MS Access - Select and Store Files externally out of database

Question

I have a contract database that

• I want to let users upload files from a Windows Explorer window to each individual contract record
• then have it stored on a centralized shared drive.

So when you would go between records it would show the individual files per each record.

Is this possible and is there a basic logic to this as I've never done something like this.

Thank you in advance.

I'm not sure if this has been answered and if it is I would appreciate the forward of the link.

Answer 1

This is possible with a single form but not with a continuous form.

• You'll want to use Application.FileDialog to prompt the user for a file and I prefer to use FileSystemObject to manipulate files (e.g. copy or move). You can prompt the user to "upload" a file when they click a button you provide.
• Either come up with a convention or store the path to the file in the shared in your record.
• How you display the file is up to you. Here are some options:
  1. Provide an View button or link that will call Application.FollowHyperlink, passing in the path to the file.
  2. Display an image in the form
  3. Display certain files like a Word document in the form

Those links should get you everything you need but let me know if I missed something. Also, I'm not certain that options 2 and 3 will work in Access 2010. I've used both techniques but it has been a long time.