Access 2007: Digital signature is lost when you create ADE files

  • Thread starter J.A. García Barceló
  • Start date
J

J.A. García Barceló

We have been using digital signatures for years (Office 2003) to deploy MS
Access complied project files (.ADE) to avoid users to accept security
warnings every time they opened the application.

Now we are using Office 2007 and whenever we create ADE files (with signed
VB code), we receive (in Access status bar, on the bottom) the following
warning (maybe the warning is not exactly as this, since it is a self-made
translation from Spanish):

"The changes made to the databes or project had invalidated the linked
digital signature"

"Las modificaciones realizadas en la base de datos o proyecto han invalidado
la firma digital asociada." (this is the original warning).

After that, when any user tries to open the created ADE file, they receive
the usual warning as if the file had no digital signature at all:

Microsoft Office Access Security Notice

A potential security concern has been identified.

Warning: it is not possible to determine that this
content came from a trustworthy source. You should
leave this content disabled unless the content provides
critical functionality and you trust its source.


That dialog confirms that the original warning shown in the status bar was
right. The signature is lost when you compile the ADP into an ADE file.

I have checked that this happens when creating a brand new database project:
* Create a new database project (ADP) and connect it to any SQL Server /
Northwind you have at hand
* Create a form with a single button in it and use the following code:
Option Compare Database
Option Explicit
Private Sub Command0_Click()
MsgBox ("this is a test")
End Sub
* Sign the code: Tools -> Digital signatures...
* Create ADE
* Try to open the ADE you created before

Can this be classified as a bug or a feature? Is there any place to submit
feedbacks for Access 2007?

Thanks in advance.
 
A

Aaron Kempf

everything is a bug

when someone at MS tells you that it is a feature; ask to talk to their
supervisor and explain to them that they are full of crap
 

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