Microsoft KB Archive/180281

= ACC97: Can't Use PrtDevMode or PrtMip Property with MDE Files =

Article ID: 180281

Article Last Modified on 1/22/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Access 97 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q180281



Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.



SYMPTOMS
In an MDE file, you cannot use the PrtDevMode or PrtMip property to change printer information for forms and reports. If you try to modify printer information by programmatically using the PrtDevMode or PrtMip property, you may receive the following error message:

That command isn't available in an MDE database.



CAUSE
To modify printer information using the PrtDevMode or PrtMip property, the form or report must first be opened in Design view. However, forms, reports, and modules cannot be opened in Design mode within an MDE file.



RESOLUTION
Instead of creating MDE files, create a Microsoft Access database and add Microsoft Access Security to the database. Adding security to your Microsoft Access database (MDB) will prevent users from viewing the design of your forms, reports, modules, and so on.

IMPORTANT: This resolution assumes that you understand the Microsoft Access Security model.

If you use a Microsoft Access database that has been secured, you can use the CreateWorkspace method to create a session for the Administrator of the database while programmatically modifying printer information using PrtDevMode or PrtMip property.

For more information on Microsoft Access Security, see the following documentation:

148555 ACC95: MS Access 95 Security White Paper Available in Download Center

132143 ACC: Overview of How to Secure a Microsoft Access Database

The following example uses the default Admin user as the Administrator of the Northwind database, and allows user Guest to open a report, change its marginal settings, and then preview the report.

CAUTION: Following the steps in this example will modify the sample database Northwind.mdb. You may want to back up the Northwind.mdb file and perform these steps on a copy of the database.  Open the sample database Northwind.mdb.  Create a module and type the following lines in the Declarations section: Option Explicit

Type str_PRTMIP strRGB As String * 28 End Type

Type type_PRTMIP lngLeftMargin As Long lngTopMargin As Long lngRightMargin As Long lngBotMargin As Long lngDataOnly As Long lngWidth As Long lngHeight As Long lngDefaultSize As Long lngColumns As Long lngColumnSpacing As Long lngRowSpacing As Long lngItemLayout As Long lngFastPrint As Long lngDatasheet As Long End Type  Save and close the module. Open a new form not based on any table or query in Design view. Add a command button to the form.  Set the command button's OnClick property to the following event procedure: Private Sub Command0_Click

' This example shows how to set report margins in a secured ' database. Dim wrkAdmin As Workspace Dim dbs As Database Dim ctrReports As Container Dim docReport As Document Dim PrtMipString As str_PRTMIP Dim PM As type_PRTMIP Dim Rpt As Report Dim strName As String

strName = "Summary of Sales by Year"

' Create a new session and assign it to the database administrator. Set wrkAdmin = DBEngine.CreateWorkspace("AdminWorkspace", "Admin", _        "Admin", dbUseJet) ' Be sure to change the path in this next line to match your path to      ' Northwind.mdb. Set dbs = wrkAdmin.OpenDatabase("C:\Northwind.mdb", False) Set ctrReports = dbs.Containers!Reports Set docReport = ctrReports.Documents(strName) ' Give the Users group full permissions to this report. docReport.UserName = "Users" docReport.Permissions = dbSecFullAccess

' Close the session. wrkAdmin.Close

' Open the report in Design view and set the report object variable. DoCmd.Echo False DoCmd.OpenReport strName, acDesign

Set Rpt = Reports(strName) ' Assign the reports current device information. PrtMipString.strRGB = Rpt.PrtMip

' Assign the device information into its various components. LSet PM = PrtMipString

' The new margin settings to be used are half inch. ' Note: The Summary of Sales by Year report has 1" margins by      ' default.       PM.lngLeftMargin = 0.5 * 1440       PM.lngTopMargin = 0.5 * 1440       PM.lngRightMargin = 0.5 * 1440       PM.lngBotMargin = 0.5 * 1440

' Update the device information with the new settings. LSet PrtMipString = PM

Rpt.PrtMip = PrtMipString.strRGB

' Close the design of the report, saving the changes, ' and then preview the report. DoCmd.Close acReport, strName, acSaveYes DoCmd.OpenReport strName, acViewPreview DoCmd.Echo True

' Re-create a new session, assigning it to the database ' administrator. Set wrkAdmin = DBEngine.CreateWorkspace("AdminWorkspace", "Admin", _        "Admin", dbUseJet) ' Be sure to enter the correct path in this next line as well. Set dbs = wrkAdmin.OpenDatabase("C:\Northwind.mdb", False) Set ctrReports = dbs.Containers!Reports Set docReport = ctrReports.Documents(strName)

' Assign Read permissions for to this report back to the Users group. docReport.UserName = "Users" docReport.Permissions = dbSecReadSec

' Close the session. wrkAdmin.Close

End Sub </li> Save the form as Form1 and close it.</li> Remove all permissions for the Users group for all objects.</li> Create a new user called Guest.</li> Assign the following permissions to the Guest user:

- Open/Run on the Current Database

- Read Data and Read Design on the Order Details table

- Read Data and Read Design on the Orders table

- Read Data and Read Design on the Order Subtotals query

- Read Data and Read Design on the Summary of Sale by Year query

- Open/Run on the Form1 form

- Open/Run, Read Design and Modify Design on the "Summary of Sales by Year" report

</li> Assign the password "Admin" (without the quotation marks) to the Admin user.</li> Close and restart Microsoft Access.</li> Type "Guest" (without the quotation marks) as the logon name, and press ENTER.</li> Open the Form1 form in Form view, and click the command button. Note that the "Summary of Sales by Year" report displays in Print Preview with half inch margins.</li></ol>

NOTE: Because we have assigned only Open/Run permissions to the Form1 form, it is impossible for the user to open the form in Design view in order to discover what the Admin's password is. However, keep in mind that a properly secured database would never use the default Admin account as the administrator of a database.

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STATUS
This behavior is by design.

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MORE INFORMATION
Printer page setup properties such as PrtDevMode and PrtMip enable you to programmatically manipulate the printer information specified for Microsoft Access forms and reports. The PrtDevMode and PrtMip properties enable you to read a form or report's current printer settings as well as update the printer settings.

Unlike run-time applications, which allow the PrtDevMode and PrtMip properties to open forms and reports in Design view, MDE file formats do not allow forms and reports to be opened in Design view.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior
<ol> Repeat steps 1 through 7 in the "Resolution" section of this article.</li>  Set the command button's OnClick property to the following event procedure: Dim PrtMipString As str_PRTMIP Dim PM As type_PRTMIP Dim rpt As Report Dim strName As String

DoCmd.Echo False strName = "Summary of Sales by Year"

DoCmd.OpenReport strName, acDesign Set rpt = Reports(strName)

PrtMipString.strRGB = rpt.PrtMip LSet PM = PrtMipString

PM.lngLeftMargin = 1 * 1440 PM.lngTopMargin = 1 * 1440 PM.lngRightMargin = 1 * 1440 PM.lngBotMargin = 1 * 1440

LSet PrtMipString = PM     rpt.PrtMip = PrtMipString.strRGB

DoCmd.Close acReport, strName, acSaveYes DoCmd.OpenReport strName, acViewPreview DoCmd.Echo True </li> Save the form as Form1 and open it in Form view. Note that you can preview the report without any errors.</li> Close the report and the form.</li> On the Tools menu, click Database Utilities, and then click Make MDE File, and save the Northwind database in an MDE format.</li> Open Northwind.mde and double-click the Form1 form to open it.</li> Click the command button. Note that you receive the following error message:

The expression On Click you entered as the event property setting

produced the following error: That command isn't available in an

MDE database.

The expression may not result in the name of a macro, the name of a

user-defined function, or [Event Procedure].

There may have been an error evaluating the function, event, or

macro.

</li></ol>

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