Programming & Security

Posted: 22 Feb 2010 04:36 AM PST

For creating a Microsoft Access User-Account manually in the Workgroup Information File (.mdw) we go through Tools - -> Security - -> User and Group Accounts - ->User Name Option. There, we need to provide a unique User Name and a Personal ID to create a User-Account.

We have seen this procedure in the Security Main Menu. The UserIDs, PersonalIDs, Work-GroupIDs and Passwords of Users are maintained in the Workgroup Information File (a database with .mdw extension and the Default Workgroup Information File is System.mdw).

Access privileges to Database Objects are stored within the database itself. Both these two parts of the Combination-Lock (UserID with PersonalID in Workgroup Information File and access rights to individual objects for each User/Group maintained within database) works together. Individual User gets access to Objects with the right UserID, Password and PersonalID. PersonalId is a very important element of the User-Profile and we need it again, if we ever need to recreate a Workgroup Information File, when the existing one is corrupted or lost.

UserIDs and GroupIDs can be created and managed only by Administrators (a member of the Admins Group with Administrator privileges) of the Database.

First, let us create a test User Account manually. Go through the following procedure for creating a User Account manually and see how it is done?

User Name: JOHNSMITH (maximum 20 characters)

Personal ID: JS123456 (4 to 20 Alphanumeric characters)

Visit the Page: Create MS-Access User-Account for more details.

Select Tools - -> Security - -> User and Group Accounts

Click New… in the Users Tab.

Type JOHNSMITH in the Name control.

Type JS123456 in the Personal ID control.

Click OK to complete the procedure.

By default all Users will be members of the Users Group. If the User is going to be part of any other User-Groups then that Group Name must be selected from the Available Groups List and Add it to the Member of list at the right hand side.

Let us see how to create a User-Account with VBA, except the procedure explained for joining the User to a particular Group. We will examine the procedure for joining the User to a Group later, after learning to create a Group Account with VBA.

The following VBA Code creates a User Account with the User Name: SMITHJOHN, with the Personal ID: SJ78901 and with an initial Password: SMITHJOHN:



Public Function CreateUsers()
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Author : a.p.r. pillai
'Date   : Feb-2010
'All Rights Reserved by www.msaccesstips.com
'Other Ref: http://www.msaccesstips.com/2006/11/create-msaccess-user-account.shtml
'---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dim wsp As Workspace
Dim newUser As User, tempGrp As Group
Dim UsrName As String, PersonalID As String
Dim Password As String

On Error Resume Next

Set wsp = DBEngine.Workspaces(0)

    UsrName = "SMITHJOHN" ' 1 to 20 characters.
    PersonalID = "SJ78901" 'upto 4 to 20 alphaumeric characters
    Password = "SMITHJOHN" 'upto 14 characters except NULL
    
'Create User Account with personalID
   Set newUser = wsp.CreateUser(UsrName, PersonalID, Password)
   wsp.Users.Append newUser
   
   If Err = 3390 Then
      MsgBox "User Name : " & UsrName & vbCr & vbCr & "User PID    : " & PersonalID & vbCr & vbCr & "Account Name already Exists..! "
      Err.Clear
      Exit Function
   End If
   wsp.Users.Refresh
   
'Users Group must be created and joined the
'User to it. When created manually this step
'(for Users Group)is done automatically.
   With wsp
     Set tempGrp = .Users(UsrName).CreateGroup("Users")
         .Users(UsrName).Groups.Append tempGrp
         .Users.Refresh
   End With

End Function

When we create a User-ID manually we can only set a password for the User after opening a new MS-Access Application window and by going through the Menu Tools- ->Security- ->User and Group Accounts- - > and log-in without a password and select Change Logon Password Tab of the Dialog Control and set a new Password.

Copy and Paste the above Code into a Standard Module and save it.

Click somewhere in the middle of the Code and press F5 to Run the Code and create the User Account in the active Workgroup Information File.

Select Tools - ->Security- ->User and Group Accounts and check for the User Name SMITHJOHN in the list.

The User-Names are in alphabetical order.

We can check for the presence of a particular User Name in the active Workgroup Information File with the following VBA Code:


Public Function Check4UserAccount(ByVal strUsrName As String) As Boolean
'------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Author : a.p.r. pillai
'Date   : Feb-2010
'All Rights Reserved by www.msaccesstips.com
'------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dim WS As Workspace, msg As String
Dim UsrName As String, K As User, Flag As Boolean

Set WS = DBEngine.Workspaces(0)

'All the Users belong to the Common Group 'Users'
Flag = False
With WS.Groups("Users")
        For Each K In .Users
                  If K.Name = strUsrName Then
                          Flag = True
                          Exit For
                  End If
        Next
End With

If flag Then
     MsgBox "User Name: " & strUsrName & " Already Exists! "
End If

Check4UserAccount = flag

End Function

Type the following in the Debug Window (Immediate Window) and press Enter Key to run the above Code:

Check4UserAccount "SMITHJOHN"

If you have not run the first program to create the User Account SMITHJON then to test the second Program, Call the above function with the Admin User Name.

Type the following in the Debug Window (Immediate Window) and press Enter Key:

Check4UserAccount "Admin"