This article describes how you can create two types of shortcuts on the
Windows 95 or later desktop, both of which start an Access database and
open to a form of your choosing. You can create such a shortcut either by
dragging the form from the Database window to the desktop or by using the
/cmd command-line switch.
CAUTION: If you follow the steps in this example, you modify the sample database Northwind.mdb. You may want to back up the Northwind.mdb file and follow these steps on a copy of the database.
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Method 1
You can drag a form from the Database window directly to the desktop. To do
so, follow these steps:
| 1. | Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.
|
| 2. | Select the Customers form in the Database window.
|
| 3. | Restore and position Microsoft Access so that you can see both the desktop and Microsoft Access.
|
| 4. | Drag the Customers form to the desktop. Note that you now have a shortcut on your desktop named "Shortcut to Customers in Northwind."
|
| 5. | Close Microsoft Access.
|
| 6. | Double-click the shortcut on the desktop. Note that Microsoft Access starts with the Customers form of the sample database Northwind.mdb open.
|
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Method 2
The following example demonstrates how you can create two shortcuts that
start Access and open either the Orders or the Employees form:
| 1. |
Right-click the desktop, point to New, and then click Shortcut.
|
| 2. | In the Create Shortcut dialog box, create the following two shortcuts (one at a time) with the following command-lines:
NOTE: In the following example, an underscore (_) at the end of a line is used as a line-continuation character. Remove the underscore from the end of the line when re-creating this sample.
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Msaccess.exe _
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Samples\Northwind.mdb _
/cmd "Orders"
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Msaccess.exe _
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Samples\Northwind.mdb _
/cmd "Employees"
NOTE: These shortcuts assume that Microsoft Access is installed in the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\ folder.
|
| 3. |
Open the sample database Northwind.mdb and create the following function
in a new module:
Function CheckCommandLine()
' Check value returned by Command function.
If Command = "Orders" Then
DoCmd.OpenForm "Orders"
ElseIf Command = "Employees" Then
DoCmd.OpenForm "Employees"
Else
Exit Function
End If
End Function
|
| 4. | Create a new macro as follows and save it as AutoExec:
Action
-------
RunCode
AutoExec Actions
-----------------------------------
RunCode
Function Name: CheckCommandLine()
|
| 5. | Close Microsoft Access. On the desktop, double-click the first shortcut. Note that Microsoft Access starts with the Orders form of the sample database Northwind.mdb open.
|
| 6. | Close Microsoft Access. On the desktop, double-click the second shortcut. Note that Microsoft Access starts with the Employees form of the sample database Northwind.mdb open.
|
If you click
Options on the
Tools menu, and then click the
Advanced tab, you will see the
/cmd value in the
Command-Line Arguments box.
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For more information about command-line switches, click
Microsoft Access Help on the
Help menu, type
command-line in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click
Search to view the topic.
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