Run Time to Developer and back (1 Viewer)

[ddsunil]

Hello Everyone
I have an application that I have converted to a runtime version and given it to some of the people to use.

Now I want to update the application with some changes to the tables, forms and reports. How do I do that. I am unable to open the runtime version in the developer version. I cannot dump the developer version onto the runtime because I need the data that is stored in the old application.

Really appreciate any help I can get on this.

Thanks so much
S

 

[Lightwave]

Ok you can't change anything in the coding of the run time version. But you should be able to get the tables out.

Hold down the shift key on entering the run time version and you should be able to get access to the database window and the tables which you can export and import into a new or old database. Just be careful with the data because it is irreplaceable.

I'm guessing you'll need to marry the forms in your development copy to the data in the live copy. Any forms and reports in the runtime copy are lost to you for further development - that's the point of runtime.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Once you distribute the application it should be split anyway. This is even more important in a multi-user environment. Each user should have his own copy of the FE which will be an .accde/.accdr that links to the BE and the BE can be an .accde/.accdb/.accdr.

 

[ddsunil]

So, I have this access file that I developed. I should save a copy of that and then convert the copy to runtime? And distribute the runtime. And when I make further changes in the development version, I copy the data from the runtime to the developer version and then repeat all over. Am I in the right direction? Thanks so much

Sunny

 

[Lightwave]

Essentially yes.

In Access 2003 when you make a runtime mde Access will prompt you to save as a new file so the making a copy of the development version shouldn't be necessary.

You want to be getting into the way of having split databases so rather than copying data between databases you have one single back end to which is "linked" both the run time versions and the development versions. It is possible to arrange things so you shouldn't need to be copying or even possibly re-linking data from the backend every time you make a run-time version. That way you can actually work on the design of the front end with real live data.

If you don't want to be constantly re-linking the backend to run time versions / development versions then you will need to ensure that all the computers that are getting the distribution have the same name for the drive on which the backend is held as the development version to which your development front end is linked.
(unfortunately Access 2003 doesn't accept unc definitions)

The splitting of a database is independent of whether it is runtime or development.