How to: Move from the add-in WklExtensions.accda to the SDK add-in
Open the designers of WKL Forms Object Library from the ribbon tab of the SDK instead of the add-in menu of
WklExtensions.accda.
Requires: the WKL Office SDK with its add-in installed (wkl-office addin install, see
Use the Access add-in); WKL Forms Object Library registered for the current user in the
bitness of Office; the full Access (in the Access runtime WklExtensions.accda does not run, and the SDK add-in is loaded but its tab
is hidden).
Context / problem statement
WklExtensions.accda is an Access add-in (a library database) whose entries under Database Tools › Add-Ins open
the designers of WKL Forms Object Library. The SDK add-in opens the same designers from its ribbon tab WKL SDK, next
to the commands for sources, build and version control, so a developer needs one entry point instead of two.
Solution overview
Both add-ins create the same classes of WKL Forms Object Library by their ProgIDs and call the same methods; the
designers work on the database open in Access in both cases and save the same tables. Up to release 1.x the
ProgIDs begin with WklComponents.; the SDK add-in uses those when release 2.0 is not registered.
| Entry of WklExtensions.accda | Entry of the SDK add-in (menu Designers) | Class and method called |
|---|---|---|
| WKL Linked Tables Manager | Linked Tables Manager | WklForms.LinkManager.ShowDesigner |
| WKL Ribbon Designer | Ribbon Designer | WklForms.Ribbon.ShowDesigner |
| WKL Shortcut Menu Designer | Shortcut Menu Designer | WklForms.Ribbon.ShowAssignments |
| WKL Navigation Pane Designer | Navigation Pane Designer | WklForms.NavPane.ShowDesigner |
| WKL Application Designer | Application Designer | WklForms.Application.ShowDesigner |
Implementation
- Close Access.
Install the SDK add-in for your Windows user:
wkl-office addin install- Start Access, open the database and use the tab WKL SDK, group Tools, menu Designers.
When the designers work as before, remove the entries of the old add-in with the script that installed it, in the release package of WKL Forms Object Library:
.\tools\install-addin.ps1 -Remove
or in Access with Database Tools › Add-Ins › Add-In Manager, entry WKL Extensions, Uninstall.
Remarks
- Both add-ins can be installed at the same time; they do not share settings, and a designer saves the same way whichever of them opened it.
- The designer buttons are disabled while WKL Forms Object Library is not registered for the current user in the bitness of Office; their screen tip says so.
WklExtensions.accdashowed a message after the click instead. WklExtensions.accdaruns inside Access as VBA, the SDK add-in as a COM add-in on the .NET runtime that WKL Forms Object Library also uses.- Applications are not affected: they call the classes of WKL Forms Object Library from their own code (for example
EnsureLinkswhen they start), with or without any add-in.