Global Template Question

[CJ]

Windows XP, Word 2003 Network Environment

I've created a global template (add-in) to contain all user forms and macros.
The Workgroup Templates have been stripped of all code.

I created a master user form that calls up any one of 7 templates. The
templates are hidden, read only, but accessable to users. With respect to
the code/forms to "run" the templates, I deviated from adding a button or
custom toolbar, and instead coded the master form to add the desired
template, load and show whichever form is needed to run it. I've got all
pertinent code and forms out of my normal.dot. All is good, working fine on
my machine.

Question: When I deploy to users startup, should it still work or have I
deviated too much from the button/custom toolbar method?

 

[Gordon Bentley-Mix via OfficeKB.com]

My recommendation: suck it and see! Deploy to a pilot group and then hide and
watch. It's unlikely that anyone will be able to tell you with any certainty
what will happen without knowing the intimate details of your network set up -
and even then most experienced developers would probably just try to do their
best and then follow up with a limited roll-out to test in a live environment.


The biggest risk that I can see is around where the templates are stored and
how your code calls them - but you seem to have this sussed. The other risk
is what happens if a template goes missing because someone deletes or renames
it or the network goes down, but a bit of error handling should fix that.

Give it a go and good luck!

 

[alborg]

Hi CJ:

A lot of what you are trying to do is best done with a good installer, like
Installshield; what I use is Ghost Installer. With a good installation tool
you can make a predetermined folder, place all your templates in it and then
place shortcuts in your Start menu or on your desktop.

There are 4 methods that I use to point to my tables:

1) a fixed address to a local drive, like "C:\Program Files\MyProgram"
2) a fixed address to a predetermined mapped drive on your LAN, like
"Z:\Program Files\MyProgram"
3) to the exact folder where the global template is located
4) bring up a Windows Explorer treeview control to allow the user to select
a backend

I've created a monster of an application, with 31 templates and an Access
back-end that I've made available to fellow docs. You can download it (it's
free). The methods are discussed in the on-line tutorial on my website.

URL- http://www.msofficeemrproject.com/Page2.htm

(it's the "WordEMRProject")

If they delete a template, BTW, the end user can simply reinstall the
program (my installation routine is set to uninstall everything but the
back-end Access data tables).

Regards,
Al

 

[Dorak]

Thank you, Gordon and Alborg, both responses very important stuff to know,
and Alborg, thank you so much for sharing the emrproject.

I've got it on two computers now as addin and still going well; next week
I'm going to give the word start up a go, after I study at Alborg's project

Happy New Year

 

[alborg]

Hi Dorak:

I'm currently on a beach in Panama, and my connection isn't all that great.
I tried to send in a second part of my message, but it got lost to the poor
wireless connection.

A couple of things:

-- The connection to the back-end tables and templates is explained here in
my tutorial, chapter 10, under the subheading "Methods to Call Up the Actual
Back-end Tables"-> http://www.msofficeemrproject.com/Book10.htm
-- The manual, a 92 page Word document file, explains a lot and has a lot of
pics. It makes for good reading, although as the author I'm kind of biased...
;^)

Cheers,
Al

 

[alborg]

Oops, forgot the URL. The manual can be downloaded from->
http://www.box.net/shared/static/di16kkscp7.doc

Al

 

[Dorak]

Thank you, Al. I got to your site yesterday and have been reading your
comprehensive guide and enjoying every minute of it. What a lot of work you
have shared with others!

 

[alborg]

Hi Dorak:

The whole site is meant to promote the use of free/cheap EMRs ("electronic
medical records"), mainly by using MS Office which I think rocks. Do download
some of the political stuff- the PPT presentation "What is Wrong with HIT in
the USA?" was made into hard copy and distributed to Congress on 12/21/2007
by one of my more patients with Congressional connections and was
instrumental in getting a 5 billion dollar HIT funding stripped from last
year's physician pay cut fix which passed with an empty HIT tie-in mandate so
that Bush would sign it. It would have forced folks with cheap EMRs,
self-programmed EMRs, and open-source EMRs to scrap these in favor of
"enterprise" EMRs (read: "expensive").

I've spent the last 2 years fighting this stuff, with thousands of blog
postings throughout the 'net. At www.emrupdate.com alone I'm now at 4300
postings. Results? At my website you can download the ongoing poster "CCHIT
Hall of Fame" (actually it's "shame") which tracks 2008 certified EMRs that
are in big trouble or have gone bankrupt. The "What is Wrong with HIT in the
USA?" has a slide which shows a recent 10/2007 CDC ("Center for Disease
Control") study showing that the use of cheap EMRs has grown rapidly over the
past 2 years with "enterprise" EMR growth stagnant. A recent article in the
very prestigious "The Healthcare Blog" just stated item for item all my
issues (ok ok- rants) so that Obama can take note- this is not yet in my
slideshow, but will be. A discussion can be found here:
http://www.emrupdate.com/forums/t/17836.aspx

The site's intension was to go one step further: teach docs and anyone else
how to program their own EMR so as to get the critical mass to make any
further government or insurance attempts at controlling the HIT/EMR industry
next to impossible. The site is growing at about a 30% clip since its
inception on 7/2008, which is incredible; I didn't think that there were that
many folks interested in taking MS Office to the extreme! Yesterday was an
all-time high visit rate, at 104. Currently the focus is on MS Word as a
front-end (which is what I use when visiting patients at the hospital- most
hospital computers have at least MS Word), but in 2009 I'll also discuss a
front-end MS Access (which is what I use in my office). Cool stuff... enjoy.

Cheers,
Al

 

[alborg]

Hi Gordon:

Thanks for the tip on OfficeKB.com... I know that there are various forum
archives throughout the 'net, but this one is by far the best!

Cheers,
Al