I think it would be wonderfull if the data cross linking system between offic
applications wasent so fragmented, EX: you can link to a Excel Spread Sheet
from access, you can link an Excel spead sheet in a word doc ect. But you can
link from access to powerpoint.
Here is the case problem I have encountered:
My office has a database for equipment status in Access, various other
offices want this same Access spreadsheet data in many different forms of
powerpoint presentations all displaying the same Access data. But since they
have 3 different verisions of the same data that we enter and dont want to
look at the Access spreadsheet themselfs and enter the data in the slides
manually that they want for thier own uses, we have to do it as an already
overburdened workcenter.
To avoid this mess, all Microsoft products could have advanced data linking
properties.
Here is my vision on how this might be accomplished:
When multiple office apps are open if you drag data from one app to another
regardless of the data type, or application, the programs could ask Popup: <>
Do you want to make a "live link" between the source document and destination
document?<> When you hit ok a metafile is stored inside both documents so
that when one or the other is edited it sends data to the other file by
opening the meta data section and editing the other file.
Here is an example: I drag a bit of text from access to powerpoint, a list,
or a query, it links the two together. If I close powerpoint and edit that
Access data, access will open the powerpoint file invisibly, make the changes
and close it all automatic and invisibly, or you could have it say when you
are done editing your access file: Popup: <> Would you like to update the
data on the linked document XX.ppt to reflect these changes?, "Checkbox: make
all supsiquent changes between these two documents automatic" <>
The linked highlighted area would be a special type of metafile that, when
you make this drag and drop association the metafile would tranfer to both
related documents containing: a field identifier that identifies where in
both document files to look for changes, contains the filepaths/networkpaths
to the both documents, a change count to account for the latest change.
Also you could have a new mode that when you have multiple office
applications open and toggle the Dropdown menu option: <> Show
inter-application Data Links<> just like in access you could have lines drawn
from each field linked shown over the windows desktop between the office
programs.
Examples, NOTE: I use pseudo commands because I dont know how you code your
products or how to describe the code,
Reading "Live links"
A powerpoint file,
Software: ("Search for metafiles in main document", "Retrieve and cache
linked data", "Read metafile","display nonlinked data", "display linked data
based on formating")
Equipment needing repairs: (linkto: "access database" pull up numbers of
broken equipment, "filepath", "changenumber", "display as numeric text box" )
A letter to the boss saved on my hard drive:
Software: ("Search for metafiles in main document", "Retrieve and cache
linked data", "Read metafile","display nonlinked data", "display linked data
based on formating")
Sir,
Today these pieces of equipment are broken,
(linkto: "Access database" pull up names of broken equipment from Access
query: XX, "filepath", "changenumber" "display as table")
Creating Live link data:
1. Copy or highlight drag: ("Store data type", "Store Source Field range")
2. Drag or paste to other app: ("Store Source and destination filetypes",
"create/update change number", "Store both documents filepaths")
3. Drop: ("open both ducuments discretely, and insert metafile into both
documents")
That way I could have one Access database that automatically updates linked
data amoung 3 different versions of equipment status slides in realtime. Or
if I wanted have it update word docs, spreadsheets, webpages, powerpoint
slides, ect all at once after a critical change, In realtime! How is that for
digital content integration!
By doing this this would save our office, and many others like it that soly
rely on office 3k, hours and hours of time by having documents that are fully
customizable and the abitity to create integrated digital product suites
customized to meet thier needs made of groups of inter-linked files and users
over a distributed network of Office users!
----------------
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