-------------------------------------------------------------- BUGGIT F.A.Q. -------------------------------------------------------------- QUESTIONS --------- 1. How do I properly setup Buggit over a network? 2. Buggit works on most computers, but on one computer it errors out indicating that common VBA commands such as RIGHT(), or MID() are not recognized. How do I fix this problem on that computer. 3. When I run Buggit, the BUG_Loader.mdb file errors out indicating "File not found: 'C:\Program.mdb". 4. How do I use Buggit over a wide area where there is no LAN and no WAN? (I do not want to use RAS either, even though it would work to share the BUG_Data.mdb.) 5. Why do I get record locking errors when I have several concurrent users? How do I fix this? 6. Why is there not an Add bug button on the Bug Manager form? -------------------------------------------------------------- ANSWERS ------- 1. How do I properly setup Buggit over a network? Buggit is like any application in that it should be installed on every client computer on which it will be run. Do *not* install Buggit one time on a network and then point shortcuts from several client computers. This is slow, leads to confusion because preferences are not properly saved, etc. Here are the proper setup steps for Buggit: 1) Run the Buggit.exe setup file and install all Buggit files onto a client computer. 2) Run Buggit, answering that you want to create a new Bug Project Database. 3) Save this new project database to a centrally located server and path. Be sure that this path has full permissions for all users. 4) Login as "Admin" with no password. 5) Go in and setup the Project Properties via the Admin Utilities subform. 6) Go in and setup all relevent Reference tables such as the users table, and the app locations table via Admin Utilities forms. Be sure to set yourself up as the administrator (check the box). 7) Once the project database is setup, now you can go around to all client computers and install the Buggit application (BUG_Loader.mdb, BUG_App.mdb, BUG_Data.mdb template, all supporting help files, etc.). 8) Run Buggit from each client computer, selecting the "Open Existing Bug Database" option the first time on each. Hereafter, Buggit will remember the default project database. -------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Buggit works on most computers, but on one computer it errors out indicating that common VBA commands such as RIGHT(), or MID() are not recognized. How do I fix this problem on that computer. This confusing problem occurs when Microsoft Access loses a reference. To fix the problem, do the following: 1) You have loaded Buggit onto this trouble machined, and you got the error above. 2) Go to this machine, and open the BUG_App.mdb; but be sure to hold down the shift-key while opening the file. This will prevent the Startup Form from firing off. 3) Once open, click the Modules tab. 4) Double-click and open any code module. 5) While in the module, click the menu item Tools | References. 6) In the dialog that pops up, you will right away see one of the items labeled in all caps: "MISSING: " and then the reference object's name. 7) Uncheck the MISSING object. 8) Click Ok button. 9) Re-run Buggit; MS-Access is now fixed. -------------------------------------------------------------- 3. When I run Buggit, the BUG_Loader.mdb file errors out indicating "File not found: 'C:\Program.mdb". a) Ahh, Version 2.07 Build 1 fixed this for NT4 computers. b) I have had this problem occur many times when I install multiple versions of Access on a machine and I change the file associations in View->Option->File Types of Explorer, etc. It turns out that this inadvertently removes parameters so that what gets passed to msaccess.exe is incorrect. Here is the fix that has worked in our office: 1) Open Windows Explorer. 2) Click View->Folder Options menu item. 3) Click the File Types tab of the dialog. 4) Scroll down and highlight "Microsoft Access Database" -- should be extension of MDB. 5) Click Edit button. 6) Highlight Open option, and click second Edit button on this dialog. 7) Be sure that it looks something like this (path different, I put in the \...\ to make it fit in email window): C:\Program Files\...\Office\MSACCESS.EXE /NOSTARTUP "%1" Notice the /NOSTARTUP, and the "%1". Be sure to include them exactly as is, including the quotes. Somehow, missing these will make mdb's passed to Access fail when the path to the mdb has spaces. -------------------------------------------------------------- 4. How do I use Buggit over a wide area where there is no LAN and no WAN? (I do not want to use RAS either, even though it would work to share the BUG_Data.mdb.) a) Buggit works great across a standard network with the BUG_Data.mdb shared, and multiple copies of the installation (BUG_Loader.mdb, BUG_App.mdb, + support files) on every testers' computers. b) However, item a) does not work so good over the internet because it assumes a live connection (RAS, WAN, etc.). If you have a WAN to connect the users (so that they appear like they are on a LAN--can see the central file server containing the BUG_Data.mdb) then Buggit will work. Other than that the special options below (item c,d ...) need to be used. c) If the main tester and yourself can be connected on a LAN so that you can both point to the BUG_Data.mdb, then at least you two can maintain the bug database. The other testers could email standard forms to the main tester for entry/updates. Not a perfect solution, but it can work. d) You might be able to take the BUG_Data.mdb, and put it into replication so that all testers can share the BUG_Data.mdb file. However, I have had bad experiences on other projects using replication...so you would have to really test out this route before implementing it to be sure it would work. That would be wonderful if it does work, and theoretically it should. (Just email back and forth copies of the BUG_Data.mdb; and with the main tester synchronizing the replication copies). If you get this option to work, I would be very very interested in followup emails regarding pitfalls, benefits, etc. e) Similar to option d), but not using replication by just sharing copies of the BUG_Data.mdb would kind of work but have the following disadvantages. One, synchronizing bug numbers (they are autonumber keyed fields) would be impossible for Buggit to tell what is new, what is updated, etc. without special fields added or replication. However, you could manually copy and paste records from the Bug tables of many testers into the BUG_Data.mdb that the primary tester users. This is a lot of manual work though, and is probably not a great solution...but may be better than email solution using template form above. f) If the testers are organized so that each has a separate BUG_Data.mdb and their work is treated as separate projects by Buggit (even though in reality they are just different areas of the same project) then every tester could send back and forth their BUG_Data.mdb files daily, and the main tester could save copies for the developer to work from. This could work, but you would have to invoke some kind of check-in / check-out model so that a tester checks-out the BUG_Data.mdb file to the main tester (meaning that tester makes no changes) while he and the developer make changes. Then, the main tester/developer check-in the BUG_Data.mdb file by emailing it back to the original tester (and they do not make any edits while the tester is using it). This could work well and avoid the use of Access replication. However, it would require discipline and following the rules of check-in / check-out so that data is not lost when copies of the BUG_Data.mdb are copied over the top of one another. I hope one of the several scenarios above will work for you. Your situation is a complex one to handle without a web-based app. I have seen some great web-based bug tracking tools on http://www.download.com when searching for the key words "bug track". You might look into those products too if Buggit will not work. One company that has a web-based bug tracking tool requested free advertising on my site, so I added their link to my Buggit details page--if you are interested you can look at that product too. -------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Why do I get record locking errors when I have several concurrent users? How do I fix this? Be sure that every form has its Record Locking property set to the default of "No Locks" and not to "Edited Record". This makes a big difference in contention. -------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Why is there not an Add bug button on the Bug Manager form? Because MS-Access has an add button built in down at the navigation buttons. There is the first, previous, next, and last buttons around the record pointer (number) text box...but there is also an add new button at the far right side of the five buttons. --------------------------------------------------------------