Access™ 2007 VBA Programmer's Reference

21.3. Save as Template

Access 2007 has a brand new model for creating database templates, known as the Access Database Template (ACCDT) file format. The new template features replace the database wizards found in Access 2003 and prior versions. These templates offer a great deal more flexibility to developers, who can now create their own templates by using the Save as Template tool included in the ADE—that could not be done with the database wizards. This means you can now create standardized databases to allow users to create a new instance of an application with just a few clicks of a button. ACCDT files are collections of text files that are compressed into single files and, when invoked, require user intervention to create a new copy of a database. They are composed of text, XML, and image files, so the templates are considered to be safe files and can be transferred between users easily. This section explores how templates work, which features are supported, and how they can be created using ADE.

21.3.1. Creating ACCDT Files

One of my favorite new features in Microsoft Access 2007 is the support for database templates, which allows you to create your own custom templates. The ADE provides a nice tool for creating a template using almost any existing database. Most features in the ACCDB file format are supported by the new ACCDT file format. Because everything in the application is contained in one physical file, deployment is no problem because it's all done through user ...