Summary: Find out how to use the Package Solution Wizard to
build and distribute solutions that include the Microsoft Office Access 2007
Runtime. (7 printed pages)
Mike Stowe, Microsoft Corporation
June 2007
Applies to: Microsoft Office Access 2007, Microsoft Office
Access 2007 Developer Extensions
Download the Access
2007 Developer Extensions.
Download the Access
2007 Runtime.
Contents
Overview of Runtime-Based Solution Deployment
After you create a Microsoft Office Access 2007 application, you must
distribute it to your users. The Package Solution Wizard, which is included in
the Access
2007 Developer Extensions, is designed to make distributing your Access 2007
database solutions easier than ever.
This article reviews the components of the Access 2007 Developer Extensions,
including the Package Solution Wizard, and describes the settings that are
available when you create a distributable deployment package that includes the
Microsoft Office Access 2007 Runtime.
Access Developer Extensions
Table 1 describes the components of the Access 2007 Developer Extensions.
Table 1. Access Developer Extensions Components
Component |
Description |
Package Solution Wizard |
Enables you to create a Windows Installer Package (.msi file) that
installs your database and any supporting files on the user's computer.
Your deployment package can also include the Access 2007 Runtime, or it
can prompt users to download the Access 2007 Runtime. |
Save As Template add-in |
Enables you to create database templates (ACCDTs) that you can feature
in the Access 2007 Getting Started page. |
Source Code Control add-in |
Enables integration with Microsoft Visual SourceSafe or other
source-code control systems so that you can check in and check out
objects—queries, forms, reports, macros, modules, and data—and see changes
that are made to checked out objects. |
For more information about the Access Developer Extensions, see Introducing the
Access 2007 Developer Extensions Runtime.
Deploying Applications Using the Package Solution Wizard
The Package Solution Wizard is an add-in that is available as part of the
Access 2007 Developer Extensions. It provides a simple way to bundle and deploy
Office Access 2007 database applications. The wizard guides you through the
steps that are required to bundle stand-alone Access 2007 applications into
deployment packages. You can use the Package Solution Wizard to include the
Access 2007 Runtime in your packages and to create shortcuts that invoke the
appropriate Access file. The output of the Package Solution Wizard is a Windows
Installer (.msi) Setup file that guides users through the installation of your
Access application.
After you create an Office Access 2007 application (.accdb, .accde, .accdr,
.mdb, .mde, .adp, or .ade), you can deploy the application to users who do not
have Access 2007 installed by distributing the application with the Access
2007 Runtime. The Access 2007 Runtime is a version of Access 2007 in which
the design-time features are disabled. For more information about the Access
2007 Runtime, see Introducing the
Access 2007 Developer Extensions and Runtime.
This section examines the settings that are available in the Package Solution
Wizard. To start the Package Solution Wizard, click the Microsoft Office
Button, click Developer, and then click
Package Solution.
Wizard Templates and Output Options
On the first page of the Package Solution Wizard, you can choose to use the
settings from a previous use of the wizard as a template. To do this, click
Load wizard settings from a saved template file.
Note:
|
To save the current Package Solution Wizard settings as a template,
click Save Wizard Settings on any Package Solution Wizard
page. The next time you start the wizard and decide to use a saved
template, the wizard pages are pre-populated with values from the
template. |
Under Output Options, the Destination
folder setting specifies the folder in which the deployment package
will be stored.
Figure 1 illustrates the available options on the first page of the Package
Solution Wizard.
Figure 1. Wizard Template and
Output Options
Installation Options
Page 2 of the Package Solution Wizard contains the following
Installation Options settings:
-
File to package specifies the path and file name of the
Office Access 2007 database that you want to include in the deployment
package.
-
Root install folder and Install subfolder
specify the folder location where your application will be installed.
-
Pre-installation requirements lets you specify if you want
to require that users have Office Access 2007 installed before your
application can be installed, or if they need to use the Access 2007 Runtime.
Table 2 describes the available options.
Table 2. Pre-installation requirements
settings
Setting |
Description |
Require Microsoft Office Access 2007 to be
installed |
Access 2007 must be installed on the computer before your application
is installed.
If it is not, users receive an error message explaining that they
must install Access 2007 before they install the application. |
Require the Access 2007 Runtime to be downloaded if Access is
not already installed |
If Access 2007 is not installed, users must download the Access 2007
Runtime.
The file name extension of the database that you specify in the
File to package box is changed to .accdr to ensure that
your database always opens in run-time mode (see Figure 2). If users try
to run the installation package without having Access 2007 or the Access
2007 Runtime installed, they receive an error message that includes a
URL where they can download the Access 2007 Runtime. |
Require nothing and install the Access 2007
Runtime |
The Access 2007 Runtime will be installed with your application, even
if Access 2007 is already installed.
Specify the location of the AccessRuntime.exe file on your computer
in the Access 2007 Runtime setup package text box. The
file name extension of the database that you specify in the File
to package box is changed to .accdr to ensure that your
database always opens in run-time mode (see Figure
2). |
Figure 2 illustrates the Installation Options settings as
they appear on the second page of the Package Solution Wizard.
Figure 2. Installation
Options
The Shortcut Options section on this same page contains
settings that configure the shortcuts to be installed on the destination
computer with your application.
-
Install Locations specifies where a shortcut to your
application will be created when the application is installed.
-
Shortcut name and Icon settings specify
the display name and icon for the shortcut.
-
Startup macro and VBA Command value
settings specify the name of a macro or a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
procedure that runs each time your application is loaded.
Figure 3 shows the Shortcut Options on the second page of
the Package Solution Wizard.
Figure 3. Shortcut
Options
Additional Files and Registry Keys
Page 3 of the Package Solution Wizard contains the Additional
Files section, which you can use to add any file outside the database
that your application depends on. For example, you might want to include a
readme.txt file or some sample files for your application. To add these files,
click Add, and then select the files.
In the Additional Registry Keys section, you can specify any
Windows Registry keys that you want to be created when your application is
installed. When you specify a registry key to be added to the All
Users root, you should preface the key with Software\.
If you do not do this, users might receive an error message when they install
the application.
Figure 4 illustrates the Additional Files and
Additional Registry Keys sections on the third page of the
wizard.
Figure 4. Additional Files and
Additional Registry Keys Options
General Properties, Feature Information, and Advanced
Options
Page 4 of the wizard contains the following settings under General
Properties:
-
Product Name specifies the name of your application.
-
Install Language specifies the language to be displayed
when users install your application.
-
End user license agreement (EULA) specifies the location
of the license terms file to include with your application. The license terms
file must be in Rich Text Format (.rtf).
This page contains the following settings under Feature
Information:
-
Feature Title specifies the title of the feature displayed
when the user selects the Custom option while installing your
application.
-
Feature Description specifies the description of the
feature displayed when the user selects the Custom option
while installing your application.
Figure 5 shows the General Properties and Feature
Information sections that appear on the fourth page of the wizard.
Figure 5. General Properties
and Feature Information
In the Add/Remove Programs Information section of the
wizard, shown in Figure 6, you can specify the information that appears when
users click Click here for support information for your
application in Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.
The File Properties for the Windows Installer Package
section of this page lets you specify information that appears when users
right-click the setup (.msi) file and then click
Properties.
Page 4 of the wizard contains the following settings under Advanced
Options:
-
Background Image specifies the image that you want to
appear as the background of your installation program. For example, the image
could be a .jpg file or a .bmp file that displays your company logo.
-
Product Code specifies a unique identifier for a
particular product release, represented as a string GUID.
-
Upgrade Code specifies a GUID that represents a
related set of products. The Upgrade Code is used to search
for related versions of the product that are already installed.
Figure 6 shows the Add/Remove Programs Information,
File Properties, and Advanced Options on page
4 of the wizard.
Figure 6. Add/Remove Programs
Information, File Properties, and Advanced
Options
Package Solution Wizard Output
When you click OK on the last page of the Package Solution
Wizard, the deployment package is created. This package contains all the files
that are required to install your application. The package is created in the
folder that you specified in the Destination folder setting on
page 1 of the wizard.
The root folder of the deployment package contains two files: Setup.exe and
Autorun.inf. Setup.exe is used to start the installation of your application.
Autorun.inf. specifies what happens when the user inserts a CD that contains
your application. By default, the Setup.exe file runs automatically.
The Files subfolder of the deployment package contains the .msi file that the
wizard created. The Files subfolder also contains the AccessRuntime.exe file if
you specified that your application should execute in run-time mode.
You can copy the deployment package to a CD, or put it on a shared network
location.
Conclusion
This article briefly describes the components that make up the Access 2007
Developer Extensions. It also describes the settings that are available when you
use the Package Solution Wizard to create an Access deployment package and
include the Access 2007 Runtime. The Access Developer Extensions components,
including the Package Solution Wizard, can make deploying and working with your
Access 2007 solutions much easier.
Additional Resources
For more information about Access 2007, the Access 2007 Developer Extensions,
and the Access 2007 Runtime, see the following resources: