ACC: Determining How Many Instances of Application Are Active
ID: Q167843
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The information in this article applies to:
-
Microsoft Access versions 7.0, 97
Advanced: Requires expert coding, interoperability, and multiuser skills.
SUMMARY
You can use Windows API calls in Visual Basic for Applications code to
determine how many instances of an application are running. Then you can
use the information to prevent re-entrance of an application that is
already running.
For information about how to do this in Microsoft Access 1.x and
2.0, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q96591
ACC: Determining How Many Instances of Application Are
Active
This article assumes that you are familiar with Visual Basic for
Applications and with creating Microsoft Access applications using the
programming tools provided with Microsoft Access. For more information
about Visual Basic for Applications, please refer to your version of the
"Building Applications with Microsoft Access" manual.
MORE INFORMATION
The following example uses a procedure in the Open event of a startup
form to determine if Microsoft Access is already running. If it is running,
a message advises the user, and then the second instance of the program
closes.
- Start Microsoft Access and create a new, blank database called TestAPI.mdb.
- Create a module and type the following lines in the Declarations
section:
'------------------------------------------
' Global Declarations Section Of The Module
'------------------------------------------
Declare Function GetWindow Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long, _
ByVal wCmd As Long) As Long
Declare Function GetWindowText Lib "user32" Alias "GetWindowTextA" _
(ByVal hwnd As Long, ByVal lpString As String, ByVal CCh As Long) _
As Long
Declare Function IsWindowVisible Lib "user32" (ByVal hwnd As Long) _
As Long
Public Const GW_HWNDFIRST = 0
Public Const GW_HWNDLAST = 1
Public Const GW_HWNDNEXT = 2
Public Const GW_HWNDPREV = 3
- Type the following procedures:
' This function returns the Caption Text of each window passed to
' it. If a window does not have a Caption bar, then this function
' returns a zero-length string ("")
Function GetAppName(Lnghwnd as long)
Dim LngResult As Long
Dim StrWinText As String * 255
Dim LngCCh As Long
LngResult = GetWindowText(Lnghwnd, StrWinText, 255)
GetAppName = Left(StrWinText, LngResult)
End Function
' This function counts all instances of an application that are open,
' including any windows that are not visible.
' Arguments: LngHwnd = Any valid window handle.
' StrAppCaption = The window caption to search for.
' Example: GetCountOfWindows(hWndAccessApp,"Microsoft Access")
Function GetCountOfWindows(Lnghwnd, StrAppCaption)
Dim LngResult As Long
Dim LngICount As Long
Dim StrAppName As String
LngResult = GetWindow(Lnghwnd, GW_HWNDFIRST)
Do Until LngResult = 0
If IsWindowVisible(LngResult) Then
StrAppName = GetAppName(LngResult)
If InStr(1, StrAppName, StrAppCaption) Then
LngICount = LngICount + 1
End If
End If
LngResult = GetWindow(LngResult, GW_HWNDNEXT)
Loop
GetCountOfWindows = LngICount
End Function
- Save the module as Module1 and close it.
- Create a new form not based on any table or query in Design view.
- Set the OnOpen property of the form to the following event procedure:
Private Sub Form_Open(Cancel As Integer)
If GetCountOfWindows(hWndAccessApp, "Microsoft Access") > 1 Then
Cancel = True
MsgBox "Please use the instance of Microsoft Access that is " _
& "already open."
DoCmd.Quit acQuitSaveNone
End If
End Sub
- Save the form as frmStartup and close it.
- On the Tools menu, click Startup.
- In the Startup dialog box, select frmStartup in the Display Form box,
and then click OK.
- Close and then reopen the TestAPI database non-exclusively. Note that
the frmStartup form appears.
- Start another instance of Microsoft Access and open the TestAPI
database. Note that you receive a message, and then the instance of
Microsoft Access closes.
REFERENCES
For more information about the GetWindow, GetWindowText and IsWindowVisible
API procedures, refer to the Win32 SDK.
Additional query words:
Keywords : kbinterop kbprg
Version : WINDOWS:7.0,97
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto