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Browsing and Selecting Files By Richard Rost 
6 years ago
Browsing and Selecting Files in Microsoft Access I'm going to try to answer a couple of questions every week in video format. So if you want your question answered this way, submit it! MembersThere is no Extended Cut for this video.
IntroIn this video, we will talk about how to use Microsoft Access to browse your computer or a network to select and link to files in your database. We'll discuss how to set up a form with a button for browsing files, different ways to handle file locations for multiple users, and how to address issues with shared network folders and mapped drives. We'll also cover options like storing links to files on shared drives or online services such as Google Drive or Dropbox.TranscriptWelcome to the first ever TechHelp with Richard Rost brought to you by AccessLearningZone.com. This is something new I'm trying. I get lots and lots of emails from people, and they have all kinds of questions about Access.I get asked the same questions over and over again, and a lot of times it's just pointing people to videos and lessons that I've already recorded. So, the TechHelp is a way for me to take your questions and answer them for you by pointing you in the right direction. I'm not necessarily going to show you everything in these TechHelp videos, but I will tell you what you need to do, how to get started, and where to go for more help. We're going to start by answering an email that deals with using Access to browse your drive or a server, select some files, and then do some stuff with them. The email starts: Dear Richard, hello, I'm developing an Access database to track projects at work. Under each project, we want to track and locate data and other files for each project. Under my data form, I would like the people to be able to click on a browse files button to find the link to their document or data and show the link in the data form. The problem is the main folder on the server where many of the files are stored is mapped to different directories on people's independent computers. Do you have a seminar or training that will show me how to create a form that will use a button to find files in the network or on a personal computer and provide a link to that file that everyone will be able to open, addressing the different mapped drive issue? Well, Kristi and I cover the bulk of how to do this in the Access Imaging Seminar. Yes, I know it primarily deals with imaging, working with pictures and such, but you can use the techniques that I show you in the seminar to browse files of any type that you want. There's a button that you see that I created called Select Image, and that will open up a dialog box that will allow you to browse your computer, a network, or whatever location you specify and pick a file. What I show you how to do in class is to set up a shared server folder that's in one location so that once you pick the file, Access will copy the file to the server in that folder so that everybody on the network will have access to it. So basically, now you have a Windows or networking problem. Now you've got to just map everyone to that specific folder so they all have access to it. If someone picks a file on their C drive, the local drive, they select it, hit go, Access will copy it up to the server, and then save that link in the database that everyone should be able to use. At this point, it's just a matter of mapping, for example, server shared as a network shared folder. Now, if you don't want to go this route, if you want people to still be able to browse files on their own folder or their own directories, you can set up a user logon system. I cover setting up a user logon system in my Security Seminar. You can set up a username and password for everybody, and then in each user's personal profile settings, which basically is in the user table, you can specify what their folder for their documents or images is. So Joe's might be on C:\\Documents\\Images, or whatever, and then someone else might be different. If you've got a situation where Joe has files on his local drive and Mary has files on her local drive, unless they communicate with each other over the network directly, there's no way that one can share each other's files like that. That's why you need to set up some kind of a shared server folder or something online, like a Google Drive or a Dropbox situation. You can store links to those as well in your Access database. So that's it. That's the TechHelp video. I hope you enjoyed it. Again, my purpose here is just to answer your questions and point you in the right direction. I hope this gives you some insight into what to do to solve your problem, Kristi. If you'd like to see your question answered here, you can submit it on the TechHelp page at the link shown: nct.com/techhelp. There are also ways to connect with me, my blog, my Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. If you're a beginner, I've got a free Access Level 1 course that's over three hours long - there's the link. If you like that, Level 2 is just one dollar. Thanks for watching, and thanks for learning with AccessLearningZone. QuizQ1. What is the main purpose of the TechHelp videos discussed in the video?A. To provide step-by-step tutorials for Access features only B. To answer commonly asked questions and point viewers to helpful resources C. To advertise Access seminars exclusively D. To focus strictly on Access security issues Q2. What scenario did the email question in the video describe? A. Creating a database for managing customer orders B. Tracking projects and linking files for each project in Access C. Automating email notifications in Access D. Designing Access reports for accounting purposes Q3. What is the main issue with storing project files on a server as described in the video? A. The files are too large to upload B. Files are only accessible to a single user C. The server folder is mapped differently on each user's computer D. Users cannot create new folders Q4. What solution does Richard suggest for making project files accessible to all users? A. Emailing files directly to users B. Storing links in local directories only C. Copying files to a shared server folder and linking from there D. Saving files only on USB drives Q5. Why does Richard mention setting up a user logon system in Access? A. To allow only administrators access to files B. To keep all files on the same network drive C. To let each user have their personalized folder and settings D. To enable automatic email sending Q6. If users store files only on their local drives, what is the limitation mentioned in the video? A. Files will automatically sync with the server B. Every user can see everyone else's files C. Users cannot share each other's files without network communication D. Files will be deleted after 24 hours Q7. What alternative to a shared server folder does Richard mention for making files accessible? A. Using cloud storage solutions like Google Drive or Dropbox B. Copying files to external hard drives C. Printing all files and distributing them D. Manually sending files through FTP only Q8. According to the video, where can you submit your own questions for TechHelp? A. Only by direct email to Richard B. By leaving a comment on YouTube only C. Through the TechHelp page linked in the video D. By calling the AccessLearningZone office Q9. Which free resource is specifically offered for Access beginners? A. Free Access Level 5 seminar B. Access Security Seminar C. Free Access Level 1 course, over three hours long D. Access Imaging Seminar only Answers: 1-B; 2-B; 3-C; 4-C; 5-C; 6-C; 7-A; 8-C; 9-C DISCLAIMER: Quiz questions are AI generated. If you find any that are wrong, don't make sense, or aren't related to the video topic at hand, then please post a comment and let me know. Thanks. SummaryToday's video from Access Learning Zone introduces a new segment called TechHelp, where I respond directly to questions I receive about Microsoft Access. I frequently get emails from viewers who need help with Access, and many of these questions are similar. Instead of giving lengthy explanations each time, I use these TechHelp videos to guide you toward the lessons or resources that will help you solve your issue.In this episode, I respond to a question about how to let users browse and select files within an Access database, particularly when files are stored in a shared network location that may be mapped differently on each user's computer. The goal is to allow users to find and attach files to a project entry, so that everyone with access to the database can open those files later. I explain that most of the procedures required for this task are covered in the Access Imaging Seminar. While the seminar primarily focuses on managing images, the principles and techniques taught apply to any type of file you want to work with. The seminar walks you through adding a button to a form that opens a file browser dialog. This lets users pick a file from their own computer or from the network. To handle the issue of different mapped drive letters, the recommended solution is to set up a single shared folder on a network server. When a user selects a file from any location, Access can copy it to that server folder and store the link in the database. This approach ensures the path remains consistent and accessible for everyone, regardless of how their own computer maps the network drive. If you would rather keep each user's files in their personal folders instead of one shared location, then it's possible to create a user logon system. I cover how to build a user logon system in my Security Seminar. With this system, each user can have a profile specifying their own file storage locations. However, remember that if files are stored in personal directories, others won't be able to access them unless those directories are shared over the network. For broader accessibility, you can also store links to cloud-based solutions like Google Drive or Dropbox. Those links can be put right in your Access database, so users can reach the files from anywhere. That's the goal of TechHelp - to point you toward a solution and offer advice on where to start your project. If you would like your question addressed, you can use the form on my website's TechHelp page. If you are new to Access, there is a free Access Level 1 course available on my website, which is over three hours long, and Level 2 is just a dollar more. For a complete video tutorial with step-by-step instructions covering everything discussed here, visit my website at the link below. Live long and prosper, my friends. Topic ListUsing Access to browse and select files from a computer or networkCreating a button in an Access form to open a file dialog Copying selected files to a shared server folder for network access Storing links to shared files in an Access database Addressing mapped drive issues for shared file access Using user logon systems to manage personal file locations Storing user-specific folder settings in user profiles Saving and accessing file links stored on cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox |
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| Keywords: TechHelp Access browse files select files browsing files selecting files first techhelp PermaLink Browsing and Selecting Files in Microsoft Access |
