Overview
I have been following the recent discussions about automatically installing new versions of a Front End (Code Only) Database. I looked at the very clever Access implementations, but the were all very complex, based on storing the version number somewhere in a table. It occurred to me that Access was probably not the best vehicle for this purpose. Hence, SJGVersion, a set of VBScript programs that will manage multiple versioning of a Front End Database.
Basic Approach
The basic approach taken is to define a custom property for the database that will contain the version number. In my typical vanity, I have named this property "SJGVersion". Using the object model for "Access.Application", I have developed several small scripts that support creating, modifying and deleting the version number, as well as selectively copying a new version over an old version, based on comparison of the "SJGVersion" properties of the two databases.The replacement process checks that the version number of the new FE is greater than the version number of the old FE. If it is, the new FE is copied over the old FE. Otherwise, no action is taken.
By executing the install script every time the application is run, you can automatically update a local copy of the FE whenever the master copy on a server has been updated.
The scripts are implemented using VBScript and the Windows Scripting Host.
To inspect the source code, click on the script name. To download the scripts and test files, click here: Download Access Version Control Routines
| Script Name | Description |
| SJGsetver.vbs | This script sets the SJGVersion property of an Access Database to a specific value. |
| SJGgetver.vbs | This script displays the SJGVersion property of an Access Database. |
| SJGstepver.vbs | This script increments the SJGVersion property of an Access Database. |
| SJGnover.vbs | This script removes the SJGVersion property from an Access Database. |
| SJGinstall.vbs | This script copies a new version of an Access Database over the old version. The copy takes place only if the SJGVersion property of the new database is greater than the SJGVersion property of the old database. |