Connecting PPT to a help database

[VileFriend]

I have plans to create custom designed, unique and specific help programs for businesses.
This will give them the ability to provide a VCA. A Virtual Counter Assistant is to provide either their staff or customers with the ability to resolve many problems without requiring the time and effort of other people!
The idea is to silfer the query to determine the correct answer and then to give that answer in a PPT presentation.
I have yet to decide on many aspects of it but I do need ideas and clarification on two points.
What database should I use and consequently how would you connect that database to the PPT:confused:
Do I go the HTML way? I am not keen on Windows help but Outlook Express is better as are many 3rd party products.
All ideas, advice and guidance will be gratefully appreciated, thank you.

[Anne Troy]

I have plans to create custom designed, unique and specific help programs for businesses.
This will give them the ability to provide a VCA. A Virtual Counter Assistant is to provide either their staff or customers with the ability to resolve many problems without requiring the time and effort of other people!

Sounds like a pretty tall task, Martin.

What database should I use and consequently how would you connect that database to the PPT?

Using Visual Basic or VBA is about the only way you'll be doing it.

Do I go the HTML way? I am not keen on Windows help but Outlook Express is better as are many 3rd party products.

I don't know what you mean by "Windows help", unless you mean that it uses HTML, as does this Access one:

http://www.functionx.com/accessintro/images/screenshot1.gif

And Outlook Express is an email program. It does not work with VBA, and it is not going to work with any databases. Outlook, on the other hand, can be used, which you can check out at:

http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/9798/knowbase.aspx

But I don't know if they're compatible with the new versions of Outlook.

Either PPT or Outlook would likely require a great deal of programming to do as you suggest, if it can be done at all. You will have a good deal of learning to do of one or all of the following: VBA in PowerPoint and/or Outlook, Visual Basic to program a stand-alone application that requires no other software to run it.

Queries and their construction depend too much on the database you'll be using, so you'd really need to determine that first before anyone could even begin to help, I think.

Where will the database reside, Martin? On your desktop? Behind a web (as does The Office Experts forum)? Will the presentations/html interface be linked to the database once they're created or will all information be embedded? Are you planning that you would submit the database as a behind-the-scenes tool to give to the client who buys your help file application?

Have you thought at all about having to update these applications and their underlying databases?

I am currently in the process of building an FAQ for a custom application. I'll be using web pages and then having someone compile them into a help file using some kinda program. I don't know the name of it, but can probably get it for you.

I don't understand the need for the underlying database. If you're going to manually type up these help file pages, you simply put keywords at the bottom of each html page, which the compiler (I believe) uses in its search mechanism.

HTML pages can be created using Notepad if you know your html code (go to View-Source while you're at any web site page that ends with HTM or HTML to see the html code behind it). So you type up the HTML code in notepad, then save the file, change the extension to htm and double-click on it. It'll open in your browser....

Ok. I'll shut up now.

[VileFriend]

rutledj wrote on 01-24-2003 01:41 AM:
I haven't used ppt to connect to a db but you certainly could using vba. You would have to set a reference to the ado (Tools/References) and then create a connection and recordset object to connect and retrieve data from the database.

May be able to help more if I know the particulars.

Boy, you're with it rutty mate!
ado = Associated Database Object to connect to a PPT object which is the actual binary answer silfered from the human query:confused:

I'm sorry rutledj but I think our conversation should be public not via PM as that's what this forum is all about and what's more, some brainy person might see it and steer me(us) in the right direction!? ;)

[VileFriend]

Originally posted by Dreamboat


Sounds like a pretty tall task, Martin.

Using Visual Basic or VBA is about the only way you'll be doing it.


Excuse me Anne, I think you're right. I don't want PPT to get information from Access but for Access to decide which PPT presentation to run. Then the PPT can just call Access to start all over again.:rolleyes:
What I am really looking for I suppose is the VBA code that could make this happen.EG:
[VBA] to "Execute PPT presentation The answer! from Access with variable 'Answer to Question'."
[VBA] to "Execute Access from PPT at Question point to silfer the correct 'Answer to Question'."

[Anne Troy]

No problem, Martin, but you'll probably want to re-ask in the Access forum, because it will be Access code and not PPT code that'll be needed.

[VileFriend]

Cool, I will! Merci beaucoup ma cherie.:p