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Chapter 17: Using OLE

(This is section 3 of 5 in this chapter)

Modifying Links

There are three different ways you can insert an OLE object into an Access database:

So far you have learned about each of these ways, but you may not know how to change the status of the links. The following sections will teach you this information.

Editable Links

To change the status of an editable link, select the OLE object and then choose the OLE/DDE Links option from the Edit menu. When you do, Access displays the Links dialog box, as shown in Figure 17-15.

Figure 17-15 The Links dialog box.

Note: If Access lists no links for your object in the Edit Links dialog box, your object probably has only an active link. The following section discusses how you can change the status of an active link.

To modify an editable link, use your mouse to select the link in the Links list box. You can then edit the link in any of these ways:

When you are done modifying your link, click your mouse on the OK button to return to the database.

Active Links

The only thing you can do with an active link is to break it. To break a link, select the Edit menu Object option.

Note: The Object option is the last item on the Edit menu. Its full name will typically be something else, such as "Hijaak Image Object" or "Spreadsheet Object."

When you select this option, Access displays a submenu. The options available on the submenu will depend on the type of object you have selected. There will typically be an Edit option (which calls up the linked OLE server) and a Convert to Picture option. Regardless of the type of object you have selected, you use this last option to break any links between the object and the OLE server. After you choose this option, you will not be able to edit or change anything about the object.

No Links

To place an object with no links, use the Clipboard and then choose the Edit menu Paste Special option. In the Paste Special dialog box, choose the Paste option. Effectively, the object becomes a regular image, and, as such, it cannot be edited. If you try to select the OLE/DDE Links option from the Edit menu, Access will not allow you to since there are no existing links.

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