Access 2021 setup

[Pete490h]

Hi,

I’ve recently upgraded to Access 2021 on my laptop and require full access to the tables, forms, queries etc as I am both the designer and administrator plus Access 2021 runtime
Before I installed Access runtime, I had full access etc but since I’ve added runtime, I don’t seem to be able to see the tables etc

When I replicate on my works network, obviously users will have runtime but on the master PC, I need both options, as I design on there out of hours and have a user in work time
Any assistance/advice will be greatly appreciated thanks
Peter

 

[Gasman]

I believe you will need to create a dedicated shortcut to open the full version, or remove the file association with the runtime.

 

[GaP42]

Suggest you look at this item from one of our contributors:
https://www.isladogs.co.uk/office-dual-install/index.html

 

[theDBguy]

Hi Peter. You really don't need both the full version and the runtime version at the same time since the full version is capable of simulating the runtime version by using the /runtime switch or using the .ACCDR file extension.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Access versions fight over the extensions. THAT is the most annoying issue with having multiple Access versions installed. If you simply double click on a file, whatever app Windows thinks "owns" that extension is what is used to open the file. Therefore, you always need to open Access first, then specify the file. For the users, we typically create individual shortcuts so if he clicks on shortcutA, the runtime opens the app but if he clicks on shortcutB a different app is opened possibly by a different runtime.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

What Pat is talking about is called an "association" - essentially, that a file type is associated with a particular app. So for Access, you associate the file types .MDB and .ACCDB with "normal" Access applications, .MDB being the older format and .ACCDB the newer format.

In Windows 11, you can edit the associations via Start >> Settings >> Apps >> Default Apps (where you can explore and edit or remove the existing associations and assert new ones) and can, if needed remove or alter what goes where. I don't recall exactly how you do that on Win 10 but it is similar.

It is NOT considered a good idea to bulk-edit associations for the more common utilities and applications. But a spot-check or touch-up is possible.

 

[Pete490h]

Hi Peter. You really don't need both the full version and the runtime version at the same time since the full version is capable of simulating the runtime version by using the /runtime switch or using the .ACCDR file extension.

Just tried this and it works thanks
So when I need full access, I simply change the file back to the accdb extension, make any changes then back to accdr etc, right

 

[theDBguy]

Just tried this and it works thanks
So when I need full access, I simply change the file back to the accdb extension, make any changes then back to accdr etc, right

That's correct!

 

[Gasman]

Would be easier to have two shortcuts set up, I would have thought?

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Two shortcuts can be set up as long as you realize the file type is the unique field. Two different file types can point to the same app, but one file type cannot point to two different apps.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Would be easier to have two shortcuts set up, I would have thought?

Setting up shortcuts for users is SOP but not for developers. So, users should never have a problem since each app they use would have a shortcut and that shortcut would specify the Access version that should open it.

Developers have dozens/hundreds of databases that are accessed either frequently or occasionally. Not practical to create shortcuts for them. When developers need multiple versions of Office, the best option is virtual sessions. That would also lead you to separating the databases by folders so that each version you use would have its databases stored under a specific main folder to prevent accidents.

 

[Gasman]

Just thought it would be easier than renaming the file all the time?

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Just thought it would be easier than renaming the file all the time?

That's actually just a matter of degree rather than kind. Two or three shortcut icons? Not a biggie. But if you have to manage dozens of files, bigger problem.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Just thought it would be easier than renaming the file all the time?

The only time the developer would ever need to rename the file is if he wanted to test using the Runtime mode. I would never rename a file during basic testing. I do "runtime" mode testing as the last step before releasing a new version though.

 

[Mark_]

For your deployment, do you have all users accessing the same copy of the front end from a network server OR do you have a batch file that copies down the current version, then starts that?

If the former, you will run into issues when you need to update but can't as someone has helpfully left themselves in over the weekend. For the later, part of your copy down can be to include renaming the file from .accdb to .accdr when the batch file executes. Then you don't have to worry about file extensions, you just need to run your own batch file and you'll be using the runtime.

 

[Pat Hartman]

you just need to run your own batch file and you'll be using the runtime.

The .accdr extension does not tell Windows to open a Runtime version of Access although you can set up Windows to do so. What the .accdr extension does is it tells Access - whatever version Windows invokes to open the file - to PRETEND to be the runtime engine.

Proving stuff like this is possible IF there is some internal marker that we can use to identify a Runtime ONLY MSAccess.exe from a full version MSAccess.exe. I know you can get the version of Access but I'm not sure if you can distinguish Runtime from Full. You could then have your code report to you what version of Access opened your app.