atw: Re: .ini file to check template version in Word VBA

Ahhh, require much Trickiness, grasshopper. Before we discuss a suitable
solution, I am smelling some Bad Practices from here and I can't help but
feel that correcting these into Good Practices will also then remove your
requirements altogether, thus providing a 'fix' lol.

I am willing to bet everything I have in my wallet (a few receipts
unfortunately hahaha) you are using Networked Templates. You, like billions
of others, have decided that the old Workgroup Templates thingy can just be
pointed to a network address because IT IS EASIER TO IMPLEMENT. (To be
harsh, lazy IT dept.)

Be-beowwwww

Wrong answer. See concurrent thread (my last post) regarding the end result
of this. I wont go into the other dozen major problems this can cause.


Please, for the love of Muse, tell me you aren't making the filenaming
convention blunder of MyTemplate-V1.22.dot? <Shudder>

Similar to my last post, I can only describe the solution requirements,
actual implementation methods will vary by local policy. I'll include some
related tidbits from S/W R&D land. 


__________________________________


Abstract: Copy all templates to each client at logon IF they have been
updated since. Eg XCOPY will work off timestamps.



First up, we have a record type of template here so let us define it. A
'blank' record is always a virginal Normal.dot. The first disposition change
is to Dev, and occurs when we Save As to create a new template. From here it
will the standard iteration of Dev->Test->Prod with full regression and
recursion. We must maintain a Tested Prod. At some point it becomes
Obsolete, then Archived, then Destroyed. So, we can identify all
dispositions now, by general location as well as by the record attributes.
(From left stage a suspicious looking government offical shoots the anal
quality control officer in the head - BANG!)


So, our snapshot example environment sees MyTemplate.dot  v1.00(.01) live as
disposition Prod.

Nikki finishes another template update.


At this point the template is sitting local on Nikki's machine, with a copy
stored in a version db (Sharepoint, VSS, CVS et al). Its disposition is Test
and has passed all testing so is ready for the 'final' disposition change to
Prod. (final for this release process only). It was tested as v1.00.123 and
approved for release as V1.01. We now publish the release. The build was the
Save As for us VBA dudes and dudettes.

This change is a worst case scenario. All the headers and footers have
drastically changed to a lurid colored company banner.


We set the internal version number (doc props very common here) to 1.01 and
Save As over itself one last time. (Thus, if you include the document
revision number as the internal release number, it is strictly speaking
version 1.01.01.  1.01.02 becomes your first modification of this baseline
on your next release cycle.) 

We store it in the version db. We copy it to some network location(s) that
is exposed to the scope of the template's usage.
Our users logins are set to then copy only updated templates from this area
to their local path. This path can be controlled by policies so they don't
have read access to it, and you still point Workgroup templates there.
Generally speaking, at login is fine. If you desire full dynamic pushes (can
be done with policies) then the agent has to wait until the file lock is
released, and if the user has a crashed winword.exe process it wont take
until they logout and in anyway. Save the heart ache of the extra support
problem, set a policy to use logout / in to refresh the user environment.
 



WE SEND OUT A NOTIFICATION to the audience saying there new templates, don't
panic, logout and in ** to use them, read this [communcations policy
release] for more info contact [me] or [othermob]. We will be converting
documents across <tonight>, please contact [me] if this hasn't happened by
COB <tomorrow> so I can arrange it for you.


Right now users are logged on. Anne has a document open. She sees no change
and nothing happens for her either way. Bob opens a new document, he uses
V1.00 to create a new document. Ceretha is already logged on, and reads the
email. She logs out and in, anything she creates takes advantage of the new
template features and looks proper, but all her old documents (controlled or
not) still have original header and footer.



Exisiting documents whose styles have been set to auto-update will still not
have the new header and footer. So, when everyone goes home and its 3am, the
server issues a file lock clearance on your root document directories. A
batch process gets kicked off inside off from inside a logged in user
environment, your machine is on and locked out, but has not been set to
power down on long idle. It loads all the old documents, replaces the
headers and footers, floats a boat, whatever floats your graphics. (sic) The
users come in the next day, all their controlled documents are compliant and
sexy. They can then work out with you some way of getting their uncontrolled
documents controlled and converted. Ideally your batch process is set to be
date senstive on the processed files, log its processing date, and can then
be set to run for the next two weekends or as required to pick up newly
controlled documents <coffs and reaches for a large User Attitude Control
Adjuster>.


Steve Hudson
Word Heretic

Sleep is a luxury that only the idle can afford

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Nikki Ward






Hi there, 

I am looking for someone who can suggest ways of setting up a  .ini file
that is called by a few lines of code in the beginning of every Word
template so that when the user accesses the document, they will be advised
on whether it is the latest version or not.

The .ini file will contain all the latest names of the templates so that
these filenames can be compared against the filenames of the latest
documents stored on the network. If there is no match then the a MsgBox will
advise this document template is not the latest tempate, or rather something
like: 

"Template 5.2.7 has been replaced by Template 5.2.8"
"Please access P:\ to locate the lastest version"

Any ideas (on doing this in Word VBA of course)?  

Thanks,
Nikki :)**************************************************
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