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RunApp Action

Important: Use caution when running executable files or code in macros or applications. Executable files or code can be used to carry out actions that might compromise the security of your computer and data.

You can use the RunApp action to run a Microsoft Windows-based or MS-DOS-based application, such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, or Microsoft PowerPoint, from within Microsoft Access. For example, you may want to paste Excel spreadsheet data into your Access database. Note that you can't run the RunApp action in Microsoft Visual Basic. Use the Visual Basic Shell function instead.

The RunApp action has the following argument. Here is an example of a command line:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\excel.exe" "C:\WeeklyHitRate\UMC12i_HitRateMacro.xls"

Action argument	Description
Command Line	The command line used to start the application (including the path and any other necessary parameters, such as switches that run the application in a particular mode). Enter the command line in the Command Line box in the Action Arguments section of the Macro window. This is a required argument.

Remarks:
The application selected with this action loads and runs in the foreground. The macro containing this action continues to run after starting the application.

You can transfer data between the other application and Access by using the Microsoft Windows dynamic data exchange (DDE) facility or the Clipboard. You can use the SendKeys action to send keystrokes to the other application (although DDE is a more efficient method for transferring data). You can also share data among applications by using Automation.

MS-DOS-based applications run in an MS-DOS window within the Windows environment.

In Windows operating systems, there are a number of ways to run an application, including starting the program from the Windows Explorer, using the Run command on the Start menu, and double-clicking a program icon on the Windows Desktop.