Embed Word Document in Access

[spiralmind]

i have built some user documentation for one of my applications using msword and have, up to this point, accessed it through a label with code to open the document in word. problem with this is that the document, being something external, cannot be found if either it or the database is moved and is relatively vunerable to being damaged or deleted by a careless user.

i've found a way to use an unbound object frame to hold a word doc on an access form, which works great except for the fact that it lacks any scrolling capabilities and is therefore limited to one-page views, is not user-resizable, and would require that i create more code and controls for any word-document functions i want allow the users to perform (like printing, copy-and-pase...).

i've also throught of storing the docs in ole, but i don't know how to open them from a table

is there a better way to do this, or am i better off just breaking my help files into single-page documents and creating some custom navigation and command controls to allow the users to actually see and use them?

 

[Rolliee]

You can open a WORD document from ACCESS and when you close it, return to ACCESS. I am not sure if you can open it READ_ONLY or not. That sounds to me like a better approach. If you want a sample of opening a Word doc.\, send your email address and describe what you desire.

rollie@bwsys.net

 

[spiralmind]

my problem isn't really opening a word doc, as that's what i did originally (first with a hyperlink, then with some code which gave me a little more control). my real issue is with storing the document, as i want to keep it either in the db or closely tied to it to ensure that it can always be found (i remember using win 3.1 where i would quite often have a question and hit F1 or go to help on the menu only to be greeted with a "help file not found" pop-up and a browse button that would let me (a frustrated 10-year-old) try to dig through the system folders and find it myself - i'd prefer not to subject my users to the same cruel treatment: after all, the dos apps i used before that never did such things, so making sure the user-help works can't be setting the bar too high). if you know how to open that doc from an ole object in a table or embedded item on a form, though, send away to soundofsilence@comcast.net and post it here for those shy forum-wanderes who'd rather just find an the answers questions than have to ask for it.