Msgraph automation

  • Thread starter Thread starter Richard Bond
  • Start date Start date
R

Richard Bond

Hi

I have programmed Msgraph before but very inefficiently.
i.e. looping through cells in the datasheet and customising each datababel
of a datapoint in turn.

What is the most efficient way of creating a graph.
To include editing the datasheet and adding datapoint labels?

I have seen a routine to generate the datasheet on the clipboard and paste
it into the datasheet, but I would prefer to go straight from an array.

Is there a way to stop Msgraph redrawing uhtil I have finished modifying the
graph?

please help

thanks,

Richard
 
See my comments interspersed since you have asked multiple questions
here.
I have programmed Msgraph before but very inefficiently.
i.e. looping through cells in the datasheet and customising each datababel
of a datapoint in turn.

What is the most efficient way of creating a graph.
To include editing the datasheet and adding datapoint labels?
Click to expand...
All depends on where your data resides. I've done it from Excel,
Access and SQL Server too.
I have seen a routine to generate the datasheet on the clipboard and paste
it into the datasheet, but I would prefer to go straight from an array.
Click to expand...
So would I, but I'd actually create the graph in Excel and then insert
that into PPT without the clipboard being involved at all.
Is there a way to stop Msgraph redrawing uhtil I have finished modifying the
graph?
Click to expand...
Use the WindowLock API call to lock the window redraw and you have to
unlock it after the code runs.
please help

thanks,

Richard
Click to expand...

Brian Reilly, PowerPoint MVP
 
Thanks Brian,

I will have a ASP.NET webserver calling a webservice on another machine
dedicated to producing Office documents (a queued system rather than
multithreaded with excel opening and closing all the time). The brief is
produce PowerPoint charts that are fully customisable by the end user (thy
will all have office licenses). So I think the most efficient way would be
to automate office from a vb.net dll, pass all the raw data/settings to a
specific VBA macro (which hopefully run quicker than lots of calls via
automation and in this case a bit of interop as well).

I will be automating office 2003 but will have to save the file in different
formats (back to office97). The brief is to produce excel and powerpoint
documents.

So now the answer to your question.
I was anticipating passing the data from the .NET dll to the VBA macro in an
Array (The original data will come from OLAP/SQLserver/Access but will have
secondary calculations applied hence the necessity for the array or some
sort of data holding object).

And for one more question that is hopefully related to the original
question.
Previously I have automated excel, produced a table and pasted it into
powerpoint. Should I be trying to program the powerpoint table object (would
this be more efficient/result in smaller file sizes?).

thanks if you got this far: hopefully I'm not as confused as I sound.

regards,

Richard
 
I will be automating office 2003 but will have to save the file in different
formats (back to office97).
Click to expand...

PPT 97 --> 2003 all use the same file format. There is, in fact, no way to
save specifically to 97, 2000 or 2002.

There. You can put a checkmark in the DONE column next to that bit. ;-)
Previously I have automated excel, produced a table and pasted it into
powerpoint. Should I be trying to program the powerpoint table object (would
this be more efficient/result in smaller file sizes?).
Click to expand...

Using PPT tables would probably give you smaller files and would likely have a
speed advantage (no need to wake up Excel in the midst of things). On the
other hand, PPT's native tables are wimpy things. Basically a group of
rectangles with text in them. Unless you only need VERY simple tables with
minimal formatting, Excel might be your best bet. And I'm betting that Brian
"Mr. PowerPoint? What's PowerPoint? Excel is my presentation graphics
program!" Reilly will agree. ;-)
 
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