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Junior Member
 
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 5/17/2006 11:46:41 AM
Posts: 11, Visits: 16 |
| | I've been reading up on here today and I see the term "VBA" around a lot. OK, I know what this is and it doesn't give me warm and fuzzies. I'm a c# guy so VBA isn't my cup of tea. Not that I couldn't deal with it but... Anyway I'm thinking of digging straight into the point file, doing a little programming (in C#) and then spitting out my own custom forms. My "piece de resistance" would be a master loan tracker form that would have target closing dates, title order dates and all of the relevant info in one place. Sort of a loan-at-a-glance page. The second two pieces (the programming and the pdf custom form) won't be a big deal. The first piece (digging into the point file) is something that I have no idea about. Can someone point me to a post that discusses what the point file looks like and how it is structured? Like, for instance, how can I get to the Broker Commission field? |
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Sepal
Group: Moderators
Last Login: Yesterday @ 4:06:35 PM
Posts: 1,183, Visits: 9,261 |
| don't mess with the point file just wait for the sdk.
Disclaimer: This post carries no explicit or implied warranty. Nor is there any guarantee that the information contained in this post is accurate. It is offered in the hopes of helping others, but you use it at your own risk. The author will not be liable for any damages that occur as a result of using this post.  |
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 5/17/2006 11:46:41 AM
Posts: 11, Visits: 16 |
| | SDK? SDK!? Hadn't heard such a thing was coming. When?????? |
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Sepal
Group: Moderators
Last Login: Yesterday @ 4:06:35 PM
Posts: 1,183, Visits: 9,261 |
| It should be out by the end of the year it was anounced at the mba tech show.
Disclaimer: This post carries no explicit or implied warranty. Nor is there any guarantee that the information contained in this post is accurate. It is offered in the hopes of helping others, but you use it at your own risk. The author will not be liable for any damages that occur as a result of using this post. |
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 5/17/2006 11:46:41 AM
Posts: 11, Visits: 16 |
| | Damn, that's a long way off for an SDK. I guess I'll have to wait. Unless Calyx is looking for beta testers. In the meantime I'll muddle through with the custom forms. |
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| | | Forum Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 3/16/2007 4:25:08 PM
Posts: 36, Visits: 905 |
| Here's a third-party programmers' tool that includes descriptions of the Point file in its documentation:
http://www.mtig.biz/pxd.htm
I remember some threads on the old EZboard that discussed the Point file format and techniques to parse through it. I don't recall if those threads got lost in the "Great Hack" that wiped out most of the board, but you can search around:
http://p080.ezboard.com/bcalyxcommunity
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Junior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 5/17/2006 11:46:41 AM
Posts: 11, Visits: 16 |
| | Wow, that mtig.biz page hasn't been updated in a while. I wonder if they are still in business? |
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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 9/12/2008 11:24:50 AM
Posts: 289, Visits: 242 |
| Barely. You know what the plumber's pipes look like  You can do the same type of programming in C#; you don't need VBA, etc. but you would have to do your own merge. You also have to be comfortable with binary files and values with no overhead. It's a simple concept for an older codger like me but it's not something they focus on in school nowadays. Hints: unsigned short integers (endian order), unsigned bytes, and non-delimited ascii. One of the challenges is to catch the open event in Word. You have to modify the Normal.dot document to include an event trap there called from another class. It's a little non-intuitive. You can't just write an event handler in the document because it will never fire. Another trick is to spawn another process when the first print document opens (using the OnOpen event in Normal.dot). You can either have a service running or take the shell approach. Use the spawned process to do your own merge. I.E., skin the "kat" any way you can.
- Mike
mike@mtig.biz |
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