[AccessD] Cross referencing records - ideas

Drew Wutka DWUTKA at marlow.com
Wed Jun 18 12:15:23 CDT 2003


Clear as mud! <grin>.  I disagree with the method of data storing.  I
wouldn't be storing the information like you are, I would be using a table
that had a time stamp field, user field, and then a memo field (along with a
PK).

I have never used web controls within Access. Why?  Because if I needed web
capabilities, I just developed the FE in HTML/ASP.  <grin>  So I have no
helpful hints to answer your questions at the bottom.

Drew

-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Bruen [mailto:bbruen at bigpond.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2003 9:24 AM
To: accessd at databaseadvisors.com
Subject: RE: [AccessD] Cross referencing records - ideas


I am after the concept for a solution.  I guess I'm having as much
trouble describing it as conceiving it.  However, you have created a
germ of an idea here.   Lets see if I can explain it more clearly.

A part of the (much) larger job quoting/pricing system involves
'actioning' pricing on parts.  That is, once they have figured out a
configuration to suit the customers needs of a machine, they search
around for the best component supply price both locally and on the web.
This actioning may take several days and involve several different
people in several different offices.  As they traipse around doing this,
they enter notes regarding the component supply for the job.  To do
this, we use a popup form off the jobcard form into which the user
enters his notes.  When they close the popup, the note is appended to
the "job_history" field on the job card.  (In fact, its prepended so
they appear in reverse order.)  

For example, Joe rings his mate at ShonkyPCParts and gets a quote for
$98 for a mini-keyboard.  He opens the job card form up and clicks the
"ADD a note" command button.  Up comes the popup and he enters "Spoke to
Fred down at Shonky's, they can give us the kbds at $98 if we can use
250 of them" and closes the form.  The job card job_history is updated
and now reads:
"19 Jul - Joe Bloe - Spoke to Fred down at Shonky's, they can give us
the kbds at $98 if we can use 250 of them
 18 Jul - Sam Snoe - some prior comment by Sam ...... Etc"

Now, lets say Ben Crow also needs mini keyboards for another job, he and
Joe can make up a need for a total of 280 of them.  Joe adds a new note
to the file.  The history now reads:
"19 Jul - Joe Bloe - Ben C can help us make up the kbd order for his POS
job for Bigbank
 19 Jul - Joe Bloe - Spoke to Fred down at Shonky's, they can give us
the kbds at $98 if we can use 250 of them
 18 Jul - Sam Snoe - some prior comment by Sam ...... Etc"

This is where the issue lies.  What they would like, is some way to
easily link Joe's job with Ben's job and vv.  Now, there is no natural
key for the job cards - we excluded this on purpose in the design.  You
can see one of the ways a jobcard may be referenced above: (broker=Ben,
client=Bigbank, jobtitle=...POS...).  This is a typical (not the only)
way these guys refer to a job.  Now Ben, over the course of time, may do
more than one POS job for Bigbank, but usually only one is active at a
time, if there were more than one they would call them differently.

What the germ of the idea is, is this.  

There must be some way of letting them create a hyperlink to the job and
attaching the hyperlink to the referencing phrase.  That is, in the
above hstory : "POS job for Bigbank" would be the link text and the
hyperlink would be to the PK for Ben's job card.  

The question now becomes, "How feasible is this?

I could easliy add a cmdbutton on the ADD a note popup to open a search
for other jobs.  I can use selstart etc to position the link.  I can
build the html easily enough.  What I would need to do is change the
textbox for note entry to some sort of edittable html control.  Any
ideas?  And change the history display textbox on the jobcard form to a
webcontrol (as its not directly edittable).

Is this clearer?  What do ou think of the solution?  Should I go back to
gardening?

Tia
Bruce


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