Dear Access gurus,

May I know if it is possible to have a software update feature for
Access application?

The Access app will update its front-end and back-end from some
website. This is a common feature for most applications today.
However, I am not sure if there is some limitation about MS Access
that prevents the developer from having the same feature. Maybe the
experts here can advise. Thank you very much.

On Dec 14, 12:49*am, klar <klar... (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:
There are a lot of great things that could be incorporated into Access
but we are all at the behest of the Access team, their multi-year
turnover cycle and their not unbiased eye.

My workaround was this..

Create another db. This will be the main front end. It will update the
real front end.

When the first front end opens, have it check for a new version of the
true front end. There are a number of ways you can do this. The
easiest way is to make a table of version numbers and log each user to
a version number. When the main version is updated all the other
versions should be updated. A query that checks the user, new version
number and current version will tell you is the new version should be
copied over.

Once that's done, open the other db automatically and close the front-
end updater db.

This slows start up noticeably, opening two databases every time. Not
the perfect solution but it works for right now.

"klar" wrote in message
news:f91490a4-5702-4ae6-b252-322ce012e655 (AT) r16g2000prr (DOT) googlegroups.com...

Yes I do this all the time.

The users see this setup:

http://www.kallal.ca/ridestutorialp/upgrade.html

While I use a built in FTP library, for several years I used some real
simple code, and just executed a application followhyperlink to a URL and
then exited Access.

The older code I used was:

Application.FollowHyperlink "some url to my inno install"
Application.Quit

The above thus would start the download from the web site. The inno script I
used for updating the application can be found in this article of mine:

http://www.kallal.ca/RunTime/Index.html

However, my software also have back up routines and other features, so I
used a FTP and internet library. One library with much the same features as
I used can be found here:
http://access.mvps.org/access/modules/mdl0037.htm

So you can use simple, or complex, but it not only common, but as noted, not
really that hard if you use the inno scrip and the followhyperlink idea.

--
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Pleasenospam_kallal (AT) msn (DOT) com

On Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:46:11 -0700, "Albert D. Kallal"
<PleaseNOOOsPAMmkallal (AT) msn (DOT) com> wrote:

Albert,

What do you mean by "FTP Library" and "Internet Library"??

-paulw

He just means that he has a "library" of routines to deal with FTP and the
internet, similar to the link he gave to
http://access.mvps.org/access/modules/mdl0037.htm



"PW" wrote in message news:atcke75odg6o2o9jvmgu4scigodsjiela8 (AT) 4ax (DOT) com...

On Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:46:11 -0700, "Albert D. Kallal"
<PleaseNOOOsPAMmkallal (AT) msn (DOT) com> wrote:

Albert,

What do you mean by "FTP Library" and "Internet Library"??

-paulw

On Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:00:33 -0500, "Douglas J Steele"
<NOSPAM_djsteele (AT) NOSPAM_gmail (DOT) com> wrote:

Are there any libraries that I could use to synch our desktop Access
2003 (2010 soon) with a database (Access, MySQL, SQL Server,..) on a
web server? I'd probably write an export module that would extract a
range of records to upload but am I guess I would have to write an
import routine to append the new records from the web.

I am looking at the FTP discussion on that webpage.

Thanks,

-paul

"Douglas J Steele" wrote in message news:jcdck8$q37$1 (AT) dont-email (DOT) me...

Yes, that is the library I recommmed.

In fact to make an interesting and long story short. When I originally
looked at that library, I did not use it because I did not think it
supported the use of callbacks.

I VERY much wanted to use something with callbacks to allow my own custom
Access download progress bar. I also wanted a VERY nice and responsive
"CANCEL" option in case the download stopped or the user wanted to stop the
download.

So the goal was that cancel shall instantly stop and instantly respond and
GRACEFULLY exit out of the downloading process.
If I simply call some ftp library code, then my routine is waiting for the
download code library, and that means if the download gets stuck, the button
code or my access form is now stuck and in effect the Access application is
now frozen.

So I went over to randy birch's VB site, and modfied a VB6 Internet library
example he had. I rather extensively modified for my own needs.
It was only later on did I realize that the above link you have DOES support
the use of callbacks., Therefore realistically I really did not need to
cobble together my own set a routines.

A great learning experience on my part, but but one I probably did not have
to do had I known better .

If the person looking for a simple FTP download from Access, I used this one
for a number of years:

http://access.mvps.org/access/modules/mdl0015.htm

--
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Pleasenospam_kallal (AT) msn (DOT) com

If the OP is more comfortable using events rather than callbacks, he could
try this:

http://www.smccall.demon.co.uk/Downloads.htm#FTPClient

which is a free (with source code) library to facilitate browsing, updating,
deleting etc. to an FTP server. Comprehensive sample included containing
plenty of comments.

"Albert D. Kallal" <PleaseNOOOsPAMmkallal (AT) msn (DOT) com> wrote

"Douglas J Steele" wrote in message news:jcdck8$q37$1 (AT) dont-email (DOT) me...

Yes, that is the library I recommmed.

In fact to make an interesting and long story short. When I originally
looked at that library, I did not use it because I did not think it
supported the use of callbacks.

I VERY much wanted to use something with callbacks to allow my own custom
Access download progress bar. I also wanted a VERY nice and responsive
"CANCEL" option in case the download stopped or the user wanted to stop the
download.

So the goal was that cancel shall instantly stop and instantly respond and
GRACEFULLY exit out of the downloading process.
If I simply call some ftp library code, then my routine is waiting for the
download code library, and that means if the download gets stuck, the button
code or my access form is now stuck and in effect the Access application is
now frozen.

So I went over to randy birch's VB site, and modfied a VB6 Internet library
example he had. I rather extensively modified for my own needs.
It was only later on did I realize that the above link you have DOES support
the use of callbacks., Therefore realistically I really did not need to
cobble together my own set a routines.

A great learning experience on my part, but but one I probably did not have
to do had I known better .

If the person looking for a simple FTP download from Access, I used this one
for a number of years:

http://access.mvps.org/access/modules/mdl0015.htm

--
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
Pleasenospam_kallal (AT) msn (DOT) com