Path Length Restrictions (Access 97)

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Does anybody know of any restrictions with regards the maximum path length when exporting tables?

I have numerous multi-user apps which use a variety of methods for exporting data.

Some have the path and filename ‘hardcoded’ in eg:
strBackupFile = “S:CCardEFT30req” & Format(Now(), “YYYYMMDDhhmmss”) & “.txt”
DoCmd.TransferText acExportDelim, strSpec, strTableName, strBackupFile
while others make use of the Windows Common Dialog box.
These have all been working fine for months, but someone has recently decided to restructure the directories.
The resulting path names are ridiculously long (7 subdirectories, totalling over 85 characters before the file name, in one case) and I’ve started getting errors on the exports.

The error is “Can’t update. Database or object is read-only. (Error 3027)”, when I know I have full rights to everything (I can happily create/delete/move files in the relevant sub-directories and the database is shared with no-one else in it).
I get the same error if I try using the ‘right-click, Save As/Export’ route in the database window.

The only conclusion I can come up with is that there is a restriction on the maximum path length (or number of steps down the tree)???

Am I barking up the wrong tree? Any ideas/comments?

BTW, we have a mix of Novell and NT servers (if that makes any difference).

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What about setting up a small test on a stand alone PC? You could see if you can find the limiting length of the path names. This would then indicate if the problem was in fact the length of the path names or related to permissions.

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I seem to recall Access 97 having a problem with spaces in the long file names. Could that be going on here?

Even if not, Rupert’s got a great idea.

Tom

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Thanks chaps,

I’ll try recreating this at home this evening (I’ll set up a long path and try it with and without spaces) and see if I can replicate the problem.

Cheers

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