Best Method For Providing Interactive Reports To Clients Who Dont Have Access To System

Hello,

I need to create an interactive report that can be sent to agencies
with the following:

Application #, Date Approved, Reason Not Taken

The reason not take should be a drop down in which the agency can
select as to why the application wasnt approved and then send the
"report" back to us.

Notes:

1) Agencies do not have connectivity to our networks.
2) Web based is not an option at this time.

Any suggestions how to email something out that is interactive in which
the agency can open up, modify, and send back to us?

Perhaps an excel spreadsheet with comboboxes?


Thanks,
Brian

re: Best Method For Providing Interactive Reports To Clients Who Dont Have Access To System

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Hash: SHA1

Hi Brian,

I would use Adobe to create a form then import the FDF data.
Ciao . . . C.Joseph

That which a man buys too cheaply . . .
He esteems too lightly


BerkshireGuy wrote:[color=blue]
> Hello,
>
> I need to create an interactive report that can be sent to agencies
> with the following:
>
> Application #, Date Approved, Reason Not Taken
>
> The reason not take should be a drop down in which the agency can
> select as to why the application wasnt approved and then send the
> "report" back to us.
>
> Notes:
>
> 1) Agencies do not have connectivity to our networks.
> 2) Web based is not an option at this time.
>
> Any suggestions how to email something out that is interactive in which
> the agency can open up, modify, and send back to us?
>
> Perhaps an excel spreadsheet with comboboxes?
>
>
> Thanks,
> Brian
>[/color]
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re: Best Method For Providing Interactive Reports To Clients Who Dont Have Access To System

Sound like a good idea.

But I need these reports generated from Access. For instance, I need a
button to say "Generate Surveys" whatever, then have the data be
exported to a form or excel spreadsheet.

Importing data is not an option because the agencies will not have
connectivity to our networks.

So, I need to create a form or excel spreadsheet within Access, with a
copy box "reply" option for each row. Then we will email these to the
agencies, have them select the "reply" and then email them back.

Thanks

re: Best Method For Providing Interactive Reports To Clients Who Dont Have Access To System

BerkshireGuy wrote:[color=blue]
> Hello,
>
> I need to create an interactive report that can be sent to agencies
> with the following:
>
> Application #, Date Approved, Reason Not Taken[/color]

Quick, but not particularly elegant:

This won't do a drop down, but will provide the agency with a field in
which they can enter a letter or number corresponding to the Reason Not
Taken.

Make sure you have a separate table listing all the possible reasons not
taken, perhps TBL_REASON_NOT_TAKEN_LIST or something conveying the same
thing.

Two fields you will want is a code field (for a number or one, two or
three or whatever letter code) and the reason field itself, probably
best a 255 text field.

When you go to send stuff out, export to an excel spread sheet. Include
only the field for the letter code (which will be blank, like the date
and app #). Send the Excel sheet to your agencies, along with another
list of reasons not taken and corresponding codes. Have them fill in
the blanks and return then import back into Access.

You'll need a routine to find blank codes or codes accidentally (or
deliberately) entered with a code that does not exist.

Because you probably don't need the reason to be constant, and will want
to change the wording of the resons, I'd have a reason not taken 255
text field in your main table (but don't send this to the agencies).
Run an update routine which takes the reason from the reason table and
plops it into the main table once you've finished.

--
Tim http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~tmarshal/
^o<
/#) "Burp-beep, burp-beep, burp-beep?" - Quaker Jake
/^^ "Whatcha doin?" - Ditto "TIM-MAY!!" - Me

re: Best Method For Providing Interactive Reports To Clients Who Dont Have Access To System

BerkshireGuy wrote:[color=blue]
> Hello,
>
> I need to create an interactive report that can be sent to agencies
> with the following:
>
> Application #, Date Approved, Reason Not Taken
>
> The reason not take should be a drop down in which the agency can
> select as to why the application wasnt approved and then send the
> "report" back to us.
>
> Notes:
>
> 1) Agencies do not have connectivity to our networks.
> 2) Web based is not an option at this time.
>
> Any suggestions how to email something out that is interactive in which
> the agency can open up, modify, and send back to us?
>
> Perhaps an excel spreadsheet with comboboxes?
>
>
> Thanks,
> Brian[/color]

I am looking at the same problem. One programmer I know used Access to
dump an RTF file but I don't like RTF much. My first stop will be to
see if I can use XML to create a document that can be edited and
returned. Eventually, I'll just put the information I want on a web
form that the user sees after a login and hook up the submissions to a
backend. In the meantime I'll be looking for an interim solution. I
don't want to use a standard Word document or an Excel spreadsheet
either.

James A. Fortune

re: Best Method For Providing Interactive Reports To Clients Who Dont Have Access To System

May I ask why Excel or Word isnt an option? Do they not have access to
those programs?

-Brian

re: Best Method For Providing Interactive Reports To Clients Who Dont Have Access To System

BerkshireGuy wrote:[color=blue]
> May I ask why Excel or Word isnt an option? Do they not have access to
> those programs?
>
> -Brian[/color]

One of the problems with sending out Excel or Word is the version. I
could send out versions from Office 97 so that the recipients aren't
likely to have problems but then I might get back converted documents
from every version of office since then and into the future. It's a
hassle I'll live with if I'm forced to go that route for awhile.

James A. Fortune

re: Best Method For Providing Interactive Reports To Clients Who Dont Have Access To System

On 3 Jun 2005 09:48:47 -0700, "BerkshireGuy" <bdaoust@yahoo.com>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>Hello,
>
>I need to create an interactive report that can be sent to agencies
>with the following:
>
>Application #, Date Approved, Reason Not Taken
>
>The reason not take should be a drop down in which the agency can
>select as to why the application wasnt approved and then send the
>"report" back to us.
>
>Notes:
>
>1) Agencies do not have connectivity to our networks.
>2) Web based is not an option at this time.
>
>Any suggestions how to email something out that is interactive in which
>the agency can open up, modify, and send back to us?
>
>Perhaps an excel spreadsheet with comboboxes?
>
>
>Thanks,
>Brian
>[/color]
Hi
Send them a .HTA file (ie an HTML file with HTA extension), They can
open this from email, enter the data, and press a "submit" button
which emails the results back to you in a suitable format for
re-import.
The text of the HTA file would be generated by your Access application
David

re: Best Method For Providing Interactive Reports To Clients Who Dont Have Access To System

On 5 Jun 2005 02:42:03 -0500, in comp.databases.ms-access you wrote:
[color=blue]
>On 3 Jun 2005 09:48:47 -0700, "BerkshireGuy" <bdaoust@yahoo.com>
>wrote:
>[color=green]
>>Hello,
>>
>>I need to create an interactive report that can be sent to agencies
>>with the following:
>>[/color][/color]
<snip>[color=blue][color=green]
>>[/color]
>Hi
>Send them a .HTA file (ie an HTML file with HTA extension), They can
>open this from email, enter the data, and press a "submit" button
>which emails the results back to you in a suitable format for
>re-import.
>The text of the HTA file would be generated by your Access application
>David
>
>[/color]
PS in retrospect, you may (should?) have problems with security if
this method works straight away, you may have to break it into more
stages.
David

re: Best Method For Providing Interactive Reports To Clients Who Dont Have Access To System

David,

Sound good. Any possible leads of an example of this method anywhere?

Thanks!
-Brian

re: Best Method For Providing Interactive Reports To Clients Who Dont Have Access To System

On 6 Jun 2005 07:51:05 -0700, "BerkshireGuy" <bdaoust@yahoo.com>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>David,
>
>Sound good. Any possible leads of an example of this method anywhere?
>
>Thanks!
>-Brian
>[/color]

Hi
Here is a sample cobbled together with some refs imbedded in the
comments.

1. The code at the end should be saved as a .htm or .hta file.
If it is an hta file it will run without asking you about things being
unsafe, but as the object of the exercise is to send it to someone
else by email and for them to run it, you will probably find that
their email will reject hta files as unsafe - they are. Also you can
send html as the body of the email rather than as an attachment.

2. Change the line containg "receiversname" to hold the email address
you want the results returned to - you, presumably

3. Doubleclick on the file. Fill in some of the slots and press
submit. It should email you the results. (I have assumed Windows 2000
or XP with IE I'm afraid).

The idea is that the whole of the code would be generated by Access in
a suitable version for each respondent, and emailed to them from
Access. The code consists of a fixed header, a repeating portion (for
each line of the form) and a fixed final portion. In the example the
only bits that depend on the respondent are the names "project 1",
"project 2" etc. which appear in the repeating portion.

HTH
David

.... code follows

<html>
<head>

<script language='Javascript'>
function tellit(){
//turns results into a string
var i, projectcollection, dateapprovedcollection, reasoncollection,
stringout="";
var formElement = document.forms["myForm"];
projectcollection = formElement.elements["project"];
dateapprovedcollection = formElement.elements["dateapproved"];
reasoncollection = formElement.elements["reason"];
if(typeof projectcollection.length != "number"){
projectcollection = [projectcollection];
dateapprovedcollection = [dateapprovedcollection];
reasoncollection = [reasoncollection];
//to see what this is about see
//http://jibbering.com/faq/faq_notes/form_access.html
}
for (i=0;i<dateapprovedcollection.length; i++){
stringout=stringout + projectcollection[i].value + ";"
+ dateapprovedcollection[i].value + ";"
+ reasoncollection[i].value + ";\n";
}
return stringout;
}
</script>

<script type="text/vbscript">
function sendit()
'send email from vbscript, see more at
'http://www.paulsadowski.com/WSH/cdo.htm
Set objMessage = CreateObject("CDO.Message")
objMessage.Subject = "approval data"
objMessage.Sender = "sendersname@blueyonder.co.uk"
'above should be the email address of the sender,
'but it can be a dummy name like this one
objMessage.To = "receiversname@blueyonder.co.uk"
'above is who the mail will be sent to
objMessage.TextBody = tellit()
objMessage.Send
msgbox "Thank you, message sent"
window.close
end function
</script>

</head>
<body>

<form name="myForm">
Project number, date approved, or reason not approved
<br>
<input type="text" name="project" value="project 1"; readonly>
<input type="text" name="dateapproved">
<select name="reason">
<option value="">Choose a reason...
<option value="0">Approved
<option value="1">Too expensive
<option value="2">Too cheap
<option value="3">Too quick
<option value="4">Too slow
</select>
<br>
<input type="text" name="project" value="project 2"; readonly>
<input type="text" name="dateapproved">
<select name="reason">
<option value="">Choose a reason...
<option value="0">Approved
<option value="1">Too expensive
<option value="2">Too cheap
<option value="3">Too quick
<option value="4">Too slow
</select>
<br>
<input type="text" name="project" value="project 3"; readonly>
<input type="text" name="dateapproved">
<select name="reason">
<option value="">Choose a reason...
<option value="0">Approved
<option value="1">Too expensive
<option value="2">Too cheap
<option value="3">Too quick
<option value="4">Too slow
</select>
<br>
<br>
<input type="button" value="Submit" onclick="sendit()">
</form
</body>
</html>

re: Best Method For Providing Interactive Reports To Clients Who Dont Have Access To System

David,

Thank you for doing this! I havent had the time to test it out, but
once I do, I am sure I will have questions. Hopefully you read this
thread often! :)

Thanks!

-Brian