Chapter 31: Distributing Access Applications
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You must close and reopen the current database for the changes to take effect.The Display Document Tabs check box is only available when you select Tabbed Documents; it
turns on or off the tabs that appear at the top of any open database object. This setting turns off
only the tabs and does not close tabbed objects themselves.Use Access Special Keys
If you select this option, users of your application can use accelerator keys that are specific to the
Access environment in order to circumvent some security measures, such as unhiding the
Navigation Pane. If you deselect this option, the following keys are disabled:l F11: Use this key to show the Navigation Pane (if hidden).l (^) Ctrl+G: Use this key to open the Immediate window in the Visual Basic Editor.
l Ctrl+Break: In Access projects, use this key to interrupt Access while retrieving records
from the server database.
l Alt+F11: Use this key to start the VBA Editor.
Tip
It’s a good idea to deselect the Access Special Keys check box when distributing the application, in order to
prevent users from circumventing the options you select. Otherwise, users might inadvertently reveal the
Navigation Pane or VBA code edition, leading to confusion and other problems.
Tip
When using the Access Special Keys property to disable Access’s default accelerator keys, you can still use an
AutoKeys macro to set your application’s shortcut keys.
Compact on Close
Checking the Compact on Close check box tells Access to automatically compact and repair your
database when you close it. Many Access developers use Compact on Close as a way to perform
this vital maintenance process each time a user works with a database. You must close and reopen
the current database in order for this change to take effect.
Cross-Reference
For more information on the benefits of compacting and repairing a database, see Chapter 24.
Caution
Keep in mind that compacting a large database might take a considerable amount of time. Plus, Compact on
Close only affects the front-end database. Unless your application uses the front end for temporary tables or
other operations that cause the front end to bloat, the Compact and Repair option may be of minimal benefit
to your users.