VB to Access via DDE

Hello all,

Is there any way for a VB application to communicate with an Access
application via DDE? I want to be able to send text box data to Access
forms, click buttons and menu bars from an external application.



Thanks in advance,

Jonathan

Jonathan,

Yes, the process is called "automation". The following is referred to as
"early binding". It is the easiest, and most functional because it gives you
access to Intellisense, but it is version-dependent. If you want version
independence, you have to use "late binding".

Add a reference to the Access type library

Dim acc As Access.Application
Dim db As DAO.Database

Set acc = New Access.Application
acc.OpenCurrentDatabase "path to database.mdb"
Set db = acc.CurrentDb

acc.Forms!frmMyForm!txtSomeTextbox = "abc"

acc.Quit acQuitSaveNone
acc.CloseCurrentDatabase
Set db = Nothing
Set acc = Nothing

To use "late binding"...
Dim acc As Object
Dim db As DAO.Database

Set acc = CreateObject("Access.Application")

Regards,
Graham R Seach
Microsoft Access MVP
Sydney, Australia
---------------------------

"Jonathan" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

Is there any way for a VB application to communicate with an Access
application via DDE? I want to be able to send text box data to Access
forms, click buttons and menu bars from an external application.



Thanks in advance,

Jonathan

Graham
This looks good. Can you navigate menu bars and click buttons this way?

Jonathan

"Graham R Seach" wrote in message
...
Jonathan,

Yes, the process is called "automation". The following is referred to as
"early binding". It is the easiest, and most functional because it gives
you access to Intellisense, but it is version-dependent. If you want
version independence, you have to use "late binding".

Add a reference to the Access type library

Dim acc As Access.Application
Dim db As DAO.Database

Set acc = New Access.Application
acc.OpenCurrentDatabase "path to database.mdb"
Set db = acc.CurrentDb

acc.Forms!frmMyForm!txtSomeTextbox = "abc"

acc.Quit acQuitSaveNone
acc.CloseCurrentDatabase
Set db = Nothing
Set acc = Nothing

To use "late binding"...
Dim acc As Object
Dim db As DAO.Database

Set acc = CreateObject("Access.Application")

Regards,
Graham R Seach
Microsoft Access MVP
Sydney, Australia
---------------------------

"Jonathan" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

Is there any way for a VB application to communicate with an Access
application via DDE? I want to be able to send text box data to Access
forms, click buttons and menu bars from an external application.



Thanks in advance,

Jonathan

Yes you can use Access as a DDE server but why would you want to(?) when you
can use OLE automation which is much easier.

Have a look at the url below for DDE stuff:-
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...HV05186349.asp



--

Terry Kreft


"Jonathan" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

Is there any way for a VB application to communicate with an Access
application via DDE? I want to be able to send text box data to Access
forms, click buttons and menu bars from an external application.



Thanks in advance,

Jonathan

Jonathan,

Once you get at the Access application object, you can do anything you want.
Just preface everything with acc (if that's what your Access application
object is called).

Regards,
Graham R Seach
Microsoft Access MVP
Sydney, Australia
---------------------------

"Jonathan" wrote in message
...
Graham
This looks good. Can you navigate menu bars and click buttons this way?

Jonathan

"Graham R Seach" wrote in message
...
Jonathan,

Yes, the process is called "automation". The following is referred to as
"early binding". It is the easiest, and most functional because it gives
you access to Intellisense, but it is version-dependent. If you want
version independence, you have to use "late binding".

Add a reference to the Access type library

Dim acc As Access.Application
Dim db As DAO.Database

Set acc = New Access.Application
acc.OpenCurrentDatabase "path to database.mdb"
Set db = acc.CurrentDb

acc.Forms!frmMyForm!txtSomeTextbox = "abc"

acc.Quit acQuitSaveNone
acc.CloseCurrentDatabase
Set db = Nothing
Set acc = Nothing

To use "late binding"...
Dim acc As Object
Dim db As DAO.Database

Set acc = CreateObject("Access.Application")

Regards,
Graham R Seach
Microsoft Access MVP
Sydney, Australia
---------------------------

"Jonathan" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

Is there any way for a VB application to communicate with an Access
application via DDE? I want to be able to send text box data to Access
forms, click buttons and menu bars from an external application.



Thanks in advance,

Jonathan

"Jonathan" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

Is there any way for a VB application to communicate with an Access
application via DDE? I want to be able to send text box data to Access
forms, click buttons and menu bars from an external application.



Thanks in advance,

Jonathan


Yes.

There are plenty of examples in both the VB and MSAccess help files. Lookup
"dde functions poke".

Note: not all examples will be specific to MSAccess, (usually Excel), but
they will work with any application that supports DDE.

-ralph

Maybe I'm missing something obvious but what combination of commands do you
use to click a button on a form??

Also I found that I had to execute acc!DoCmd.OpenForm "Form1" before I could
but anything in a text box.

Jonathan

"Graham R Seach" wrote in message
...
Jonathan,

Once you get at the Access application object, you can do anything you
want.
Just preface everything with acc (if that's what your Access application
object is called).

Regards,
Graham R Seach
Microsoft Access MVP
Sydney, Australia
---------------------------

"Jonathan" wrote in message
...
Graham
This looks good. Can you navigate menu bars and click buttons this way?

Jonathan

"Graham R Seach" wrote in message
...
Jonathan,

Yes, the process is called "automation". The following is referred to
as
"early binding". It is the easiest, and most functional because it
gives
you access to Intellisense, but it is version-dependent. If you want
version independence, you have to use "late binding".

Add a reference to the Access type library

Dim acc As Access.Application
Dim db As DAO.Database

Set acc = New Access.Application
acc.OpenCurrentDatabase "path to database.mdb"
Set db = acc.CurrentDb

acc.Forms!frmMyForm!txtSomeTextbox = "abc"

acc.Quit acQuitSaveNone
acc.CloseCurrentDatabase
Set db = Nothing
Set acc = Nothing

To use "late binding"...
Dim acc As Object
Dim db As DAO.Database

Set acc = CreateObject("Access.Application")

Regards,
Graham R Seach
Microsoft Access MVP
Sydney, Australia
---------------------------

"Jonathan" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

Is there any way for a VB application to communicate with an Access
application via DDE? I want to be able to send text box data to Access
forms, click buttons and menu bars from an external application.



Thanks in advance,

Jonathan

You don't click the button: you call the procedure (or macro) that's defined
for the click event. Assuming the button is named MyButton, you'd do
something like:

Call acc.Forms("Form1").MyButton_Click

Note that this requires that you change the declaration from Private Sub
MyButton_Click() to Public Sub MyButton_Click().


--
Doug Steele, Microsoft Access MVP
http://I.Am/DougSteele
(no private e-mails, please)


"Jonathan" wrote in message
...
Maybe I'm missing something obvious but what combination of commands do
you
use to click a button on a form??

Also I found that I had to execute acc!DoCmd.OpenForm "Form1" before I
could
but anything in a text box.

Jonathan

"Graham R Seach" wrote in message
...
Jonathan,

Once you get at the Access application object, you can do anything you
want.
Just preface everything with acc (if that's what your Access application
object is called).

Regards,
Graham R Seach
Microsoft Access MVP
Sydney, Australia
---------------------------

"Jonathan" wrote in message
...
Graham
This looks good. Can you navigate menu bars and click buttons this way?

Jonathan

"Graham R Seach" wrote in message
...
Jonathan,

Yes, the process is called "automation". The following is referred to
as
"early binding". It is the easiest, and most functional because it
gives
you access to Intellisense, but it is version-dependent. If you want
version independence, you have to use "late binding".

Add a reference to the Access type library

Dim acc As Access.Application
Dim db As DAO.Database

Set acc = New Access.Application
acc.OpenCurrentDatabase "path to database.mdb"
Set db = acc.CurrentDb

acc.Forms!frmMyForm!txtSomeTextbox = "abc"

acc.Quit acQuitSaveNone
acc.CloseCurrentDatabase
Set db = Nothing
Set acc = Nothing

To use "late binding"...
Dim acc As Object
Dim db As DAO.Database

Set acc = CreateObject("Access.Application")

Regards,
Graham R Seach
Microsoft Access MVP
Sydney, Australia
---------------------------

"Jonathan" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

Is there any way for a VB application to communicate with an Access
application via DDE? I want to be able to send text box data to
Access
forms, click buttons and menu bars from an external application.



Thanks in advance,

Jonathan

Duhh! Thanks Doug!

Jonathan


"Douglas J. Steele" wrote in message
...
You don't click the button: you call the procedure (or macro) that's
defined
for the click event. Assuming the button is named MyButton, you'd do
something like:

Call acc.Forms("Form1").MyButton_Click

Note that this requires that you change the declaration from Private Sub
MyButton_Click() to Public Sub MyButton_Click().


--
Doug Steele, Microsoft Access MVP
http://I.Am/DougSteele
(no private e-mails, please)


"Jonathan" wrote in message
...
Maybe I'm missing something obvious but what combination of commands do
you
use to click a button on a form??

Also I found that I had to execute acc!DoCmd.OpenForm "Form1" before I
could
but anything in a text box.

Jonathan

"Graham R Seach" wrote in message
...
Jonathan,

Once you get at the Access application object, you can do anything you
want.
Just preface everything with acc (if that's what your Access
application
object is called).

Regards,
Graham R Seach
Microsoft Access MVP
Sydney, Australia
---------------------------

"Jonathan" wrote in message
...
Graham
This looks good. Can you navigate menu bars and click buttons this
way?

Jonathan

"Graham R Seach" wrote in message
...
Jonathan,

Yes, the process is called "automation". The following is referred
to
as
"early binding". It is the easiest, and most functional because it
gives
you access to Intellisense, but it is version-dependent. If you want
version independence, you have to use "late binding".

Add a reference to the Access type library

Dim acc As Access.Application
Dim db As DAO.Database

Set acc = New Access.Application
acc.OpenCurrentDatabase "path to database.mdb"
Set db = acc.CurrentDb

acc.Forms!frmMyForm!txtSomeTextbox = "abc"

acc.Quit acQuitSaveNone
acc.CloseCurrentDatabase
Set db = Nothing
Set acc = Nothing

To use "late binding"...
Dim acc As Object
Dim db As DAO.Database

Set acc = CreateObject("Access.Application")

Regards,
Graham R Seach
Microsoft Access MVP
Sydney, Australia
---------------------------

"Jonathan" wrote in message
...
Hello all,

Is there any way for a VB application to communicate with an Access
application via DDE? I want to be able to send text box data to
Access
forms, click buttons and menu bars from an external application.



Thanks in advance,

Jonathan

"Douglas J. Steele" wrote
You don't click the button: you call the procedure (or macro) that's defined
for the click event. Assuming the button is named MyButton, you'd do
something like:

Call acc.Forms("Form1").MyButton_Click

Note that this requires that you change the declaration from Private Sub
MyButton_Click() to Public Sub MyButton_Click().


In pure VB:

Form1.MyButton.Value = True

That command will cause the click event to execute. How does that
fare in Access? Using the appropreate syntax for Access, would it
have a similar effect? (No change to Public event needed....)

LFS