Distributing Your Application

Now that you have tested and optimized your application, you are ready to compile and distribute the application to end users. You have various distribution options, such as distributing the database to users with the full-blown version of Access, distributing the application using the Access runtime, and distributing ACCDE files. Each of these will now be discussed.

Tip 

Before distributing your application, you should first compile the application. You do not want end users dealing with compiler errors that could have been avoided by compiling prior to deployment. Compiling will also help the application run faster. One way to compile an application is from the Visual Basic Editor, by selecting the Debug Compile DatabaseName option.

Distributing the Application to Users with the Full Version of Access

In some cases, you may be distributing the application to users who already have the full version of Access installed. Other than making the ACCDB file(s) accessible to each user, you do not have to take any other steps in order to deploy the application to those users.

Distributing the Application with the Access Runtime

If you have end users who do not have Access installed, you can distribute the application to them using the Access runtime. The runtime is a limited feature version of Access that has the following limitations:

• You cannot view or modify the object designs.

• The database window is hidden.

• Built-in toolbars and some menu items are not supported, so you may have to include your own menus in your application.

• Some keys are disabled.

You can create a setup program using the Packaging Wizard that will enable you to deploy your application with the Access runtime. In order to use the Packaging Wizard, you first have to have the Office Access 2007 Developer Extensions installed. Contact Microsoft for more information on how to obtain this extension. At the time of this book’s writing, the developer extensions were only available as part of the Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System.

After you have installed a copy of the developer extensions, you must load the Packaging Wizard to your project. From the Visual Basic Editor, select Add-Ins Add-In Manager Packaging Wizard and check the Loaded/Unloaded box. Click OK. The wizard should now appear under the Add-In menu.

After it is installed, the wizard can be used to help you build a distribution solution based on the Access runtime. If you want to test your application to see how it will look in the Access runtime, you can open the database by using the /runtime switch, as shown in the following code:

  msaccess.exe c:\bstempbsnorthwind.accdb /runtime 

If you plan to distribute your application using the Access runtime, you should test it in this manner to ensure your users will be able to navigate correctly. You should also test the installer in the various environments to which you will be distributing your application to make sure the install goes smoothly.

Note that if you are using any third-party ActiveX controls in your application, you will need to include the installer for those before you distribute the application. Many computers you distribute to will not have the third-party components you have on your development machine.

Distributing an Execute-Only Application

An ACCDE is a compiled and compacted database file that has all editable source code removed. Because the source code is removed, additional security is provided for your application. Furthermore, because the code is removed, the size of the application is smaller and thus performance is improved. Because of the limitations of ACCDE files, you should keep the original database with the source code so that you will be able to make changes later.

To create an ACCDE file, open the database from which you want to create the ACCDE file. Select the Database Tools tab, and then click on the Make ACCDE icon in the Database Tools ribbon. Specify a name for the ACCDE file on the dialog box that appears, and click the OK button.