Help with creating a mapping program from access that uses x and y coordinates

[lileyre05]

Hello, I started working for a company who had a database designed for them by a former employee. This employee used Microsoft access to create an executable program for mapping cameras in a casino. The problem is that for some reason this program has stopped working, and I was wondering how to go about recreating it? It used x and y coordinates to plot cameras and slot machines and other things inside the executable program. How this program worked is you would open the .exe and you would login in using a username and password. After you logged in you could choose which map you would like to view using a drop down box, and then you could click and hold and swipe around the area moving the map in the direction you moved the mouse. On the map would be cameras, slot machines, walls, and so forth and each would have an x and y coordinate associated with it. I know I am not explaining this the best due to it being difficult to explain without seeing. But any help would be appreciated. Even if it is just informing me on how to incorporate a executable program that has a mapping system in it using x and y coordinates all coming from an access database. Let me know if there are any questions I can answer to make this easier to understand. Thanks for looking and thanks for the help!

[June7]

No idea what the developer did. Program is possibly pulling data from Access tables and interacting with something like GoogleMaps or BingMap or an ESRI product. You need to know what program is programmed with. Look at the program's file name. Does it have an exe extension?

[lileyre05]

I believe is is programmed with Visual Basics if that helps? It is a .exe program, when I go into properties of it, it says it is an application, file version is 1.0, product name is Vaultvbp (which "vault" is the table name that has the x and y coordinates inside of access). If I took out all the x and y coordinates of the objects (slot machines, tables, camera numbers) it would just be a grey background. Hope that helps!

[orange]

Maybe VB6??
Is there any documentation? Have you tried contacting the former employee/developer?
How did they do any operation or maintenance before you arrived?

[June7]

Can't edit exe. Have to go to the raw uncompiled VB project files. If you don't have those files then you are probably SOL. Editing VB project is not a task for the novice. Steeper learning curve than Access/VBA.

You say 'mapping', what do you mean by that - is there actually a map image with locations plotted - like pins in a wall map?

Why would the program stop working? Something has to have changed - software, hardware, something.

[lileyre05]

I haven't tried contacting the former employee, don't know him personally, but could probably get his information from the company. And it's not a mapping system like a google maps, more like it starts off as a grey screen, as you add objects into the access database and enter in their coordinates, they appear when you open the program. I still have the database in access, but it has a lot more things that are no longer needed in my department, but we still use the "maps" of the casino floors for camera tracking.

[June7]

So a box on screen represents the casino floor and program just positions a character (X marks the spot) for each appliance. Program translates these x and y values to screen coordinates.

[orange]

Make a backup copy of the database before changing anything, and store it for safe keeping.

[lileyre05]

Yes, June 7th exactly. There is a drop down box that allows to switch from area to area, such as area 1, then area 2, and so forth.

[June7]

You need to get the developer back. Project is likely VB6 or VB.net. Need to learn whichever. Although there are similarities to VBA, learning VB6 and VB.net project design is not the same as Access database design and programming. There are forums for VB6/VB.net.