Deployment in many locations

[Jesper Fjølner]

This a generel question on how to handle distributing and updating a
database remotely as easy as possible.
My main project runs in a several installations as secured, multiuser dbs.
Internal updates when I send them updates are done with Tony Toews
AutoFEupdater. Everything is working fine.

When I add new functionality to the FE, I usually email the FE to my contact
person on site, who puts the FE in the proper folder on the network
In the FE, I have a table "tblSettings" with info about the BE's location
and other stuff.
The FE uses this to relink properly to the tables in the BE.

However, my clients have their BE's placed in different locations. So before
I send them the new FE I change "tblSettings" to the match the situtation at
their location.
For example - some clients have the BE on the L-drive, som on a K-drive etc.
I'd prefer to just have one version of the FE, that I could email to the
customers without worrying about adjusting each for the individual client.
This way I could put the updated FE up for download and let all customers
download the same file.
The problem is that the FE doesn't "know" to which location it's beeing
deployed.

I've thought about having a text file on the network with information about
"where we are", and let the FE read from that. But the FE wouldn't know
where to look for that file?
Could I make the FE search for at (quickly)?
Should this be handled with writing to the registry (haven't tried it
before, maybe that's it) ?

Does anyone have tips about how to handle updates to multiple client with
different set ups for drive-letters, foldername etc.so that ones doesn't
have to email several version of a marginally changed FE to many people?

Thanks for any input.

Jesper Fjølner

 

[John Mishefske]

This a generel question on how to handle distributing and updating a
database remotely as easy as possible.
My main project runs in a several installations as secured, multiuser dbs.
Internal updates when I send them updates are done with Tony Toews
AutoFEupdater. Everything is working fine.

When I add new functionality to the FE, I usually email the FE to my contact
person on site, who puts the FE in the proper folder on the network
In the FE, I have a table "tblSettings" with info about the BE's location
and other stuff.
The FE uses this to relink properly to the tables in the BE.

However, my clients have their BE's placed in different locations. So before
I send them the new FE I change "tblSettings" to the match the situtation at
their location.
For example - some clients have the BE on the L-drive, som on a K-drive etc.
I'd prefer to just have one version of the FE, that I could email to the
customers without worrying about adjusting each for the individual client.
This way I could put the updated FE up for download and let all customers
download the same file.
The problem is that the FE doesn't "know" to which location it's beeing
deployed.

I've thought about having a text file on the network with information about
"where we are", and let the FE read from that. But the FE wouldn't know
where to look for that file?
Could I make the FE search for at (quickly)?
Should this be handled with writing to the registry (haven't tried it
before, maybe that's it) ?

Does anyone have tips about how to handle updates to multiple client with
different set ups for drive-letters, foldername etc.so that ones doesn't
have to email several version of a marginally changed FE to many people?

A fairly easy solution is to create a text file (e.g. an ".ini" file) that holds the BE
location. It would be created in the user's installation folder the same folder where the
FE .mdb file resides. Then regardless of where they install it initially as long as they
put the new FE in the same folder it will find the BE.

You can code for the exception where the BE is not found either using a BE found in the
App directory or prompting the user to specify its location.

You can certainly use the registry but I prefer a "hands-off" approach to the registry for
most apps unless you have other pressing reasons to use the registry outside of this issue.