This example shows how to use a command line switch and a scheduled task to start a Microsoft Access application unattended and run some logic automatically.
Perhaps you need a switchboard form to appear for users when they open a database during the day, but you want the database to open automatically at night, skip the switchboard, and run some logic. One option is to create separate front-end databases. Another option is to give the database an autopilot that runs at night. Here’s how.
(1) Add this code to your database:
Public gblnAuto As Boolean Public Function IsAuto() As Boolean ' This function returns a True if database was started with the ' Auto command. ' IsAuto() Version 1.0.0 ' Copyright © 2009 Extra Mile Data, www.extramiledata.com. ' For questions or issues, please contact [email protected]. ' Use (at your own risk) and modify freely as long as proper credit is given. On Error GoTo Err_IsAuto ' Check the command option to see if the database was started ' with the Auto command. Set the global variable and pass back ' a True or False. If Command = "Auto" Then gblnAuto = True IsAuto = True Else gblnAuto = False IsAuto = False End If Exit_IsAuto: On Error Resume Next Exit Function Err_IsAuto: MsgBox Err.Number & " " & Err.Description, vbCritical, "IsAuto" IsAuto = False Resume Exit_IsAuto End Function
Though not necessary, you can use the global variable gblnAuto to control how the logic, the forms, or the reports are run.
(2) Create a scheduled task that uses something like this for the Run value:
“C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice12MSACCESS.EXE” “C:TestCode.accdb” /cmd Auto
The value behind the /cmd command line switch will be returned when the VBA function Command() is called.
(3) In the database, create a macro named AutoExec.
The AutoExec macro will run when the database is opened. Make the actions it runs conditional on the results of IsAuto(). For instance, if IsAuto() = False, the user opened the database, so open the switchboard form. If IsAuto() = True, then the database was opened by the scheduled task. In that case, run some logic and then close the database.