VersionCheck

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MS Access 97 and 2000 Application VersionCheck utility

VersionCheck application is designed for automatic update of new MS Access 97 or 2000 application version. For checking and comparing application versions it use Property “Version” of “UserDefined” Document of Container “Databases”. You can set property “Version” by manually adding it (menu File|Database Properties) or with VersionCheck application. VersionCheck use three MS Access files: Your application Front-end MDB file on user workstation (AppMDB), new version of your application MDB file on any available server (SourceMDB) and Data Back-end file (DataMDB). When new version of your application Front-end is ready, developer increment version number, put it on the server and set version of the data back-end file DataMDB equal to new front-end file SourceMDB. VersionCheck use the following algorithm:

IF AppMDB.Version <> DataMDB.Version THEN
COPY SourceMDB INTO AppMDB.
END IF

Then VersionCheck runs your application.

Furthermore VersionCheck can compact AppMDB each time you start it. You can define this with “Compact Application file on startup” checkbox.

Please note: VersionCheck application is written on Visual Basic 6.0 and it use VB6 run-time files. If you don’t have such files on your PC, you can download it from: ftp://c85.cemi.rssi.ru/Point/VB6RunTime.EXE

Vcheck.jpg (34008 bytes)

Shareware, $49 10 users, $99 unlimited

Register MS Access VersionCheck Utility online:
http://shareit1.element5.com/programs.html?productid=104323&language=English

Order form:
https://secure.element5.com/register.html?productid=104323&language=English

Comments by Mike Heden:

"...I had exactly the same problem but decided to go straight for a split front/back-end. The backend is replicated across a number of "hub" servers, one at each of our offices. The unreplicated front-end lives on each of the client PCs accessing the database.
The need to regularly distribute new versions of the front-end to an ever-increasing number of users was solved with the help of a nice little VB utility called VCheck97...
...Instead of directly loading your app, your desktop shortcut points to VCheck97 which checks the "version" property of the front-end on that client. It compares this with the version property of the back-end on the local server. If they aren't the same, VCheck97 downloads the new front-end from your distribution directory on the server, overwriting the old copy, then loads it.
Whenever you have a new release of your front-end, all you have to do is put it in the distribution directory on your server and update the version property of the back-end. Next time each of your users loads your app VCheck97 ensures they pick-up the new version. Problem solved.
Reliability? It's worked without any problems through about 15 front- end upgrades over the last 6 months on an application that has around 30 users. That's 450 times that I didn't have to visit a local user :)
Sure, there are alternative solutions. No doubt many of the contributors to this newsgroup have coded similar functionality into their applications. However, when I bought VCheck97 I needed a quick solution. I've found that it does exactly what I want, it's reliable and inexpensive.
Regards, Mike"