How to enable Macros in Office 2007.
Q: Marge W. writes that a client called her in panic, saying that “nothing works” in the updated database she just delivered. Upon questioning, it turned out that nothing happened when buttons were clicked on the main menu, and that the client had just done a fresh install of Office 2007 on a new computer.
A: This is one of those situations where Microsoft protects you from yourself – in a new installation of Office 2007, all macros (i.e., VBA procedures) are disabled without notification. Microsoft calls this protecting you from potentially unsafe macros; what it amounts to is that your own code won’t run. This type of protection I don’t need! To fix it, click the Access Optionsbutton on the Office menu, select Trust Center in the left pane, and click the Trust Center Settingsbutton. In the Trust Center window, select Macro Settings in the left pane, and select the Enable all macros option. Close and reopen Access, and your code will run.
In Access 2003 or earlier, the interface is different (and much simpler): Select Tools, Macro, Security, and select the Low option in the Security dialog.
On your own computer, you can create a personal digital signature (see Access Archon #119for details on how to do this) and sign your code, which lets you select the Medium or High setting instead of Low (for Access 2003 or earlier), or the Disable all macros except digitally signed macros option for Access 2007. But personal digital signatures are only valid on your own computer, so that isn’t helpful for databases to be run on others’ computers.
If you have a large corporation, and can afford to purchase a standard digital signature, you can use that, but this option isn’t available to individuals.
