Windows uses the concept of using an INI file to initialise and set parameters while opening an application.
We have used INI files for the applications we develop in much the same way that Windows uses these files. We use these to set the path of the last database accessed, user preferences, path statements, and to set global variables.
You will need to declare the two functions called GetPrivateProfileString() and WritePrivateProfileString() as shown below in the declarations section of your module...
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Where
lpApplicationName is the name of the section
lpKeyName is the name of the key under this section
lpDefault is the default value for this key
lpReturnedString is the value that is read from the INI file
nSize is the max size for this string
lpFileName is the name of your INI file
lpString is the value you want to write under the key
In the StartUp code of your application, you should declare a variant which we usually call 'vardummy' and read in the values from your INI file. If your INI file is called MyApp.INI and has a section called [BackendMDB] with a key called MDBFile, then your code would look something like this:
Dim vardummy as variant
Dim strdbFileName as string
Dim strdbFileNameTemp as string
Dim strIniFile as string
On Error goto Your_Err_Rtn
strdbFileName = "MyDB.MDB"
strIniFile = "MyApp.INI"
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....
and before you close your application, you may want to write the last used MDB to the INI so that the user opens with that as the BackEnd the next time. In that case, you need the following line (with the appropriate declarations...)
vardummy = WritePrivateProfileString("BackEndMDB", "MdbFile",_ |
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strdbFileName, sIniFile) |
So you can see how this can be useful for applications that allow the user to switch between different back-end databases. To add functionality to this particular utility, you could use the Common Dialog Control to allow the user to select his own backend database and proceed with that.
In the same way that the backend databse has been set, you could initialise many more settings for your application...so get to it!!! It really is no big deal once you have copied and pasted this code into your application - be it an Access database or a VB application - it works! And it impresses the clients, too!!