Will Menus and Toolbars Help Protect My Database?


Will Menus and Toolbars Help Protect My Database?

Menus, toolbars, and the way that they are applied are important cogs in the overall protection of your Access database. Because different audiences will read this chapter, I provide alternative overviews about the important issues covered in this chapter because people in each of these categories will approach the chapter in a different way.

Overview for the IT Manager

Access menus and toolbars are a good way both to protect your database and to make it simpler to use. Your developer or DBA can produce simple custom menus and toolbars at a low cost by using the top-level forms in your database and a subset of the commands that Microsoft installs as part of the Access setup. These custom menus can then be combined with the database startup options to form a reasonable level of protection. Near the end of the chapter, I explain how you can permanently disable some of the developer menu and toolbar commands on an end user 's computer.

Overview for the DBA

Creating Access toolbars and menus is not a difficult skill to master, and you can use them to provide a consistent and easy interface for your database users. DBAs should first become familiar with the basics of toolbar design because you can use custom toolbars and menus across all your databases. Once these skills are mastered, DBAs should review in detail the effect of the five toolbar-specific Access startup options. Finally, DBAs should discuss with management whether disabling Access menu options permanently is appropriate for some of your Access users.

Overview for the Developer

Getting started with toolbars and menus in an Access database is all about understanding the little tricks. That mastered, the next skill is knowing how to plug the protection holes that the built-in menus and toolbars provide for users. Once you have those basics mastered, further toolbar development is a balancing act between good interface design and the power that toolbars can bring to your application. This chapter will show you how to set up toolbars, menus, and shortcut menus. The download software will ensure that your entire application is using your menus and toolbars, and the discussions on startup options will show you how and why these options are important for your database protection. In addition, you may want to discuss with your manager or clients whether it is appropriate to disable menu items permanently on your end users' computers. Finally, some additional samples in the download database show you how to program the CommandBar object to manipulate the toolbars.




Real World Microsoft Access Database Protection and Security
Real World Microsoft Access Database Protection and Security
ISBN: 1590591267
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 176

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