Access 2003 Setup routine

D

Don

Hello, I'm converting an Access 97 app to 2003. For deploying, do most
people use the packaging tool include with Access 2003 or go with a third
party installer for creating a setup routine?

Thanks

Don
 
A

Allen Browne

Don, you don't need to install an Access database.

Just copy the file to a machine that has Access installs.
 
A

Albert D.Kallal

The process is no different then what you had in a97.

It is not clear if you are talking about the developer tools, and the
package and deployment wizard, or just the basic edition of ms-access here.

To make thinks easy, I most certainly provide a "about" box in my software,
and that has a button on it to "update" the users software.

Here is a screen shot of what I mean.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKallal/rides2/index.htm

Notice how there is a "update" software button. That button simply points to
a web page, and the user gets a update to my software.

So, assuming that the end user already has ms-access installed, then I often
use something like WinZip to "zip" up the file, and thus make updates to the
software "much" easer. I used to use a registered version of WinZip
(www.winzip.com), to package a mdb, or mde as a simple .exe that un-zips to
a directory of your choice when you click on the file. Even better is to use
the open source Inno installer.

You could in place of the above stuff just email a person a update with
instructions as to where to put the file etc, but using WinZip, or inno
makes this process easier.

However, at the end of the day, the process was, and is no different then
what you been doing in a97.

To support, and update your software, you do need to split. Here is some
info on this process here:

http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKallal/Articles/split/index.htm
 
C

chad

I second the suggestion to use Inno. I've used it for hundreds of
thousands of installations of my freeware tools and never a glitch.
Also, if you decide to send ZIP packages, be sure to provide a link to
some good freeware ZIP tools so your users do not feel forced to buy
WinZIP (if they do not already have it). Here's a little roundup of
freeware WinZIP alternatives you might find useful:

http://free-backup.info/free-winzip.html

Regards,
Chad
 
A

Albert D.Kallal

I second the suggestion to use Inno. I've used it for hundreds of
thousands of installations of my freeware tools and never a glitch.
Click to expand...

Yes, I don't know anyone who is not happy with Inno!

In fact, I even use Inno to launch the ms-access runtime install (in silent
mode) for my clients. I do this so that my initial install with the runtime,
and subsequent updates all look the "same" from inno.

I been meaning to post a web page with some sample inno installs for
ms-access applications. For example, for a2003, you can "disable" the nag
prompts when ms-access starts with some registry settings, and thus I always
include them in the inno scripts for my mde "updates" that I send to
clients.
Also, if you decide to send ZIP packages, be sure to provide a link to
some good freeware ZIP tools so your users do not feel forced to buy
WinZIP (if they do not already have it).
Click to expand...

Actually, before I discovered Inno, I used a registered version of winzip.
That registered version of winzip can create a self extracting .exe file.
Further, windows XP right out of the box supports the zip format. So, case
in point, you don't really need any un-zip utilities at the "client" end.

Despite my ability to send clients winzip.exe files, and further that
windows XP has built in zip support out of the box, I STILL now use Inno, as
it is REDUCES the instructions for my clients. I can just tell them to click
on the ".exe" that inno creates, and my scripts do the rest - nothing could
be more easy.

And, even more interesting is that I did a LOT of pascal coding at one time,
and so the script language for Inno was a piece of cake to learn....

Anyway, even for a simple ".mde" file copy, I now send clients a inno .exe,
as it makes things easy for the client...
 
D

Don

I'm deploying a mde to hundreds of clients and will need to use the runtime
version. So I do need to create a setup to include the runtime and other
associated files.

Don
 
C

Craig Alexander Morrison

<<<I been meaning to post a web page with some sample inno installs for
ms-access applications. For example, for a2003, you can "disable" the nag
prompts when ms-access starts with some registry settings, and thus I always
include them in the inno scripts for my mde "updates" that I send to
clients.>>>

Albert I too use Inno the only problem I have is when I have a few versions
of Access installed the runtime line in the [Icons] and [Run] sections

Filename: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\MSACCESS.EXE
{app}\LonhamGroupGraphicsDatabase.mdb"; Parameters: "/runtime"

I can't seem to get the Filename to accept any other quotes so I can get a
shortcut that reads

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\MSACCESS.EXE"
"C:\InstallFolder\LonhamGroupGraphicsDatabase.mdb" /runtime

instead I can only get

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\MSACCESS.EXE
C:\InstallFolder\LonhamGroupGraphicsDatabase.mdb" /runtime

which will need the double quotes between MSACCESS.EXE and C:\InstallFolder
to be manually inserted.

This is not a problem if they only have one version installed as
"C:\InstallFolder\LonhamGroupGraphicsDatabase.mdb" /runtime will do just
fine.

I thought rather than ask at the Inno website I would ask you here as this
problem is specific to Access.

BTW Is this what you have for disabling Macro Security?

[Registry]
Root: HKLM; Subkey: "Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Access\Security";
ValueType: dword; ValueName: "Level"; ValueData: 1
Root: HKLM; Subkey: "Software\Microsoft\Jet\4.0\Engines"; ValueType: dword;
ValueName: "SandBoxMode"; ValueData: 2
 
A

Albert D.Kallal

Albert I too use Inno the only problem I have is when I have a few
versions
of Access installed the runtime line in the [Icons] and [Run] sections

Filename: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\MSACCESS.EXE
{app}\LonhamGroupGraphicsDatabase.mdb"; Parameters: "/runtime"
Click to expand...

Ok, you need for the above to launch msacces.exe ,and YOUR "MDB" is the
parameter!!! (just like it is when you make shortcut, you are launching
ms-access, and SUPPLYING parameters to that command). In the above, the only
parameter you got is /runtime, and that parameter needs the mdb file name
also

So, you need (broken into two lines for easy read)

FileName: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\MSACCESS.EXE";
Parameters: """{app}\LonhamGroupGraphicsDatabase.mdb"" /runtime"

Note how you use "" anywhere in the line to put in a single quote. (but, you
still need the " on each side)

As mentioned, your shortcuts don't match mine for the path name to
msaccess.exe. We got a hard coded path name above to office11 (a2003). This
hard coding is unacceptable to me, and my installs. So, we should replace
the actual above hard coded path name to the actual registry setting where
msaccess.exe is located. Hence, the file name above should be:

Filename:
"{reg:HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Access\InstallRoot\,Path}MSACCESS.EXE";
Parameters: """{app}\LonhamGroupGraphicsDatabase.mdb"" /runtime"

Notice how the above reads the registry key, and uses that in place of the
hard coded path name. I am not sure why you came up with a different
location then what I got for office, but if we use the above reg key, then
it don't matter.

In fact, since we know the location of msaccess.exe, then my installs
actually check for the msaccess.exe BEFORE I install my software.

So, I add to my scripts the following check (the code section is the "last"
section of inno)


Code: 
function InitializeSetup(): Boolean;

var
strRes     : string;

begin

result := False
if RegQueryStringValue(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,
'SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Access\InstallRoot\','path', strRes)
then

result := True;

if Result = False then
MsgBox('The Rides Runtime Files MUST be installed BEFORE' #13#13
'Installing this Program. - setup will stop', mbInformation, MB_OK);
end;

Note the above "if", and "msgbox" lines are of course to be on line, and are
wrapped here for ease of read
[QUOTE]
BTW Is this what you have for disabling Macro Security?

[Registry]
Root: HKLM; Subkey: "Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Access\Security";
ValueType: dword; ValueName: "Level"; ValueData: 1
Root: HKLM; Subkey: "Software\Microsoft\Jet\4.0\Engines"; ValueType:
dword; ValueName: "SandBoxMode"; ValueData: 2[/QUOTE]

I got much the same, but I do have "quotes" around the values for dword. If
yours works..then don't worry, but they are "text" values in the registry.

[Registry]
Root: HKLM  ; Subkey: "Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Access\Security";
ValueType: dword;
ValueName: "Level";
ValueData: "1"
Root: HKLM  ; Subkey: "SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Jet\4.0\Engines";
ValueType: dword;
ValueName: "SandBoxMode";
ValueData: "2"


I just too busy, but really want to setup a web page for this stuff....
 
C

Craig Alexander Morrison

Thanks for that.
Notice how the above reads the registry key, and uses that in place of the
hard coded path name. I am not sure why you came up with a different
location then what I got for office, but if we use the above reg key, then
it don't matter.
Click to expand...

The different path is down to the use of Access 97 and Access 2003 on the
same machine, the install script was for an Access 97 install when Access
2003 already exists.

I think you can use
{reg:HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Access\Wizards\,AddInPath}MSACCESS.EXE
instead.
Parameters: """{app}\LonhamGroupGraphicsDatabase.mdb"" /runtime"
Click to expand...

I should have thought of using the parameters part of the shortcut line,
doh!

Pascal is a foreign language to me. Can you just go on to a new line as in
the way you have displayed the Registry settings?
I just too busy, but really want to setup a web page for this stuff....
Click to expand...

Well the contents of your message should help quite a few, thanks again.

--
Slainte

Craig Alexander Morrison
Crawbridge Data (Scotland) Limited


snipped
 
A

Albert D.Kallal

The different path is down to the use of Access 97 and Access 2003 on the
same machine, the install script was for an Access 97 install when Access
2003 already exists.
Click to expand...

Ah, ok, then my tidbits about grabbing the path name to
msaccess.exe via the reg value can well be used by you.
(means that your inno script will now work on your development machine, but
also on other machines that will have a different path to ms-access.exe).
Pascal is a foreign language to me. Can you just go on to a new line as in
the way you have displayed the Registry settings?
Click to expand...

Oh..I wish!!

The script part tends to follow Pascal, but not exactly (so, no not aware of
a line wrap ability in the script part).

However, you can wrap for the CODE PART as long as you don't break a
expression in the middle. (the code part follows Pascal conventions).

So, each part of Pascal is a "block" of code (just like c, but in the c
language we use {} brackets, and in Pascal, we use begin/end; in place of
{}.

The following code part is thus legal with the given wrap

Code: 
function InitializeSetup(): Boolean;

var
strRes     : string;
begin

result := False
if RegQueryStringValue(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE,
'SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Access\InstallRoot\',
'path', strRes) then
result := True;

if Result = False then
MsgBox('The Rides Runtime Files MUST be installed BEFORE' #13#13 +
'Installing this Program. - setup will stop',
mbInformation, MB_OK);

end;

So, we can wrap expressions in the code part, as that is Pascal, but the
script part has no such ability.

And, to be honest, I only spent a few hours playing with Inno, but having
written software in so many languages, I was much like a fish in water...
 
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