Power Users and Developers: Making customized Apps Using Microsoft Office
Those of us who have the responsibility of producing customized Excel workbooks, and Word documents that essentially have become small powerful applications in their own right are always looking for ways to make the tools we build in these Microsoft Office products more powerful, easy to use, and more like actual stand-alone apps. One of the ways I looked at enhancing the “tools” I created was by adding a tool bar to an Excel workbook for example. I first did this myself in Excel 2003. It was tedious but doable. One draw-back in the way tool bars were done back then is that the changes applied to the whole app (Excel or Word), and one screw-up on your part could truly clobber Excel or Word’s tool bars and menus system wide.
A New Way of Doing Tool Bars in Office 2007
In Office 2007, Microsoft changed how their user interface worked. And they changed the scope of the changes. If you were going to screw something up for your tool bars now it would only be with one document file, not the entire system. Customizing this tool bar was more flexible. You could do much more with the new tool bar than the old version (the new tool bar Microsoft calls a ribbon). The Technology behind the ribbon they call RibbonX.
I’m waiting for the end of this month to buy the iPad with 3G built in. And yet I bought an iPad on Saturday! What gives? Sometimes I wonder myself! Well, I bought it as a gift for a
I am getting thoroughly dissatisfied with the design of my web site again. I’m looking for that right balance of nice presentation, easy updating, good navigation, etc.
I’ve not found it yet.
Simplify. Simplify. Simplify!
More and more lately I’m out trolling the Net looking for some good site design examples that capture the essence of what I’m looking for. I’ve been tweeking around with some CSS and HTML locally on my computer trying to find that magic something or other.
It shouldn’t have to be this hard!
I’ve been pondering just making my whole site a blog. One thing is for sure, I’d really like it to be some sort of complete content management system (one that would run on my web host and not cost allot, and has the features I want).
Of course this has gotten me back to thinking about writing my own CMS. I’ve started and abandoned this idea several times! I have written simple CMSes before. I used to have a site: “vbmaster.net” It used a CMS I wrote in ASP/MS Access. It worked pretty well. I got sick of running it and so I stopped. I lost ownership of the domain due to letting it expire and some spammer has the domain now.
That CMS was primitive. Too primitive for what I want to do now.
And, naturally, that got me thinking about the Movieland Directory. This site has a CMS that I wrote. Well, I started working on a newer, better design for this site months ago. I left off working on it quite awhile back though. Well, allot of what I need is already done. So I started thinking about picking up work on this project again. The point though: thinking only! No actual work on it yet!
I think that I have software constipation right now!
To all you bright programmers out there, getting the SDK working probably seemed to be cake. Not for me. Apple made things confusing. But I’m finally getting somewhere!
Getting the first app example working (which I downloaded off of Apple’s site) was an uphill struggle. I was trying to get the Kalimba Finger Piano working on my iPhone. Downloading the right licence files, putting them in the right places. Not to mention the fact that when ordering the SDK it took me to the Apple store to purchase it and promised a delivery within 5 business days, and that I’d need to be at the ship address to sign for it… Buzzz! Wrong!
I have now downloaded and got running on my iPhone several of the examples that Apple provides. These examples look like they will help me understand how to do different things that I need to understand in order to accomplish my desired goal: A simple game that I have in mind.
I’ve got a binder set up where I’m keeping all my To-do lists, activity logs, and misc notes for my game. I’m trying to give structure to this thing. I dearly hope this won’t end up being another unfinished project. I’m hoping that the simplicity of the game I want to write will help me in this regards.
The next thing I’m planning to do is assemble one of Pete’s projects and get it working. I think this is the next natural step in progression. It’s one thing to get working a project where all the files have been pre-added, and everything is pre-configured and get it working, it’s another thing to take the piece-parts and do that yourself.
After that, I’m really going to start digging into the code. My to-do list is much more detailed but I think you get the idea.
Tip: When selecting an item in Provisioning, it means more than highlighting it. It means checking the checkbox on the item. This little issue had me wasting probably 2-3 hours of time trying different things.
I got the go-ahead from Apple Development to be in the Beta program for developing for the iPhone. I clicked on the appropriate link, filled in the proper info, whipped out the old credit card, validated everything, read everything and am now waiting to receive my package!
I was pleased to see that I wasn’t just simply given a URL to download stuff from, but that they were going to send me a package containing the goodies I’m looking for. I will have to sign for the package.
I signed up I believe Sunday evening. So I am waiting expectantly for my delivery. I will be able to finally try stuff on my actual phone. How cool is that?
I have managed to get a sample iPhone app compiled and running in the iPhone simulator that they provide. The app is an African thumb piano. It is a very imaginative use of the iPhone. It would be much nicer running on my iPhone rather than a simulator!
There are some really neat and creative sample programs in the iPhone SDK now, some of them besides being good sampls to look at as far as their code are concerned are apps that I’d actually like to have on my iPhone for my own use! I like the idea of the program that turns your iPhone into a level you can use to make sure that your pictures are straight! Cool.
I’ve spent a bit of time looking over the African Finger Thumb Piano code. I’m still trying to follow where the “start” of the code is. To be honest though, I’ve not spent allot of time looking into this lately.
My id for logging in to Apple’s developer web site is different than the id I normally log in to my MacBook with. I was wondering if this was the reason that I could not download the items I subscribed to in the Help program in XCode.
So, I created a user on my MacBook with the same user name and signed in as that and fired up XCode. Next, I brought up the Help, subscribed to the items that I wanted, and, bingo! Those items loaded!
When I tried to compile to the actual iPhone device (as opposed to the simulator), I still get an error… though it is a different error now.
Rats! I went to try it again and I get yet another error: “No Device is Connected” This is in spite of the fact that I can bring up iTunes and it shows that it is connected!
Oh, and in the Organizer, it shows my iPhone. Go figure! It is all too clear that I am still missing some of the pieces of the puzzle.
Actually, its been up for a while now. And, after about 4 attempts, I was able to download the iPhone SDK!
There is allot here to digest. I’ve never programmed in Objective-C before. It is a bit overwhelming.
Note: I submitted a request for the $99 license key. Looks like I’ll have to wait for a response from Apple. Based on the load their site received from would-be iPhone developers, I might be waiting for awhile!
Due to a frantic, graspy rush to get their greasy hands on the iPhone SDK, the Apple Developer web site not only is slow, now instead of just error messages, the whole server is down. I guess that’s a good problem.
There is that pent up desire out there. Something for Apple to brag about!
I kept refreshing this page on iLounge.com to get the latest updates on what was being said at the Town Hall meeting Apple was giving on the iPhone SDK. It sounds pretty good! To get it, you need to go to http://developer.apple.com/.
The funny thing is, that after I read about this and went to that site, the web server was grinding to a halt. It seems as if every developer and their brother is trying to get in and download the thing!
Note that if you want to actually use any new spiffy app you write on your iPhone (or any other iPhone for that matter) you have to pay a $99 charge to Apple. This will get you a unique license id will be embedded in your apps. This way, if any apps cause problems, they know who to look for, and they can turn downloading off for that license. I think I’ll try the Apple developer site later after the dust settles!
