%USERPROFILE% in Command line

[KPR]

Hi,

I'm trying to create a generic shortcut to open an Access database located
on each of our network users desktops. What I'm trying is below and I can't
get it to recognize the proper path to the users desktop.

%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\MSACCESS.EXE
"%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\myapp.mdb"

Any ideas?
Thanks,
Ken

 

[Tom van Stiphout]

On Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:05:02 -0800, KPR

Why not simply create a single shortcut in the All Users\Desktop
folder?

-Tom.
Microsoft Access MVP

 

[KPR]

because each user has their own copy of the front end database.

 

[Tom van Stiphout]

On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:25:01 -0800, KPR

Each user has their own copy of the FE on each workstation? You're
saying if 3 employees use a particular workstation from time to time,
you install 3 copies of the FE on that machine? Why can't they share
the same one? Typically there is nothing user-specific in a FE.

-Tom.
Microsoft Access MVP

 

[KPR]

On a previous question I asked....

I have 15 people Terminal Serving in to our office to enter data into an
Access 2003 database, each with their own TS login account. What database
configuration will give give me the best performance? Should I split the
database? If so should each user have their own front end app?

and you answered...

All documentation I have ever seen about this topic SCREAM the same
recommendation: every user must have their own FE.
If you don't like the performance, work at that following the standard
recommendations for split databases, but don't go back to a monolithic
db.

-Tom.
Microsoft Access MVP

So thats's what I trying to do. Am I misunderstanding something?

Thanks,
Ken

 

[John W. Vinson]

On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:25:01 -0800, KPR

Each user has their own copy of the FE on each workstation? You're
saying if 3 employees use a particular workstation from time to time,
you install 3 copies of the FE on that machine? Why can't they share
the same one? Typically there is nothing user-specific in a FE.

That's reasonable UNLESS the three users might be using the database
concurrently. Having a split database with a shared frontend gives you all the
disadvanatages of a shared database (bloat, corruption, contention, lockouts)
AND of a split database (network traffic, need to tune performance). I'm
afraid I'll have to disagree with you on this one, Tom!

 

[Tom van Stiphout]

On Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:18:01 -0800, KPR

Perhaps my post was not clear enough. I mostly work in environments
where a workstation is used by a single user, so the statement "every
user must have his/her own FE" and "every workstation must have its
own FE" are equivalent.
If multiple users use the same workstation, I would still only install
the FE once, and have a shortcut to it in the All Users/Desktop
folder.

-Tom.
Microsoft Access MVP

 

[Tom van Stiphout]

On Sat, 21 Feb 2009 12:35:46 -0700, John W. Vinson

When I wrote "share the same one" I meant "on the same workstation".

-Tom.

 

[David W. Fenton]

If multiple users use the same workstation, I would still only
install the FE once, and have a shortcut to it in the All
Users/Desktop folder.

....because only one user will be using the workstation at a time.

 

[David W. Fenton]

That's reasonable UNLESS the three users might be using the
database concurrently.

How exactly does someone do that on a workstation?

I thought Tom's point was quite clear. In the context in which he
made his observation about AllUsers, I thought the OP was talking
about workstations, not WTS, so I thought his comment was spot on.

I'd consider it batsh*t crazy to maintain seperate front ends for
each user on a workstation.

 

[KPR]

Attention Everyone.....This is a Terminal Server App! With everyone remoting
into the same Terminal Server, that is why I asked this question.

 

[John W. Vinson]

Attention Everyone.....This is a Terminal Server App! With everyone remoting
into the same Terminal Server, that is why I asked this question.

Two of my clients use this architecture (using Citrix rather than MTS but the
principle is the same).

Each user connects into their own private desktop, with their own private copy
of the frontend. The frontends all link to a shared backend (on a different
server, though in principle it could be on the same one); but I would NOT
recommend having multiple terminal server users sharing a single frontend (any
more than I'd let them share a single unsplit database).

The frontend must be on the server side, not on the client side - Access
doesn't "play nice" across the internet.