I would like to package a MDB file, it's icon, and it's splash screen. If anyone knows how to package multiple files in a single EXE, please email me at this email address. Also, if I need any extra files too, please email me about that, too!

Thanks!

- MarkSeymour

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- Mark Seymour

Hi Mark, I don't know if anyone's answered this yet, since you wanted an email (which is why I'm also posting this on the forum), but Winzip can do all that.

You could always shell out the money for the developer tools if you want to package it as a runtime app, but if you're assuming your user has Access, and all the necessary references already, then you can just put the files in a zip, then create a self-extracting EXE, which is fairly easy to use and customize.

Steven

I am a loud man with a very large hat. This means I am in charge

Do you know if EnZip will work? becuase I [u]Never</u> use Winzip.

- MarkSeymour

Mark

You could also try using a specialised installation program. There are a number of freeware / shareware products (eg Inno Setup at http://www.jrsoftware.org) as well as the better known commercial products (such as Wise).

You must have a Developer Edition of MS Office to distribute you program as a runtime application. The developer tools supplied with this edition include an installation wizard.

Ashley

I can always rename the file extension to .exe, but then it would say that it's not a valid Win32 (Windows 32-bit) application. Any other way?

- MarkSeymour

Hi Mark,

A little clarification might be warrented here. There are no utilities of any kind, anywhere that will convert an Access .mdb file into an .exe file, i.e. a file that your computer can execute directly, much less one with embedded, compiled dependent files such as graphics.

That's why even if you use the Office Developer Packaging Wizard to deploy your app, the client machines must have either Access already installed, or include the Access run-time with the installation package. In fact, any installation utility that deploys an Access database (Visual Studio Installer, Wise, Installshield, Windows Installer) really only copies the .mdb file and dependent files - as seperate physical files - to specified locations on your file system (the MOD Packaging Wizard, for example, creates a Setup.exe that handles this for you). That means that your .mdb file must maintain pointers, in code or as property settings, to the dependent files (such as the AppIcon property available through the Startup properties dialog, or copying a bitmap to the application directory, or appending file paths as named properties to the properties collection of the database object.)

You can embed image files in your front-end executable by compiling, say, a VB project, but even then the .mdb file exists elsewhere in your file system.

One of the reasons I'm a big fan of .NET deployment is you can build a Windows Installer (.msi) setup program in a matter of minutes that consolidates all of your front-end dependencies and can be simply copied to any client with the .NET Framework installed. Couldn't be easier.

HTH,

Bob

Talking about installations, I've been using Inno setup, and works great! But, to do even more customizations, i would have to download DLL's and such. :)

- MarkSeymour

Mark,

Would you be willing to share your Inno script for creating installation programs? If so, I would appreciate a copy off-line.

TIA,

John Ruff - The Eternal Optimist

John Ruff - The Eternal Optimist :-)

My server won't let me copy the file onto my account because my current membership restricts me from uploading certain file types. Sorry. And what's ur email, cause I can send it to you as an attachment.

- MarkSeymour

Could you email the file direct to [email protected]?

John Ruff - The Eternal Optimist :-)