Exit nicely if can't access back end

[Robyn_P]

Hey all,I have a problem that I don't know how to solve. I have two projects using my database at work, each project has it's own backend that is stored on a shared drive that only users from that project can access. I have a single front end which opens with a "Please select your project" form that then sets up the links to the appropriate BE.The problem I have is that when the database initially opens, it tries to set up the links to the BE that the database was connected to at the time it compiled. If this is not the user's project the user get's an error message saying that the back end is locked and can't be accessed and the select project form doesn't load. I can create two versions of the front end, one compiled while attached to project A and one compiled while attached to project B but I don't like this solution. Is there a way to get the database to try and connect and if not, just to fail and allow the form to load?Something along the lines of en error resume next but for when the database initially opens? This is likely to become a bigger problem as more projects start to use the database.Hope that makes sense.

[ranman256]

It should work if you load an unbound form to pick the BE. As long as no code, nor form accesses the table, then there should not be an error.
I had something similar, and it only failed if I accessed a table before I relinked.

[Robyn_P]

Oh I think I know what it is, it is an unbound form but I have the following code in it's onload event that does try and find a table. DoCmd.SelectObject acTable, "TEMP", True DoCmd.RunCommand acCmdWindowHideSo it has to look for a table and then can't find it hence the error, does that sound plausible?Am I right in thinking it can be any item in the navigation window that can be selected for the above code to work? If so, I could just changed TEMP which is a table to something that is a form or query and the problem should go away. Do you think that would work?Thanks a lot

[Robyn_P]

As an aside, carriage returns don't appear to work in these forum posts. Am I missing something about how this forum works?

[davegri]

Why not have TEMP (or another table, like WhereAMI) in both backends. Then depending on what you find there, link into the proper BE. You wouldn't have to ask the user anything.

[Robyn_P]

The table is in both backends. I think (and this is based on assumptions) that the problem is that the drive permissions mean that the BE can't be contacted if that database was compiles linked to project B and someone who is on project A tries to access it because they don't have access to the drive that project B is on and at startup it tries to link to the database it was most recently linked to.

[davegri]

http://www.jstreettech.com/downloads.aspx

Check this out. I use this concept when I email customers a revised FE. The BE it wants to see when the customer opens it is mine, of course. This code checks for existence of tables and if missing can ask the customer for the location of his BE and link it.
The code is executed via autoexec macro before any linked form is opened. If the tables are not found, the code opens an unbound form that shows a file dialog request for the location of the BE.