Creating an LIMS 3.x Edit LimsCode Shortcut

Summary

This information in this article applies to LIMS 3.x.

With an LIMS Full System license, a full copy of Access 2002, and file LimsCode3.mdb from the LIMS CD you can customize the LIMS software. You will need to create a new shortcut to open LimsCode3.mdb in the Access development environment. This article provides step-by-step instructions to create an “Edit LimsCode” shortcut. The instructions below assume that both LIMS and a full copy of Access 2002 (the version in Office XP) are already installed on the workstation.

More Information

To customize the LIMS software, you must open your LimsCode3.mdb file (LimsCode), the LIMS front end software, using Access 2002. Since LimsCode is a secured Microsoft Access application, Access 2002 must be started using the LIMS workgroup file LimsUser3.mdw, which contains your login accounts. Although Access 2002 does provide menu options to select the required workgroup file, doing so may prevent opening other Access databases without first restoring an earlier workgroup file setting. To avoid this scenario, follow the steps below to create a dedicated “Edit LimsCode” shortcut.

Step One: Install file LimsCode3.mdb

Step Two: Find the Access 2002 executable

Step Three: Copy your existing LIMS shortcut

Step Four: Edit the new shortcut’s Target property

Step One: Install file LimsCode3.mdb

Using Windows Explorer, copy file LimsCode3.mdb to the workstation folder where LIMS is installed. With an LIMS Full System license, you will find LimsCode3.mdb in the MDB folder on the LIMS 3.x CD. If your system has already been customized following original installation, be sure to copy the current LimsCode3.mdb file which may have been saved to a file server folder. Copy file LimsCode3.mdb to the local folder where LIMS is installed, which is normally C:\LIMS.

If you are unsure where LIMS is installed, you can find the LimsCode folder listed on the System Info tab of the System Configuration screen in the LIMS. Note that file LimsCode3.mde will also exist in this folder. In normal operation, the LIMS always uses the MDE file, which is an executable version of the MDB file minus all source code.

Step Two: Find the Access 2002 executable

Your new shortcut must include the full path name of the Access 2002 executable file MSACCESS.EXE. Unfortunately, your existing Access 2002 Start menu shortcut is a special Microsoft Installer (MSI) shortcut that does not reveal the location of the executable.

To find the Access 2002 executable, open Windows Explorer, select the Program Files folder, the click the Search toolbar button. Enter “msaccess.exe” for the named file to locate then click the [Search Now] button. The screen below shows the results of an example search.

Your search should reveal at least two MSACCESS.EXE files. Disregard the file in the Microsoft Access Runtime folder, which is the runtime version installed by LIMS. Note the full path name of the folder of the remaining file. If there are two or more remaining files, position the cursor over each file (or right-click and select Properties) to view the file’s version information. Note the full path name of the version 10.x file.

Step Three: Copy your existing LIMS shortcut

Use Start | Programs | LIMS, right-click the LIMS shortcut then select Create Shortcut to make a copy of the shortcut. Note that you can perform the same operation with a desktop shortcut to make a new shortcut on the desktop.

Right-click the new shortcut, select Rename and change the shortcut’s name to “Edit LimsCode.”

Step Four: Edit the new shortcut’s Target property

Right-click your “Edit LimsCode” shortcut then select Properties. The contents of the lengthy Target property on the Shortcut tab should be very similar to the following:

	"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Access Runtime\Office10\runaccess.EXE"
	/excl  /runtime  /profile "LIMS"  /wrkgrp "L:\LIMS\LimsUser3.mdw"
	"C:\LIMS\LimsCode3.mde"

In the Target property, replace the full path name of file RUNACCESS.EXE with the full path name of file MSACCESS.EXE found earlier. Delete the “/runtime” command line switch. Change “LimsCode3.mde” to “LimsCode3.mdb” then click [OK]. Following is an example Target property after editing:

	"C:\Program Files\Microsoft OfficeXP\Office10\MSACCESS.EXE"
	 /excl  /profile "LIMS"  /wrkgrp "L:\LIMS\LimsUser3.mdw"
	"C:\LIMS\LimsCode3.mdb"

Note that full path names must be wrapped in double-quotes if there are spaces in the folder or file names. As the above example Target property shows, it is a good practice to always wrap the path names in double-quotes. See Command Line Options in the LIMS User’s Guide for more information.

To test the new “Edit LimsCode” shortcut, double-click the shortcut and log on using the LimsAdmin account. Always use the LimsAdmin account with this shortcut. Logging on as LimsAdmin with a full copy of Access 2002 bypasses some of the normal LIMS startup procedures and displays the Access development environment.