Access based stand-alone apps?

[Mermogoat]

I have seen stand-alone applications that use MS Access databases to store the data. Can this be exported from Access to an executable, stand-alone format? Or would I need to create it in Visual Basic or Visual C++ and then connect it to the Access database? I would think you could even possible export the database, forms and all, to Visual Basic. Is this possible?

What I am doing is making a program for my Dad's company. I'm starting out with just the forms and stuff in Access, and once that is finished I want to turn it into a stand-alone app.

 

[boblarson]

You can create a VB front end and use it with an Access backend. I'm sure you can do it with other programming languages too, I just happen to use VB.

 

[Mermogoat]

Could you give me a little bit of info on how to do that, or point me to somewhere on the net where it explains it.

Could I Import my forms from Access to VB to save some time?

 

[boblarson]

1. No, you can't import your forms.

2. You can connect via ADO, or with the Data Control.

 

[Mermogoat]

Ok...So I would create my forms in VB...would I have to create the access DB w/ just the tables in it and then link it to the forms, or what? I'm kinda unsure since an Access *.mdb file has all the info(querys, tables, forms, etc) and not just the tables/data.

 

[Pat Hartman]

If you build an application using VB or C++ or COBOL, the only thing in the .mdb will be the data tables. The forms, reports, and other code will be in the source files or executable file created by the application.

There are products including some shareware that can convert some but not all of your Access objects to VB. If you go this route, don't forget that you'll need to purchase the VB complier to compile the source into an executable.

If some of the computers that need to have your Access application installed do not have a copy of Access, you have two choices. Buy a copy of Access for each computer or buy a copy of the Developer's edition. The developer's edition will give you a license to distribute an unlimited number of copies of the Access runtime version so that computers that don't have the full retail version of Access installed can still run your Access app. The runtime version of Access only provides a way to run an existing Access application. It cannot be used to develop new Access applications or modify existing ones.

I think the current retail price is about $100 per copy of Access and about $500 for the developer's edition. So, depending on how many desktops need Access to be installed should provide you with some idea of the most cost effective solution.

If you don't know how to write VB or C++ code, those products are not really viable options.