NewsLine 2000: Tips, Tricks and Information

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In this issue:
• Software Development from C2000
• Utility Manager for poor vision users
• Removing white space at the start of a line
• Top 10 Word Questions
• Calculations in formfill?
• Some of the most useful Word shortcuts (part I)
• Topic: Re: Death at Hogwarts

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT FROM C2000

 

We tend not to talk to much about the services we offer in these newsletters, but we thought we ought to talk about one of our main areas of work, namely software development - custom built packages to meet your requirements.

We typically work on smaller scale, cost effective projects, building a particular solution to a business specific problem.

We can program Microsoft Office functions, customising them or adding functionality to them.

We also program whole solutions in a variety of environments:
Windows: desktop and server
Unix: almost any version, including Linux
SQL: SQL Server, Oracle, Informix
Web: All CGI programming, including shell, perl etc

We program in a range of languages too:
C for Windows or Unix
Microsoft VB, VBA
ASP for Intranet or Internet programs
SQL (all versions)

Here are some examples of recent projects we have completed:

Customer Management and Quoting system: Sales staff enter customer requirements into the system, answering just a few basic questions, the entire quotation is then calculated and faxed or emailed automatically to the prospect. The manager told me recently that their speed of quotation has more than tripled and the speed of response to the prospect is leading to many more successful sales.

Automatic Password generator: Creates passwords according to different security rules. The crucial part being that the passwords are constructed in a way to make them easily remembered by users.

Vehicle Movement Manager: Calculated traffic usage figures for use in a court case.

Photo Database Manager: For managing entries to a national photographic competition, as well as simplifying the receipt of entries, the program also generated a complete web site at the push of a button.


The point about these projects as that each was focussed on a specific business requirement. Typically these were programmed solutions using Microsoft Office as a platform - allowing users to operate the programs quickly, with no special training.


We are happy to accept a project that may only take a day or may take weeks, our typical project is just 1 or 2 weeks long.


If you've got a problem and you are looking for a solution, then please call (01242 25500) for a free consultation.

See http://www.c2000.com/products for more information  

UTILITY MANAGER FOR POOR VISION USERS

 

You can quickly start the Utility Manager by pressing the Windows key with U. The Utility Manager includes a number of aids, such as the Narrator, Magnifier and On-Screen keyboard.

See http://www.c2000.com/mswindow for more information  

REMOVING WHITE SPACE AT THE START OF A LINE

 

Particular when importing text from other sources it is easy to end up with a lot of assorted spaces and tabs at the start of each line. Using Words special characters it it is easy to remove it:

1) Click Edit, Replace
2) Click the More button
3) Click Special - then select Paragraph Mark
4) Click Special - then select White Space
5) You'll end up with "^p^w" in the find box - you can just type this in
6) In the replace box, type in "^p"
7) Run the Replace


As described, this will keep all the paragraphs and hence all the line breaks. Your imported data may be text that should be reformatted, in which chase type in a single space in the Replace box, instead of ^p.

See http://www.c2000.com/mswindow for more information  

TOP 10 WORD QUESTIONS

 

I was posted this a while ago, then promptly lost it! So, all you Office XP users can look away now. If you are still on Word 2000 though, this list is the top ten questions asked of Microsoft Support:

1. I am prompted to save a file called EZPHOTO or sometimes
I receive the error message "Word cannot find or run the
application". How do I resolve this?

2. When I start Microsoft Word 2000, my toolbars or menu
bar is missing, or my personalized settings are not
retained. How do I resolve this?

3. Why do I get the error message "Winword caused an
invalid page fault in module Wkwdaddn.dll" when I try to
open a document?

4. Why am I getting an Invalid Page Fault (IPF) in MSO9.DLL?

5. Why do I get the error message "Out of stack space" when
I try to print multiple pages per sheet, or when I click
Print Preview on the File menu?

6. How do I start a Mail Merge?

7. Why do my page numbers print incorrectly when I use the
NUMPAGES field?

8. How do I create custom toolbars and toolbar buttons?

9. Why do I get the error message "Word cannot complete the
save due to a file permission error" when I try to save
my Word document?

10. How do I create a shortcut to start Microsoft Word from
the Windows Desktop?



Now some of these have been answered in previous newsletters or on our website, but if you want the official Microsoft response to these problems go to:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/Word/wd2000top.asp

See http://www.c2000.com/mswindow for more information  

CALCULATIONS IN FORMFILL?

 

Problem:

Is it possible to do calculations in formfill?

Solution:

No, but since formfill output is handled by report writer at print
time it is often possible to insert the calculations at the report
writer stage.

Consult Report Writer documentation or the Centreline
2000 Advanced Guide to Report Writer for further information.

See http://www.c2000.com/uniplex for more information  

SOME OF THE MOST USEFUL WORD SHORTCUTS (PART I)

 

General keyboard time-savers


1) Pay attention when you are using the mouse, on many of the menu's the shortcut is displayed on the menu item, for example Ctrl+C on the Edit, Copy menu item.

So, cut and paste is Ctrl+C, then Ctrl-V to paste.

I use all the time Ctrl-Z to undo changes (all the way back to the beginning) and Ctrl-Y which redo's (?).

Ctrl-C, -V and -Z work in almost any Windows program, Ctrl-Y is not so common.

Ctrl-F2 gives you Print Preview (which is not shown on the menu item)



2) In any windows program you can drive the menus from the keyboard by holding down the Alt key while pressing the underlined letter on the menu - this is usually, but not always the first letter of the menu item - so make sure it is the underlined letter.


3) Simply formatting short cuts are Ctrl-B, -I and -U for Bold, Italic and Underline. Ctrl-L, -E, -J, -R for Left align, Centre, Justify or Right align paragraphs.


4) To get back to your last edit point use Shift-F5, you can repeat this up to 4 times. It also works when you first open a document.


5) Use Shift-F3 to change the case of your text, from UPPERCASE, lowercase, Title Case.


6) Repeate last command with F4. Especially useful for applying the same format change to a number of locations.


7) Repeat the last find (or goto) by pressing Shift-F4 - this is often F3 in other programs.


8) Switch between open word documents with Ctrl-F6. From Word 2000 Alt-Tab works as well, but it also includes non-Word programs too.

See http://www.c2000.com/mswindow for more information  

TOPIC: RE: DEATH AT HOGWARTS Seen on the Internet

 

Topic: Re: Death at Hogwarts
From: Sean O'Hara
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written

In the Year of the Goat, the Great and Powerful Mike Schilling
declared...
> LONDON, June 18 - Author J.K. Rowling was so
> upset about killing off one of the main characters in her
> latest Harry Potter saga that she burst into tears. But
> the creator of the teenage wizard said it was vital to be
> strong because if "you are writing children's books, you
> need to be a ruthless killer."
>

"Harry," said Dumbledore, "it's time I told you everything. Things I should've told you five years ago. The deepest secret about your parents and why Voldemort wanted them dead. I'm really sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I thought it for the best -- I was wrong. If you'd only known this when you first started Hogwarts, we wouldn't be in this predicament today. I can only hope this news doesn't come too late and can help you defeat Voldemort. You see, Harry, your fath--"

Suddenly a lightning bolt flashed through the window, piercing Dumbledore through the chest. He fell over, his body smoldering, dead.

HERE ENDETH BOOK THE FIFTH OF HARRY POTTER, CALLED THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

Based upon a table of contents that leaked, I'm wondering whether the death that upset Rowling is the only one in the book.

See http://www.c2000.com/fun for more information

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