opening a excel file from access in read only mode

[woknick]

I have an access database that uses a link to an excel spreadsheet. Unfortunatly it does not work if there is someone editing the file. I am only reading the file, not writing to it. how can I link to the excel file when I don't have editing rights.

thanks in advance

Nick

 

[mkelly]

In Excel, click Options on the Tools menu, and then click the General tab.
Clear the Ignore other applications check box.
If this option is selected, Excel ignores requests from programs that link to Excel data by means of DDE rather than OLE.

 

[woknick]

That option works fine until you try and open an excel file by double clicking on it icon. When you double-click an Excel workbook in Windows Explorer, a dynamic data exchange (DDE) message is sent to Excel, instructing it to open the workbook that you double-clicked.

If the Ignore other applications setting is selected, Excel ignores DDE messages sent to it by other programs. As a result, the DDE message sent to Excel by Windows Explorer is ignored, and Excel does not open the workbook that you double-clicked.


Any other way around this?