Request: The correct paper tray settings in Word documents for different printers is a standard issue. Setting defaults in the document template (e.g. first page = stationery tray, other pages = white paper tray) is not possible. Users should have a simple dialog to select the trays, without reffering to the actual printer. Additionally, they must be able to print copies with stamp-like information ("Copy for file", "Reminder on ..." etc.).
Solution: A global AddIn is used and adds a second print button to the standard toolbar. The underlying VBA program checks the current printer, looks up information in an INI file on the network about the tray settings and allows quick selection of the trays. Additionally, the user can select standard copy stamps or create individual stamp information, which is saved in document variables to the document for reuse. Output on different printers with a large range of tray settings is no longer an issue.
Dependencies: This solution depends on whether the VBA program can identify the current printer and compare it to a "printer type", e.g. "HP 4050" PCL, "HP 8000 PS". Only then a lookup of tray settings is possible.
Alternative solution: In another project it was not possible to identify a printer, because the AddIn was used in different locations with no convention about printer names ("HP 4050 PS-Second Flor" vs. "Printer 3 Room 871"). The administrator-friendly solution is as follows: the VBA program asks the user only once for each used printer which tray settings to select, and saves the data in the user profile. The settings are afterwards used for all following print jobs, or can be edited and changed through a custom dialog.
Request: In a Call Center users need to create autotext-based documents which must be printed on the stationery of the current client. Printers with multiple paper trays are already installed, but the users must select the printer and the appropriate tray manually, which costs time and is error-prone, because the relation between printer / tray and client is not transparent.
Solution: An global AddIn is provided. In administrative mode the relation between printer tray and client stationery is defined. On startup the VBA program reads the configuration file and sets up a commandbar, on which menu entries show the client name. Printout of a document to the correct stationery is a two-click affair.
Request: In an international law firm documents must be numbered with the automatic heading numbering of Word. Administrators and support staff realize, that users are overstrained with the default Word dialog and that the document transfer between offices and with clients becomes difficult, when each user recreates or reformats numberings in the document with different levels of compentence.
Solution: The global Word AddIn already installed is extended with functionality related to numbering. After identifying the most frequently used numbering formats in the offices, a dialog is provided which offers a choice of numbering sets. The underlying VBA programs creates the list template in the document and connects it with the heading styles to allow a quick and stable formatting. Changes of the numbering are done with a few clicks. A TOC manager provides additional functionality to create a table of content, with automatic style adaption to the current numbering scheme.
Request: During the migration from Office 97 to Office 2003 the QA department notices that the FileNew dialog has been replaced by the Task Pane "New document". The company templates are not immediately shown, but need a drill-down to the "Templates from my computer" item on the Task Pane. However, users should have immediate access to the company templates.
Solution: Powerpoint does not provide the functionality to load an AddIn file on startup and execute a program. So a COM AddIn developed with Visual Basic is provided. Registry settings under "Local Machine" assure that the AddIn is loaded for every user. The FileNew command is replaced by a custom dialog, which shows the Powerpoint templates of the company and it's branches in layout preview. The dialog is configured through a XML configuration file on startup, so that administrators can add new tabs and new templates in the dialog without need to recurr to the developer.
Request: A law firm requests print outs of e-mails to be added to the paper-based file which must be kept for German clients. The default designs of Outlook do not match the request, because relevant client information and the metadata of the document management system are missing. (Outlook does not provide means to set up a company-wide print design, because such designs are strictly saved in the Outlook user profile). Additionally, e-mails should be saved together with attachments in the DMS.
Difficulties: (1) It is not possible to design an automatic filing referring to the sender of the e-mail, because the person filing the e-mail is not identical to the "real" sender (the client) due to the fact that frequently lawyers are forwarding client-related e-mails to their secretaries for archiving. (2) The relevant content of the e-mail (e.g. the clients answer) cannot be found after multiple forwardings of an e-mail, due to the growth of the e-mail body.
Solution: The requested extension is provided by a COM AddIn for Outlook. The content of the e-mail and the DMS metadata are transferred to a Word template with the correct layout, thus creating a printout copy. During this process the user has the possibility to select the relevant content and the "real" sender for presentation on the first page of the printout. E-mail, printout copy and attachments are all saved in the DMS (Hummingbird DM).
Request: A company in the service sector uses CRM software product. The controlling department asks for reports, which cannot easily be provided by the CRM system. The reports should be used not only by the controlling staff, but also by the sales staff for regular meetings. The sales persons should have the possibility to add information to the report data, but not to change the numbers. Excel is the desired format.
Difficulties: The source database is in Paradox. Due to the grown database structure some data need to be consolitdated and converted. Direct access to the production database in Paradox is not possible. The creation of a report data set via ODBC is technically not satisfying. The requested output tables are complex.
Solution: Multiple Excel-AddIns are providing the desired functionality. Not all AddIns are loaded on startup, but only the broker AddIn, which calls the others on request. One of the AddIns allows the creation of a monthly report data set in an Access database, into which the needed Paradox tables are transferred and consolidated.
In the following the sales person can create the reports for his area. Pivot tables or simple summarizing queries are not possible due to the complex table layout, so that dynamic SQL statements are generated on run-time and used for data transfer. Finally, the user can add text about indiviual sales actions in preparation for the meeting.
Update 2005: This project was developed for use in an desktop environment using Windows 98, Paradox and Office 97. In 2005 the solution was migrated to Windows 2003 Terminal Server, Office XP, and SQL Server 2000, with the need to redesign the AddIn procedures. In the new concept Data Transaction Services and Stored Procedures on the SQL-Server are used to generate the monthly report sets.
Request: In a bank, invoice data of the securities account administration for a selection of major customers are delivered to the department monthly in the form of three flat files. As a special service, each client should receive invoice details regarding his transactions for individual processing in form of an Excel file.
Solution: The department loads an Excel AddIn on demand. After selection of the folder with the source files the VBA program uses SQL statements to select the clients from the transactions details and generates in the output directory for each client Excel workbooks ready for e-mailing. The transaction details in the workbooks are already formatted, sorted and AutoFilters are applied.