Thank You, Timothy Vandeweerd

as

The key is step one of each example.  A legacy database or a previous version mean in the .mdb format.  Since you have converted your database to the new format ).accdb) then those article no longer apply.

I do run some Access 2003 format front ends (.mde) with Access 2010 32-bit just fine. They use the old menus by following the methods from the articles. The menu bars work with a .mdb and ,mde in the full and runtime versions of Access 2007 and Access 2010 .  I have been able to avoid the 64-bit version of Office 2010.  So I have not tried to get an Access 2003 .mde to work with Access 2010 64-bit. 

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Boyd Trimmell aka HiTechCoach Microsoft Access MVP

Answer 14

Hi Albert,

Albert D. Kallal [MVP] wrote:

No converter, but building a ribbon would not take much time.

Unless I missed something ... there is a converter, and I wonder why
Gunter, who created it, didn't mention ;-)

http://www.ribboncreator2010.de/en/?CommandBars_Converter

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Peter Doering [MVP Access]

Answer 15

Wow, I never have seen that one.

I have always noted that such a utility would not be that hard to write. In fact I had sketched out on a pad of paper how such a utility would work.

However, this looks rather nice. And even more cool is the code will even pull out the custom graphics. I am going to update my ribbon class article to mention this.

Golly gee, a kind thanks for pointing out this utility and such a utility is VERY useful for those not too up to speed on building the ribbon xml.

Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada