I have a split database which users access with the "front end" file locally on their machine. Everything works fine except I don't know how to update the forms and reports.
Do I have to make the changes on one front end file then send out the new "updated" front end file to everyone?

Is there an easier way to make changes to the front end?

That's correct.

Tony Toews has a free Auto FE utility available at Auto FE Updater if you want to try automating things.

Hi, Hopefully you have a Master Front End in MDB so you can do it in there.
When you done make a copy of it and convert that copy to your new Front End in MDE.
When you install that new Front End to users desktops link to tables in BE.

Maybe there's a more better or efficient way to do that and someone will point that out.

As Doug just did before I posted.

Edited by: jurotek on Tue Nov 13 14:17:54 EST 2007.

Can I just have one front end file on the network that everyone can access? Maybe make shortcuts to the file from their computers. Then I can update that one file.

No not at all. Have every user have their own client on his or her desktop.

You are asking for corruption by doing this. See here for a detailed FAQ on setting up your db for multiple users.

HTH
Matt

Danny,

My very first post on UA was about this sort of functionality. I ended up using this autoupdater, and still do, to this day.

Very easy to set up and use.

Dennis

You can use a script to download the central FE - make a shortcut to the script. Check out: Link

And I also have a utility on my website (see signature) that will allow you to enable auto updating on any front end. Probably not as elegant as Tony's (haven't used it so I am not sure), but it works for my purposes and for a big healthcare company I used to work for.

That's exactly what I did. We have logon scripts that connect to network drives when we logon to our machines. I just got with our net admin and had this line added to the logon scripts of users that need access to the database:

xcopy /y "O:\All Fiber\Databases\Operations Database\Production\Operations Database.mde" "%userprofile%\Desktop" /d

This will check the file on their desktop with the file on the network and if the network file is newer then it copies it to the user's desktop, overwriting the old one. Not too different from the auto updater mentioned by Dennis. Like the auto updater, the user doesn't know there was ever an update.

Many thanks to MattJ for the link to the article on splitting your database. Great guide!

FYI - the /d switch will check the date modified date of the file.

If you make design changes while users are in their local copy of the FE, their modified date will be later than the mde you are distributing – which will prevent them from receiving the update. To avoid this – I run a compact & repair (on the Network version of the FE) either late at nigh or early in the am (when users are out of the application).

Another option is to remove the /d switch. This works well when the mdb is small (<5 MB) – the user will always receive a fresh build.

Good idea. I have been having problems with the /d switch not always copying. I think I will just remove it. The FE mde is only 700k.