Adobe imposes itself in the menu and causes problem

[saintor1]

I can't believe how much time I spent on this. I finally found the
cause and it was Adobe 7.0 Professional.

What happened was that a database could be opened once, but the
subsequent users got a message that it was already opened in exclusive
mode.

First I fighted with all kind of permissions - no result.

At the end of my research, I found that my CUSTOM menu bar was
modified by the Adobe Microsoft Access Add-In on database opening, so
'Adobe PDF' was automatically added to my menu items. In the process,
I guess that it opens the database in design mode and prevent other
users to fully open it!!!

One simple solution is to turn off the Access Add-In off on each
station. It is also possible to use a toolbar instead of a menu bar,
but I don't like it.

Question; is there another way to prevent Adobe to take control of
Access main menu? By programming would be OK. Or if I can not
prevent Adobe to open Access in design mode, is there a way to save
all mods and allow other users to normally log on?

Thanks in advance.

[Albert D. Kallal]

Do you have to use and install adobe?

Stephens has a nice report to pdf creator..and it free, and even better is
that you do NOT have to
install the software. (you do have to place a .dll in the same directory as
the mdb (or mde) file, but
that is it....

You can find it here:

http://www.lebans.com/reporttopdf.htm

So, no install, no need to purchase adobe..and no need to set the default
printer either.....
--
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
pl*****************@msn.com

[saintor1]

Well, I am past the step of selecting the proper PDF software. I
used different solutions in the past, but this is one I am stuck
with. This is a corporate thing. I can not change the fact they
choose Adobe 7.0 Professional. There are tens of users so it would be
preferable to handle the issue instead of turning off the Adobe Access
Add-in on each station.

So the problem persists.

When there is one user logged, another can't log on. Adobe by adding
itself in the custom menu bar created, left the session in a locked
(design) mode as I understand. I tried different ways to start the
menu bar (start-up, in the form's properties and with
application.menubar method) - no result.

Can I add an instruction in my code that would free the Access file
for other to use? Of course, I tried a variety of docmd.runcommand
instructions with no success.

Txs.
On Jan 30, 3:31 am, "Albert D. Kallal" <[e-mail]>
wrote:

Do you have to use and install adobe?

Stephens has a nice report to pdf creator..and it free, and even better is
that you do NOT have to
install the software. (you do have to place a .dll in the same directory as
the mdb (or mde) file, but
that is it....

You can find it here:

http://www.lebans.com/reporttopdf.htm

So, no install, no need to purchase adobe..and no need to set the default
printer either.....

--
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
[e-mail]

[Rick Brandt]

sa******@hotmail.com wrote:

Well, I am past the step of selecting the proper PDF software. I
used different solutions in the past, but this is one I am stuck
with. This is a corporate thing. I can not change the fact they
choose Adobe 7.0 Professional. There are tens of users so it would be
preferable to handle the issue instead of turning off the Adobe Access
Add-in on each station.

So the problem persists.

When there is one user logged, another can't log on. Adobe by adding
itself in the custom menu bar created, left the session in a locked
(design) mode as I understand. I tried different ways to start the
menu bar (start-up, in the form's properties and with
application.menubar method) - no result.

Can I add an instruction in my code that would free the Access file
for other to use? Of course, I tried a variety of docmd.runcommand
instructions with no success.

It seems odd to me that adobe would attach itself to a custom menu bar
because that is per-app and user-independent. Seems like it would attach
itself to a built in menu bar that would appear in all files and be
user-specific.

At any rate it seems to me that your problem would be solved by splitting
the app and that is something that should always be done with multi-user
apps anyway.

--
Rick Brandt, Microsoft Access MVP
Email (as appropriate) to...
RBrandt at Hunter dot com

[saintor1]

I understand your point, it is a FE/BE appl and yes the FE is shared.
It used to work well before Adobe 7.0 Pro installation. The FE is
only 500kb.

I am looking for another solution.

On Jan 30, 5:28 pm, "

Rick Brandt" <[e-mail]:

[e-mail] wrote:

Well, I am past the step of selecting the proper PDF software. I
used different solutions in the past, but this is one I am stuck
with. This is a corporate thing. I can not change the fact they
choose Adobe 7.0 Professional. There are tens of users so it would be
preferable to handle the issue instead of turning off the Adobe Access
Add-in on each station.

So the problem persists.

When there is one user logged, another can't log on. Adobe by adding
itself in the custom menu bar created, left the session in a locked
(design) mode as I understand. I tried different ways to start the
menu bar (start-up, in the form's properties and with
application.menubar method) - no result.

Can I add an instruction in my code that would free the Access file
for other to use? Of course, I tried a variety of docmd.runcommand
instructions with no success.

It seems odd to me that adobe would attach itself to a custom menu bar
because that is per-app and user-independent. Seems like it would attach
itself to a built in menu bar that would appear in all files and be
user-specific.

At any rate it seems to me that your problem would be solved by splitting
the app and that is something that should always be done with multi-user
apps anyway.

--
Rick Brandt, Microsoft Access MVP
Email (as appropriate) to...
RBrandt at Hunter dot com

[Rick Brandt]

sa******@hotmail.com wrote:

I understand your point, it is a FE/BE appl and yes the FE is shared.
It used to work well before Adobe 7.0 Pro installation. The FE is
only 500kb.

I am looking for another solution.

Why split an app and then share the FE? That makes no sense to me at all.
You're on the ten yard line. Just punch it in and give each user their own
copy.

--
Rick Brandt, Microsoft Access MVP
Email (as appropriate) to...
RBrandt at Hunter dot com

[saintor1]

For the record, it is easier to maintain a splitted db than a non
splitted one.

I would like this very specific issue to be resolved. I didn't ask a
question FE/BE.

Other opinion?

On Jan 30, 7:46 pm, "Rick Brandt" <[e-mail]:

[e-mail] wrote:

I understand your point, it is a FE/BE appl and yes the FE is shared.
It used to work well before Adobe 7.0 Pro installation. The FE is
only 500kb.

I am looking for another solution.

Why split an app and then share the FE? That makes no sense to me at all.
You're on the ten yard line. Just punch it in and give each user their own
copy.

--
Rick Brandt, Microsoft Access MVP
Email (as appropriate) to...
RBrandt at Hunter dot com

[Rick Brandt]

sa******@hotmail.com wrote:

For the record, it is easier to maintain a splitted db than a non
splitted one.

I would like this very specific issue to be resolved. I didn't ask a
question FE/BE.

Other opinion?

I think this falls into the category of "Doctor, it hurts when I do this".

I'm afraid only someone at Adobe might know what you can do.

--
Rick Brandt, Microsoft Access MVP
Email (as appropriate) to...
RBrandt at Hunter dot com

[Karl]

I don't have a solution for this but some of my customers have experienced a
problem where the PDF creator trashes our custom menus.

<sa******@hotmail.comwrote in message
news:11********************@a75g2000cwd.googlegrou ps.com...

Well, I am past the step of selecting the proper PDF software. I
used different solutions in the past, but this is one I am stuck
with. This is a corporate thing. I can not change the fact they
choose Adobe 7.0 Professional. There are tens of users so it would be
preferable to handle the issue instead of turning off the Adobe Access
Add-in on each station.

So the problem persists.

When there is one user logged, another can't log on. Adobe by adding
itself in the custom menu bar created, left the session in a locked
(design) mode as I understand. I tried different ways to start the
menu bar (start-up, in the form's properties and with
application.menubar method) - no result.

Can I add an instruction in my code that would free the Access file
for other to use? Of course, I tried a variety of docmd.runcommand
instructions with no success.

Txs.
On Jan 30, 3:31 am, "Albert D. Kallal" <[e-mail]>
wrote:

>Do you have to use and install adobe?

Stephens has a nice report to pdf creator..and it free, and even better
is
that you do NOT have to
install the software. (you do have to place a .dll in the same directory
as
the mdb (or mde) file, but
that is it....

You can find it here:

http://www.lebans.com/reporttopdf.htm

So, no install, no need to purchase adobe..and no need to set the default
printer either.....

--
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
[e-mail]

[Tim Marshall]

sa******@hotmail.com wrote:

For the record, it is easier to maintain a splitted db than a non
splitted one.

I would like this very specific issue to be resolved. I didn't ask a
question FE/BE.

True, but you've been thrown a lifeline. 8)

Other opinion?

No opinion, but FWIW, if another perspective helps, I have Adobe 6.0
(not 7) Professional on my machine. It imposes a menu control on
programs like MS Word, Powerpoint, Excel, but doesn't touch my Access
2003, neither with the menu bar with just Access 2003 opened nor with
custom menus and tool bars in my major application. My reports have a
main menu bar and a tool bar and neither has the Adobe menu controls
added when in print preview mode.
--
Tim http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~tmarshal/
^o<
/#) "Burp-beep, burp-beep, burp-beep?" - Quaker Jake
/^^ "Be Careful, Big Bird!" - Ditto "TIM-MAY!!" - Me

[Larry Linson]

<sa******@hotmail.comwrote

For the record, it is easier to maintain a
splitted db than a non splitted one.

If you really meant "it is easier to maintain a shared FE..." then there
have been lots of posts in the past on that subject. One solution is MVP
Tony Toew's Auto FE Updater, which you can retrieve from
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm. Another is the article on
"versioning" at http://accdevel.tripod.com.

In fact, it is not one nano-bit easier to maintain a shared FE than one
distributed to each user.

I would like this very specific issue to be resolved.

Saintor, you've been around this newsgroup long enough to know that it is
often the UNsolicited advice that is the most helpful. Too, you have been
here long enough to know that getting snippy with the people trying to help
doesn't improve your chances of getting useful answers.

I didn't ask a question FE/BE.

But, giving each user their own copy of the FE may well solve the problem
you are asking about... that is, there won't be more than one user trying to
open the same copy.

Other opinion?

Actually, I think I gave you my opinion, already, and pointed out that you
may well have already gotten the best answer to your question that you are
likely to get. But, if that is not a satisfactory answer, then, my opinion
is that I agree with the statement that if it is Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat
Reader that is messing up your Access application, then it is Adobe that you
need to contact for support, rather than the Access newsgroup.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP

[saintor1]

On Jan 31, 4:13 pm, "Larry Linson" <[e-mail]:

<[e-mail]

For the record, it is easier to maintain a
splitted db than a non splitted one.

If you really meant "it is easier to maintain a shared FE..." then there
have been lots of posts in the past on that subject. One solution is MVP
Tony Toew's Auto FE Updater, which you can retrieve fromhttp://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm. Another is the article on
"versioning" athttp://accdevel.tripod.com.

In fact, it is not one nano-bit easier to maintain a shared FE than one
distributed to each user.

I would like this very specific issue to be resolved.

Saintor, you've been around this newsgroup long enough to know that it is
often the UNsolicited advice that is the most helpful. Too, you have been
here long enough to know that getting snippy with the people trying to help
doesn't improve your chances of getting useful answers.

Oh please... keep your judgmental attitude for yourself.

FE or not, I don't want to be out of control of my custom menus and I
want to make sure to not be bothered again with this unfortunate Adobe
'choice'.

For the record, my particular problem was corrected on the spot by
using a custom toolbar only and no more custom menu bars. It is
about a series of very small apps that track status & numbers that I
developed in '96-98 and still in use for a company which is now the
largest steel company in the world. It was developed with a
programmed maximum of 10 concurrent users (for each cell) and this is
what the customer consented. They are shared FE/BE type as I
described and they have been working nicely for 10 years, up to this
incident. The customer is still pleased with them.

In '99, I *did* program my own version of workstation FE version
checker, all in Access, that I used in many of my apps. Tony's
solution is much more sophisticated (tried it yesterday) but it is the
same basic thing.

Yet I continued for small ones a shared FE/BE which worked. You can
argue as much as you want that it is not the best way (and I agree up
to an extent), it just WORKS.

It is all about my own curiosity (which can be obsessional) and I
wanted to see how this Adobe thing could be controlled for the next
time.

So far, I found in the registry a key (software\adobe\acrobat distiller
\3rdparty\access) that I assigned a value of 0. I was hoping that it
would be it and that I could simply program it to be set at 0 and
restart. It didn't work.

If anybody has a solution...

>

I didn't ask a question FE/BE.

But, giving each user their own copy of the FE may well solve the problem
you are asking about... that is, there won't be more than one user trying to
open the same copy.

Other opinion?

Actually, I think I gave you my opinion, already, and pointed out that you
may well have already gotten the best answer to your question that you are
likely to get. But, if that is not a satisfactory answer, then, my opinion
is that I agree with the statement that if it is Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat
Reader that is messing up your Access application, then it is Adobe that you
need to contact for support, rather than the Access newsgroup.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Access MVP