Run Access report and print from ASP Page

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jbonifacejr - 11 Apr 2006 20:25 GMT

This is my first day here, so please be patient. I do not know how to
search very well so the search I tried to get the answer showed me
topics from the year 2000 and they really don't cover what I want.

I am trying to open MSAccess from ASP..I guess I would use
server.createobject("Access.Application")

OK, but where do i go from there to run a report and have it print to
the default printer?

Can anyone point me to some information that would help me figure this
out?

Thanks,
Jan

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jbonifacejr - 11 Apr 2006 23:05 GMT

In addition, all of the examples on the internet show that I have to
use the server.createobject("Access.Application") method and execute a
DoCmd function. My MSAccess application is on a different machine than
the one I am testing on.

I am also using a test environment to get all of this working. It is
very likely that the functions will work just fine when I run the web
pages after I put them on the server because Access is on the server.
But I don't have Access installed on the test server, so I can't run
the server.createobject("Access.Application").

How can I get the report to print using an ASP page and not have to
have Microsoft Access installed on my test machine? Can I map a path to
the Microsoft Access app on the other server?

> This is my first day here, so please be patient. I do not know how to
> search very well so the search I tried to get the answer showed me
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> Thanks,
> Jan

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'69 Camaro - 12 Apr 2006 00:59 GMT

Hi, Jan.

> In addition, all of the examples on the internet show that I have to
> use the server.createobject("Access.Application") method and execute a
> DoCmd function.

I wouldn't recommend doing that. But you don't have to take my word for it.
Microsoft doesn't recommend doing that, either. Please see the following
Web page for why not:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?id=257757

> I am also using a test environment to get all of this working. It is
> very likely that the functions will work just fine when I run the web
> pages after I put them on the server because Access is on the server.

I hate to quench your optimism, but in software testing Murphy's Law
prevails. Always set up your test environment so that it resembles your
production environment as much as possible. Any differences in
configuration are bugs just waiting to splat on your windshield.

> How can I get the report to print using an ASP page and not have to
> have Microsoft Access installed on my test machine?

You won't be able to run the report from the Web. However, the report can
be run from Access beforehand and saved as a Snapshot file on the Web
server. This Snapshot file can be downloaded from the Web server to the
user's hard drive and later viewed and printed with the Snapshot Viewer.

Another solution is to build a Web page that shows the data contained in the
Access database, and then create a button on this page that allows the user
to print this report.

>> I do not know how to
>> search very well so the search I tried to get the answer showed me
>> topics from the year 2000 and they really don't cover what I want.

Try:

http://groups.google.com/advanced_search?q=group:microsoft.public.inetserver.asp
.*&scoring=r&num=100&hl=en&lr=lang_en&as_drrb=q&&safe=off&

HTH.
Gunny

See http://www.QBuilt.com for all your database needs.
See http://www.Access.QBuilt.com for Microsoft Access tips and tutorials.
http://www.Access.QBuilt.com/html/expert_contributors2.html for contact
info.

> In addition, all of the examples on the internet show that I have to
> use the server.createobject("Access.Application") method and execute a
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
>> Thanks,
>> Jan

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Lyle Fairfield - 12 Apr 2006 13:41 GMT

TTBOMK no one has yet discovered a way to open MS-Access within an
Active Server Page and to provide the objects and methods of Access to
a client over the Internet through the HTTP.
If someone could do this, one might guess that Microsoft would sell
very few copies of Access, as a myriad of web sites would provide
sophisticated Access solutions that would meet the majority or our
needs.
One might also predict that Microsoft has thought about this and taken
steps to ensure that it will not happen.

Reply to this Message

Larry Linson - 12 Apr 2006 17:03 GMT

> One might also predict that Microsoft
> has thought about this and taken
> steps to ensure that it will not happen.

Do you really think that The Boys and Girls in Redmond would do something
that nefarious, Lyle? <GD&R>

Reply to this Message

'69 Camaro - 12 Apr 2006 18:17 GMT

Hi, Lyle.

> TTBOMK no one has yet discovered a way to open MS-Access within an
> Active Server Page and to provide the objects and methods of Access to
> a client over the Internet through the HTTP.

Oh, there's a way. Please see the following Web pages:

http://www.4guysfromrolla.com/webtech/042600-1.shtml

http://www.15seconds.com/issue/981216.htm

http://www.eggheadcafe.com/PrintSearchContent.asp?LINKID=251

And you'll find other examples with an Internet search. However, while the
ASP experts advocate this technique, the Access database experts will tell
you it ain't reliable, it ain't stable, it ain't secure, it ain't scalable,
it ain't supported, and, like spitting into the wind, it ain't recommended.

> One might also predict that Microsoft has thought about this and taken
> steps to ensure that it will not happen.

Another way to look at it is that Microsoft hasn't taken the steps necessary
to ensure that it's stable, reliable, secure, and scalable. The result, of
course, is that experienced developers will avoid this technique -- and
inexperienced developers will eventually become experienced. ;-)

HTH.
Gunny

See http://www.QBuilt.com for all your database needs.
See http://www.Access.QBuilt.com for Microsoft Access tips and tutorials.
http://www.Access.QBuilt.com/html/expert_contributors2.html for contact
info.

> TTBOMK no one has yet discovered a way to open MS-Access within an
> Active Server Page and to provide the objects and methods of Access to
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> One might also predict that Microsoft has thought about this and taken
> steps to ensure that it will not happen.

Reply to this Message

Lyle Fairfield - 12 Apr 2006 18:26 GMT

> Hi, Lyle.
>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> http://www.eggheadcafe.com/PrintSearchContent.asp?LINKID=251

Getting a file, picture, html representation or whatever created by an
instance of Access running on a server is NOT using an Access object. None
of these make Access's objects and methods available to a client over the
Internet through the HTTP.

Signature

Lyle Fairfield

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'69 Camaro - 12 Apr 2006 18:57 GMT

Hi, Lyle.

> Getting a file, picture, html representation or whatever created by an
> instance of Access running on a server is NOT using an Access object.

Then I suppose I have a different definition of "using an Access object."

HTH.
Gunny

See http://www.QBuilt.com for all your database needs.
See http://www.Access.QBuilt.com for Microsoft Access tips and tutorials.
http://www.Access.QBuilt.com/html/expert_contributors2.html for contact
info.

>> Hi, Lyle.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> of these make Access's objects and methods available to a client over the
> Internet through the HTTP.

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jbonifacejr - 12 Apr 2006 18:06 GMT

Thanks everyone. I've decided to just drop the idea. I know that it is
possible to do what I want, but it would probably require that I create
my own .dll that would instantiate the Access object then execute the
functions I want from Access. I don't feel like going through that much
trouble. I will look into an alternative method.

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