ADT: Use "MSACCESS" in DDEInitiate w/ Run-Time App (1.0, 2.0)

• Microsoft Access Distribution Kit version 1.1
• Microsoft Access Developer's Toolkit version 2.0

SYMPTOMS

Advanced: Requires expert coding, interoperability, and multiuser skills.

Applications can initiate a dynamic data exchange (DDE) conversation with a run-time application developed with Microsoft Access by specifying "MSACCESS" rather than the .MDB file, as the application name.

STATUS

This behavior is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

To communicate with a run-time application using DDE, it is strongly recommended that you use the name of the .MDB file, not "MSACCESS," as the application name when you are initiating a DDE conversation.

The run-time version of Microsoft Access responds to both Microsoft Access and the name of the .MDB file as the application name.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Start Microsoft Access and open the sample database NWIND.MDB.

2. In the Database window, choose the Macro button and select Sample AutoExec from the list.

3. From the File menu, choose Rename. In the Macro Name box, type "AutoExec" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER.

4. Quit Microsoft Access.

5. In Program Manager, choose Run from the File menu.

6. Type the following line, and then press ENTER:

         C:\<ACCESS>\MSARN100.EXE NWIND.MDB
   

   where <ACCESS> is your Microsoft Access program directory.

7. Start Microsoft Access again and create a new database, or open a database other than NWIND.MDB.

8. Create or open a module and add the following Access Basic function:

         Option Explicit
   

         Function DDEWithNWIND ()
            Dim chan
            chan = DDEInitiate("MSACCESS", "NWIND;TABLE Employees")
            MsgBox DDERequest(chan, "FirstRow")
            DDETerminate chan
         End Function
   
   

9. From the View menu, choose Immediate Window. Type the following line, and then press ENTER:

         ? DDEWithNWIND()
   

   Note that a message containing the first record from the Employees table in NWIND.MDB is displayed.