Even though we upgraded to Office 2007, we left our Access database in 2003 (mdb) format, so that we can open our database in Access 2003 design mode and make changes to our custom menu.
When we open the mdb in Access 2007, we can see the menu under the Add-Ins tab.
By following the instructions here,
msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb258174(v=office.12).aspx
we were able to turn off the ribbon completely and just use our custom menu bar - which was great, until someone accidentally closed the custom menu bar, and now there seems to be no way for them to get the custom menu bar back.
What's weird is that the custom menu bar is only missing from their computer, and only for the database they were using.
To get around the problem, I got the Add-Ins tab back, and the custom menu is in the Add-Ins tab, but only in run mode, not in design mode.
(All other databases on all other computers have the Add-Ins tab in both run and design mode).
To make matters worse, when at first I could not resolve the problem on my customer's computer, I did the same thing on my development computer, because I thought for sure I would be able to resolve the problem, and now I have the same problem on my computer.
And since in design mode I cannot see the Add-Ins tab, I cannot see the custom menu, and therefore it is almost impossible to make any changes (since I cannot traverse the custom menu and must therefore look through all the individual forms to try and figure out what form the custom menu selection would have opened)
Another problem is that even if I follow the instructions (in the above link) again, I can no longer get it to hide the ribbon and just use the custom menu bar.
So somehow we have hidden the custom menu bar in both run and design mode, and the add-ins tab in design mode, and only at the computer where the custom menu bar was accidentaly closed, and there appears to be no way to fix the problem.
So there must be something on the affected computers that is telling that particular Access database that the custom menu bar should be hidden (or not visible), and there is no way that I can see to fix the problem (except perhaps by re-installing office or formatting the computer).
I hope that I am overlooking the obvious, and someone is going to tell me an easy way to get the custom menu bar to display again.
What an insane waste of time for nothing.
Why on earth did they have the audacity to assume everyone would reconstruct their custom menus using some complex ribbon thing??
How difficult would it have been to leave the old, simple, menu tool in there, and import the custom menus?
Considering the mountain of money and years they spent building the ribbon, what an oversite, intentional oversite I guess.
Thanks.
When we open the mdb in Access 2007, we can see the menu under the Add-Ins tab.
By following the instructions here,
msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb258174(v=office.12).aspx
we were able to turn off the ribbon completely and just use our custom menu bar - which was great, until someone accidentally closed the custom menu bar, and now there seems to be no way for them to get the custom menu bar back.
What's weird is that the custom menu bar is only missing from their computer, and only for the database they were using.
To get around the problem, I got the Add-Ins tab back, and the custom menu is in the Add-Ins tab, but only in run mode, not in design mode.
(All other databases on all other computers have the Add-Ins tab in both run and design mode).
To make matters worse, when at first I could not resolve the problem on my customer's computer, I did the same thing on my development computer, because I thought for sure I would be able to resolve the problem, and now I have the same problem on my computer.
And since in design mode I cannot see the Add-Ins tab, I cannot see the custom menu, and therefore it is almost impossible to make any changes (since I cannot traverse the custom menu and must therefore look through all the individual forms to try and figure out what form the custom menu selection would have opened)
Another problem is that even if I follow the instructions (in the above link) again, I can no longer get it to hide the ribbon and just use the custom menu bar.
So somehow we have hidden the custom menu bar in both run and design mode, and the add-ins tab in design mode, and only at the computer where the custom menu bar was accidentaly closed, and there appears to be no way to fix the problem.
So there must be something on the affected computers that is telling that particular Access database that the custom menu bar should be hidden (or not visible), and there is no way that I can see to fix the problem (except perhaps by re-installing office or formatting the computer).
I hope that I am overlooking the obvious, and someone is going to tell me an easy way to get the custom menu bar to display again.
What an insane waste of time for nothing.
Why on earth did they have the audacity to assume everyone would reconstruct their custom menus using some complex ribbon thing??
How difficult would it have been to leave the old, simple, menu tool in there, and import the custom menus?
Considering the mountain of money and years they spent building the ribbon, what an oversite, intentional oversite I guess.
Thanks.
