[AccessD] Observations on AC 2007 (not good)

I have to say that I have not had a problem with my customers running A2007
on an mdb file.  I have not tried converting to A2007 because some of my
customers still use Access 2003.  So, my recommendation is to develop the
app as an mdb, give them mdb files, and they can use A2007.

The only issue I've come across is that the ribbon shows up when forms are
open, and I needed to prevent that because my forms don't show any toolbars
and I don't want users getting any of that functionality at run time.  This
can be fixed.

When you run startup code include this procedure in a standard module while
passing in a False value:

    Private Sub DisplayRibbon(blnDisplayRibbon As Boolean)
        If SysCmd(acSysCmdAccessVer) >= 12 Then
            If blnDisplayRibbon = True Then
                DoCmd.ShowToolbar "Ribbon", acToolbarYes
            Else
                DoCmd.ShowToolbar "Ribbon", acToolbarNo
            End If
        End If
    End Sub

This keeps the ribbon closed when a form is opened.

But you need the ribbon when a report is opened for printing, previewing,
closing, etc.  In that case I use the following code in each report:

    Private Sub Report_Close()
        Call DisplayRibbon(False)
    End Sub

    Private Sub Report_Open(Cancel As Integer)
        Call DisplayRibbon(True)
    End Sub

At two of my customers, some people use A2007 and some use A2003, and they
all use the same mdb files without a problem.  A2007 was designed to use mdb
files with little to no difference from A2003 behavior, other than the
ribbons.

Hope this helps someone!
Dan

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Mark Simms
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 11:04 PM
To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
Subject: [AccessD] Observations on AC 2007 (not good)

As I am furiously hacking away at AC 2007 for a client, I've spotted some
problems I have not seen documented.
Here they are:
1) I observed that when changing an ACCDB to an MDB for purposes of using
Access 2003 and Access 2007 there a bug in this conversion process ...it
removes the USysRibbons table. Access 2007 still can operate without one.
However, without that system table, you cannot do any customization of the
ribbon by assignment from the Ribbon and Toolbar options setting ! The only
alternative is the LoadCustomUI vba method.
The fix: cut-and-paste the USysRibbons from an ACCDB file; then change the
Attribute to the proper system table attribute -2....... something. That
last step is important.
 
2) Commandbar menu items built in AC 2003 show-up ONLY under the "Add-ins"
tab of AC 2007. OF COURSE THIS STINKS HUGELY. If you assign a custom Ribbon
that does not have an Add-ins tab, YOUR COMMANDBAR MENU IS LOST....your
users cannot do anything !
Microsoft easily could have provided a database-level setting for the
flexible placement of the commandbar menu onto the Ribbon. How this major
oversight ever got past beta testing only confirms my feeling about the
political nature of the selection of the beta test team. I would go so far
as to indict the product manager of Access for such a grevious oversight and
lack of attention to detail.
 
3) The AC 2007 ribbon can be minimized and indeed that setting "persists"
upon the next database open. Minimizing it via the GUI is simple. Doing it
with VBA is nearly rocket science with a ton of Win API calls required for
it to be reliable. Note: in AC 2010, a new DoCmd was added to minimize the
ribbon. (it took 3 YEARS to figure that out ?)
 
It doesn't take a genius to see why AC usage and acceptance in corporations
has now dropped to very low levels. Anyone associated with the beta testing
of AC 2007 should immediately disavow all knowledge of any interaction with
Microsoft Access engineers and managers involved in that program at the risk
of major verbal abuse by beleagered colleagues.
 
 
 
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