Access 2007 runtime

Question

Hi

1. I understand that I can deploy 2003 mdb files to users with 2007 runtime installed. Is this correct?

2. Will the Installer that I create change the extension on those mdb files, like it changes ACCDB to ACCDR?

3. I use a custom auto-updater to compare the user's frontend with the latest version on the server. If the Installer does change mdb to something like mdr, then is it just a matter of me renaming the latest mdb frontend after I place in the server's folder -- like: MyDatabase.mdb to MyDatabase.mdr? 

4. Can the 2007 Installer and 2007 runtime be used to run these 2003 databases on a computer with Access 2010 full version installed?

Thank you.
Mark

Answer 1

1. Yes

2. No, and installer simply packages and installs whatever you incorporate into your installation package.  there is no need to convert the databases or change the extensions since 2007+ fully support the mdb format.

3.Yes

4. Yes, but why?  Simply run them on the 2010 version.  Why install another version?!

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Daniel Pineault, 2010-2012 Microsoft MVP
http://www.cardaconsultants.com
MS Access Tips and Code Samples: http://www.devhut.net

Answer 2

Thank you, Daniel

Re: question 4, installing runtime on a computer with the full version of Access 2010.

Are you saying that our 2010 computers can download the 2010 version of Runtime and I can still use an Installer created with the free 2007 Developer Extensions and that distributes a 2003 mdb database?

Mark

Answer 3

You can distribute your 2003 mdb and simply run it on Access 2010 without issue.  No need to install any runtime version since they already have the 2010 full version.

At the end of the day, you can install multiple version of Access on the same machine, but why do that unless you are a developer (for testing and dev reason).  For an end-user, it makes no sense to uselessly install software when their existing software will work seemlessly as is.

---

Daniel Pineault, 2010-2012 Microsoft MVP
http://www.cardaconsultants.com
MS Access Tips and Code Samples: http://www.devhut.net

Answer 4

Daniel,

That's what I thought, too, but I'm experiencing a problem with many of the reports when run on our new computers that have Access 2010 installed. I really hope it's not 2010, but so far have not identified another source for the problem.

Please see my previous question/thread:

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/accessdev/thread/3e265c10-b818-43af-9c82-4726247abb40

Thanks,
Mark

Answer 5

Why can't I find this code in your sample download?

DapID Footer: visible-yes, Force New Page After Section, Keep Together-yes, Height set to zero.

What happens if you completely remove this unused code?

Private Sub PageHeader_Format(cancel As Integer, FormatCount As Integer)
'Dim MyDate As Date
'MyDate = Me!DateProvSrv
'Me!Text175 = MyDate
End Sub

Are you saying you have reduced your sample to a bare minimum and that it still creates an issue in A2010?

There has to be something that causes it to happen in A2010. In my earlier post item #7, I suggested you test when removing this "The only report section that uses Force New Page-After Section - is the DapID footer.", What was the result after removing this? I am not seeing anything that would make this happen otherwise. At the same time, I can not see any setup the IT department could have done unless the latest service packs are not installed or maybe using 64Bit?

Noted you are using a reserved word in Access "Type" but I don't think that would be this issue.

The only other thing I could suggest is that since the Prior record causes the Field to grow since the Can Grow is set to YES, but also the Can Shrink is set to NO, that maybe at that point A2010 sees you want it larger and retains that for the next record(s). It would be interesting to see if it will grow to three pages if your large record were three pages in length.

But, then again I see that you have that Grouping set up on DapID (do not keep group together on one page). Makes me wonder what you get if you change that.

If none of these make a dif then I am not able to understand the problem at this time. But as troubleshooting goes, remove one thing at a time and test until you can change the behavior. Then you found the issue maybe. unless the issue takes two to tango, meaning that maybe there are two things that when used together will cause this. Remove either and the condition changes.

Hth

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Chris Ward

Answer 6

Thanks, Chris

Edit: sorry, Chris, didn't see your response under the other thread. Also, "Type" is not a field name, I was explaining in general terms what content was in that section. The actual field name is SrvCodeText, not "type of service". Sorry for that confusion.

Wanted to respond to your post, although I would still be interested in clarifying how Runtime works, should I have to go that route.

Anyhow, responding to your post:

Re: DapID Footer: visible-yes, Force New Page After Section, Keep Together-yes, Height set to zero.
-- That wasn't code. I was just showing the different section-settings for the report.

I've tried about every variation I could think of, with no change. Both the page header and page footer need to be fixed height (grow: no, shrink: no). Only the detail section can grow, and there's nothing in the report header or footer (height: 0). Per your suggestion, when I get to work today I'll add enough text to make the one record go to 3 pages and I'll try it without grouping on DapID set to keep together.

I've tried it after removing all code from the report and removing any text boxes referring to page numbers.

I'm also finding other, much simpler reports that rely on grouping to display this same problem -- incorrectly changing the last page (group) to two pages, when it should be one page -- and as is correctly printed or previewed under Access 2003 and 2007.

Still hoping this is something not related to Access 2010.

Answer 7

Hi Mark,

I'm trying to involve some senior engineers into the issue. It takes some time. Your patience will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your understanding and have a nice day.

---

Yoyo Jiang[MSFT]
MSDN Community Support | Feedback to us
Develop and promote your apps in Windows Store
Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help.

Answer 8

1. Yes

2. No, and installer simply packages and installs whatever you incorporate into your installation package.  there is no need to convert the databases or change the extensions since 2007+ fully support the mdb format.

3. Well in access runtime there is only one file extension .aacdr there is nothing as such .mdr

Even if the databse is e.g MyDatabase.mdb  then runtime access databse will be MyDatabase.accdr not MyDatabase.mdr 

4. Yes, but why?  Simply run them on the 2010 version.  Why install another version?!

well in access 2010 latest file as well as older file version will also work.

Answer 9

Thank you, Saqar, for your response.

Yes, I know that 2010 can run a 2003 mdb file. But 2010 apparently has a bug in handling reports with GroupFooter set to Force New Page After Section. I've found a workaround, thanks to Bob Larson's suggestion http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/accessdev/thread/3e265c10-b818-43af-9c82-4726247abb40 , and Microsoft may have further information (see above), but for now things are working.

My earlier thought was to use runtime on 2010 computers to bypass whatever problem 2010 had with Group Footers. Even though 2010 can run a 2003 mdb file, I wanted to be sure that the 2010 machine would not run it under 2010, but as a 2007 Access machine would run it. Does this make sense?

Can you clarify your response to #'s 2 & 3, please? If I want to distribute MyDatabase.mdb, what does the installer place on the user's machine? -- MyDatabase.mdb? MyDatabase.accdr?

Thank you.
Mark

Answer 10

Thank you, Saqar, for your response.

Yes, I know that 2010 can run a 2003 mdb file. But 2010 apparently has a bug in handling reports with GroupFooter set to Force New Page After Section. I've found a workaround, thanks to Bob Larson's suggestion http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/accessdev/thread/3e265c10-b818-43af-9c82-4726247abb40 , and Microsoft may have further information (see above), but for now things are working.

My earlier thought was to use runtime on 2010 computers to bypass whatever problem 2010 had with Group Footers. Even though 2010 can run a 2003 mdb file, I wanted to be sure that the 2010 machine would not run it under 2010, but as a 2007 Access machine would run it. Does this make sense?

Can you clarify your response to #'s 2 & 3, please? If I want to distribute MyDatabase.mdb, what does the installer place on the user's machine? -- MyDatabase.mdb? MyDatabase.accdr?

Thank you.
Mark

To answer my own question, it depends on whether the recipient has the full version of Access 2007 installed on their machine. If "yes", then when I create the installation file I can choose the first option under pre-installation requirements which permits an unchanged .mdb extension. Otherwise -- the user does not have Access installed -- I'll have to choose option 2 (user downloads runtime) or 3 (runtime is included in the installation package) and the runtime version will change the extension to .accdr.

If what I'm installing is a frontend database, then when I wish to distribute an updated frontend, then I leave the .mdb extension as is if their computer has the full version of Access  installed, or simply change the extension of the new frontend to .accdr before distributing it.

Kind of a moot issue at this point, but would still like to know whether using an earlier version of Access to create a runtime version of a database and distributing that to a user who has a later version of Access installed on their computer would be a way to avoid some pitfall (or bug) inherent in that later version of Access. Yes, I know that both 2007 and 2010 can run a 2003 database. But if 2010 shows a bug in handling some of the reports in that 2003 database, would issuing a runtime version created in 2007 avoid that bug when that 2007 runtime version is run on that 2010 computer?

Thanks,
Mark

Answer 11

Well for the 2# 2. No, and installer simply packages and installs whatever you incorporate into your installation package.  there is no need to convert the databases or change the extensions since 2007+ fully support the mdb format.

3#your previous post ->MyDatabase.mdb to MyDatabase.mdr  but MyDatabase.mdb can be convert to runtime database with filename -> MyDatabase.accdr

Answer 12

Thanks Sagar for the response and continued interest.

I apologize if I am in error and have wrongly "unproposed" your response as an answer, but I believe you are incorrect. When using 2007 Developer Extensions, the installer offers 3 choices:
1. *IF* the machine on which the package will be deployed already has the full version of Microsoft Access installed (and I'm assuming that it must be at least Access 2007), then the extension can indeed remain as .mdb, as you suggest.
Options 2 & 3, however, cause the extension to be changed from .mdb to .accdr. The difference between options 2 & 3 is whether the recipient must download runtime.exe (Option 2) or that runtime.exe is included in the package (Option 3).

Thank you.
Mark