The document provides instructions for connecting to an MS Access database and logging data to a table within it from a script. It involves:
1) Creating a system DSN in Control Panel to connect to an Access file using the MS Access driver.
2) Creating a script to connect to the DSN and log data periodically.
3) Creating another script to start MS Access, open the database file, and check that data is logging correctly to the table.
4) Running the scripts by clicking buttons on the runtime interface.
5. Enter a DSN eg: MyLog and then selectCreate Keep a note of the Data Source Name you use as you will need to use this exact name to connect through your scripting
6. Enter a filename you will need to remember this to use it in your Start MS Access script and also to configure the Table within it.
8. Create this script. Run it on condtion and when true by placing a button on the screen which has touch animation with an internal variable eg:ODBC, which is set as momentary you will be able to connect to your data source MyLog
9. This scripts logs data through the connected DSN The syntax must be correct. Try one variable first just to get it working Run Periodically at 1000mS
11. Create this script. Run it on condtion and when true by placing a button on the screen which has touch animation with an internal variable eg:access, which is set as momentary you will be able to start MS Access The Path to MSAccess.exe must be as written in your script which may differ from above
#5: Now we need to to specify the driver that will be used to obtain the data from the source and pass it to the database
#6: Now specify the DSN and select Create. I have called it MyLog and have put in a description in case I need to create some more connections
#7: This will bring up an input box where we will name the database file myaccessfile is this one click ok
#8: We get confirmation that we now have an MS Access database file that will be supplied with data through our connection (DSN) MYlog
#9: The way in which we get data from our project to the MS Access database is to use a script command dbconnect which connects to the ODBC source (MyLog). Select how the script runs, here its on condition that the bool variable ODBC comes on momentarily
#10: You can only call SQL commands after having a connection. Here dbSQL INSERT into puts values into the database table the syntax is most important and is shown in detail in the help file. Here the variable odbc will will be placed into a column named odbc if the column isnt found data wont be logged.
#11: We need to put in a script to close our connection
#12: We will put a button on our panel to start MS Access. A momentary button that has the Appexec command will achieve this.
#13: We must download for the scripts to take effect
#14: Locate your database file Myaccessfile be aware that there can be problems with the path of these files. Path names with spaces in the route sometimes will not work ie documents and settings We need to change the header names from field 6 etc to the names written in our logging script
#17: MS Access will prompt for a key which is a good way to follow your data
#18: Finally check the table has the correct header names and close Access
#20: We have a button on our screen that runs the dbconnect script
#21: We had a message box programmed in our script to come up if we connected or not
#22: We added a button to our screen to launch MS Access
#23: Hopefully you will now have access open and data showing the data does not update live but will keep logging in the background and will show when the table is re-opened