[mso] Re: Is it worth changing over to?XP ?
- From: "Dian Chapman" <dian@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <mso@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2003 18:20:07 -0600
>Is it the user or is it the design? Is the old way proper or is the
proper way one that is easier to work with in toto?
But NOT in this case! When designing a form, there are TWO modes...the
design mode and the user mode. Makes sense, right? Does to me! If you're
designing a form, you do NOT want to accidentally leave data in the
fields from testing, cos' then that data would be left in your
master...which SHOULD be blank.
So it makes sense to have the design mode default to leave the fields
blank, so as not to cause the designer extra work.
However, because some users ATTEMPT to create forms, but don't
understand the basics of design mode and user mode, they mess with the
document outside of the design mode, yet while using designer
features...unprotect/protect...and then complain that their fields were
blanked out! Well, DUH!
Open the damn form to add design...in design mode...and you won't have a
problem!
But NO!
MS changes form creation rules and now the designer must REMEMEBER to
blank out the fields before they save it.
So now it's easier for those folks who are too lazy to RTFM and follow
directions. But those of us who DO RTFM and follow direction are
punished with more work.
Which is why I won't recommend XP and still write all my forms in 2000!
:-P
<g>
Dian Chapman
Technical Consultant, Instructor,
Microsoft MVP & TechTrax Editor
Word AutoForm/VBA eBook: http://www.mousetrax.com/books.html
Tutorial web site: http://www.mousetrax.com/techpage.html
TechTrax Ezine: http://www.mousetrax.com/techtrax/
-----Original Message-----
From: mso-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:mso-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Greg Chapman
Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2003 5:53 PM
To: mso@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [mso] Re: Is it worth changing over to?XP ?
Yep, we only have an occasional disagreement on these things. But
despite the fact that we all do things like this, lines like the
following always get my attention:
>I also have to work twice as hard to handle forms...now having to clear
my development fields cos' some folks can't handle learning how to
create forms properly.
Is it the user or is it the design? Is the old way proper or is the
proper way one that is easier to work with in toto? That's an age old
question. Has anyone here ever heard an argument between old timers who
complain that they are much faster on the keyboard than with a mouse and
the argument they get from the mouse proponent? The truth is that both
sides are right on particular points and wrong on others. On this
particular issue, I side with the user simply because FormFields in Word
are not and have never been in compliance with the behavior intended by
the designers of the platform (OS). That's one of my major grumbles with
Lotus Notes, too. It takes Word's problems to the extreme, of course,
and the lack of consistency with the host OS is why we also have
extended discussions about the inability to select only portions of text
within a cell, ad infinitum. In fact, Word is a pretty good example of a
program that has had many problems turn into unchangeable beasts. The
bugs and their associated workarounds are so well known to long time
users that to actually fix those problems causes a lot of pain for a lot
of people. Careful with that axe, Eugene!
Sometimes we do need to move ahead and some other things are cherished
and remain the same. Many Windows 3.1 users hated Windows 95's
interface...and that old interface isn't normally available anymore
(starting with XP) but 7 years ought to have been enough time for them
to catch on. In other cases, stability wins. Why is Solaris the
Enterprise solution of choice? Well, it's a pretty stable design on good
hardware. Have to use a sledgehammer to break it and the code I write
for it today will still work in 10 years (although that 10 year old code
should have been retired). So someone explain the move to .Net and what
that's going to do to Office users who also develop using Office? I'm
betting the Access developers who are just starting out today will drive
that market and the old Access authors will come behind them. But even
they will outpace Word and Excel authors since these people have learned
VBA deeply and many of the things we take for granted in VBA today will
really mess up our day tomorrow as we attempt to move forward.
I can get on either side of this fence pretty easily but the one thing I
can count on is that whatever I'm doing today on Windows and Office
systems is different from what I will be doing on it in the future. That
makes my answer a resigned "Might as well go now and get used to it,
'cause BillG ain't havin' none of this argument."<g>
Greg Chapman
http://www.mousetrax.com
"Counting in binary is as easy as 01, 10, 11!
With thinking this clear, is coding really a good idea?"
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mso-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:mso-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Dian Chapman
> Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2003 4:13 PM
> To: mso@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [mso] Re: Is it worth changing over to?XP ?
>
>
>
>
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