Access Converter:

An Overview

 

 

 

Access Converter seamlessly converts Access VBA code and Forms into Java code which can leverage the resources of the web browser environment or the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) on many different platforms. The automatically generated Java Applet can be embedded in an HTML page and can be deployed on commercial Web sites and corporate intranets. The same generated Java application can also be run as a stand-alone application on any platform or computer which supports Java. In this manual the word applet will be used to refer to both an applet running in a browser or a stand-alone application since all code generated from Access Converter can run either way depending on the context they are invoked from.

Access Converter also supports Java Database Connectivity (abbreviated JDBC) so you can easily create Java applets that can access data on Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase and other popular database servers. With Access Converter, you can use your VB programming skills to create Java applets with full data access capabilities that can be deployed on commercial Web sites and corporate intranets. 

NOTE: Refer to the Access Converter SupportedFeatures.html document for details on which features are supported. This information will assist you in converting your Access forms and projects to Java successfully. 

Installing Access Converter

To install Access Converter, run the executable you downloaded. Then run the Setup.Exe that was automatically extracted from the downloaded .exe.. When installing Access Converter, by default a C:\Program Files\Access Converter directory is created where the Access Converter files will be installed. After installation, the Access Converter menu item will appear in the Tools->Add-Ins menu of Access Menubar the next time it is started.

You will also need to also have a Java 2 compliant compiler (v1.4.x or higher) and libraries available. The Java 2 SDK is available from Sun at:

http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4/

The Java 2 SDK will also install a Java 2 plugin which is necessary to run the generated applet in your browser.

System Requirements

The minimum requirements to run Access Converter are:

  • Access 97, Access 2000, Access 2002, or Access 2003
  • Windows 95 (or higher), Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP
  • Install the optional Advanced Wizards from the Access installation CD in order to convert the macros into Visual Basic code.
  • Crystal Reports Developer Edition v8.5 or Crystal Reports v9.0 plus a RCAPI License is needed to convert reports is needed to convert reports. Once the reports (.rpt files) are generated you can use a later version such as Crystal Reports 10 to run or edit the reports. Crystal Enterprise is needed to run the reports from Java. The Crystal Reports Developer Edition also includes a 5-user license to Crystal Enterprise
  • Java Compiler. To compile the generated Java source code, you will need a Java compiler (Java v1.4 or higher). See the documentation from your Java compiler or Java IDE for how to compile the generated Java code.
  • Web Server and Java-Enabled Browser. To serve the HTML pages in which your Java Applets are embedded you need a Web server such as Microsoft's Internet Information Server or Netscape Enterprise Server. To use an applet embedded in an HTML page, you need the Java 2 plugin for Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. You can also run your application from the command line or from a desktop icon.