Opening Mdb bypassing AutoExec with C# Solved, but curious about why solution works

[janders468]

Hi,

I have been messing around with automating Access (I am attempting to actually manipulate the Access objects themselves so it requires going beyond data access) from a c# program (long story as to why, but any how...). I am dealing with databases that all have AutoExec macros within them which automatically run when the database opens, which I don't want the database to do. In Access this is bypassed by holding down the shift key. I have attempted to replicate doing this when opening from the C# program, in so doing I ported a piece of code over from VBA which did this very thing, using the SetKeyboardStat e API call. After monkeying around with the code a lot I finally arrived at this solution which does what I want, but I am not sure why:

   class OpenMdb
    {
       private const int VK_SHIFT = 0x10;
        [DllImport("user32")]
            public static extern long SetKeyboardState(ref byte lppbKeyStat);
        [DllImport("user32")]
             public static extern long SetFocus(long hwnd);
        public static Access.Application NoAutoexec (int hWnd, string path, bool visible)
        {
            Access.Application app;
            byte[] abytCodesSrc = new byte[256];
            byte[] abytCodesDest = new byte[256];
            app = new Access.Application();
            app.Visible = visible;
            abytCodesDest[VK_SHIFT] = 128;
            SetKeyboardState(ref abytCodesDest[0]);
            System.Windows.Forms.SendKeys.Send("+");
            app.OpenCurrentDatabase(path, true, "");
            SetFocus(hWnd);
            return app;
        } 
    }
 

The thing that has me puzzled is that the key to making this work was inserting the SendKeys statement. Sendkeys alone won't make this happen. The SetKeyboardStat e alone won't do what I am asking, but this seems to work. I think that I probably have a fundamental misunderstandin g of what the SetKeyboardStat e API is doing. I'd like to figure out why the conjunction of the API and Sendkeys is behaving this way. Any ideas?