Microsoft KB Archive/167659

= ACC: Microsoft Access Is Visible When Started Through Automation =

Article ID: 167659

Article Last Modified on 1/19/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Access 95 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Access 97 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q167659



Advanced: Requires expert coding, interoperability, and multiuser skills.



SYMPTOMS
When you use Automation to create an instance of Microsoft Access, the Microsoft Access application window is visible automatically.

This article assumes that you are familiar with Visual Basic for Applications and with creating Microsoft Access applications using the programming tools provided with Microsoft Access. For more information about Visual Basic for Applications, please refer to your version of the "Building Applications with Microsoft Access" manual.



RESOLUTION
Use the CreateObject function to start a new instance of Microsoft Access, and then use the Windows application programming interface (API) procedure, ShowWindow, to hide the instance.  Start Microsoft Access and open the sample database Northwind.mdb.  Create a module and type the following lines in the Declarations section: Option Explicit

Private Declare Function ShowWindow Lib "User32" _ (ByVal hWnd As Long, ByVal nCmdShow As Long) As Long   Type the following procedure: Sub StartAccessHidden Dim sw As Long Dim appAccess As Object On Error Resume Next

' Start an instance of Microsoft Access. Set appAccess = CreateObject("Access.Application")

' Hide the instance of Microsoft Access. sw = ShowWindow(appAccess.hWndAccessApp, False) If Err.Number = 0 Then MsgBox "The instance of Microsoft Access was started " & _ "and hidden successfully. Click OK to view the " & _ "instance."

' Unhide the instance of Microsoft Access. appAccess.Visible = True appAccess.UserControl = True Else Err.Clear MsgBox "The instance of Microsoft Access was not " & _ "started successfully." End If     End Sub   To test this procedure, type the following line in the Debug window, and then press ENTER: StartAccessHidden Note that an instance of Microsoft Access is started and is immediately hidden. After you click OK in the message box, the instance of Microsoft Access becomes visible. To close the second instance of Microsoft Access, click Exit on the Microsoft Access File menu. 



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Access 2000.



MORE INFORMATION
Most applications are not visible by default when you activate them with Automation. Although Microsoft Access exposes a Visible property, it does not hide or show the instance of Microsoft Access. Instead, the Visible property controls whether or not Microsoft Access is minimized.

Steps to Reproduce Problem
 Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.</li>  Create a module and type the following line in the Declarations section if it is not already there: Option Explicit </li>  Type the following procedure: Sub StartAccess

Dim appAccess As Object

' Start an instance of Microsoft Access. Set appAccess = CreateObject("Access.Application")

End Sub </li>  To test this procedure, type the following line in the Debug window, and then press ENTER. StartAccess Note that an instance of Microsoft Access starts and is fully visible. To close the instance of Microsoft Access, click Exit on the Microsoft Access File menu. </li></ol>

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