You can easily create simple database projects in design mode by assigning a set of database properties to the Data control. Once you assign a database and record source, you can bind controls to the available fields. However, when you assign a database name, VB inserts an explicit path to the location where it resides on your machine, such as, “D:Program FilesMicrosoft Visual StudioVB98Tips Fall 98NWIND.MDB”. If you compile the application and send it to other people, it doesn’t run unless their database is in the same location on their machines. You can assign the properties in code and have them take effect at run time. However, this prevents you from linking the bound controls at design time. You can easily work around this by designing the project on your machine, letting VB insert whatever path information it wants, and reassigning the DatabaseName property at run time:

 Private Sub Form_Load()	Data1.DatabaseName = App.Path & "NWIND.MDB"End Sub

In this code, the database resides in the same directory as the application itself. If you place it in a different directory, use the appropriate path name.