Better Backwards Compatibility
I have three version of MS Access - 2013, 2010 and 2007. I need this so if I develop a DB with library references (in particular the MS Excel library) and it has to work in an earlier version of Access (so if I developed it in 2013 but it has to work in 2010) I have to open it in 2010 and make sure the references are not missing before giving it to a user. I have tried multiple times to write code that will try and remove the missing reference and add a valid one but why? These are both MS products (Excel & Access). Why can’t Access recognize the user has a different version of Excel and relink the library itself? Outlook and PowerPoint references seem to be OK – it is just Excel.
Grant Smith
shared this idea
3 comments
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David Peel
commented
Whilst this would be nice, you can avoid most of these issues by using late-binding and not referencing the other applications.
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Bob Massey
commented
Fixing the "MS Access automated reference updating" is huge. My solution is that I still develop my base application in MS Access 2003. Because my clients still have MS Access 2003. (Side note: the MS Access Run-Time for Access 2013 is the first decent representation of the Design Environment MS Access.) I (feel that I) know first hand that developing with a later version of MS Access is better for me, but then I cannot regress the product to run on the client's computer(s).
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Conversely, it takes strong discipline to NOT USE capabilities in later versions of MS Access when the base deliverable is to be compatible with MS Access 2003.
--- Conclusion: Visual Studio has detection of compliance of solution with prior versions of dotNET environments. MS Access should have similar capability. -
Nigel Vandyk
commented
Changing References for different versions of Office Products is a real problem. Although the References are upwardly compatible they are not downwardly compatible. So, if I develop a System which references a late version of MS Office, it will not work on the Client's PC who may be using an earlier version of Word or Outlook.
There must be a solution. It is not realistic to recompile on the Client Machine and impossible if they are using Access Runtime.