[RESOLVED] Prefix for Office development

[Siddharth Rout]

Hi like vb.net can we have the following prefix for OD

Office Vintage
Office 2003
Office 2007

It is really frustrating sometimes when you are helping someone and after few posts you come to know that the user is working on a different version... All your efforts then go down the drain and you have to start from the scratch...

Hopefully I am making sense...

[Nightwalker83]

I reckon it would be a good idea because it will allow people to know which version the problem was referring to without having to read the whole thread.

[Siddharth Rout]

Brad/JP?

[Nightwalker83]

Brad/JP?

What do you mean? If you are referring to who it would help the answer is everyone because the threads will be easier to find, etc.

[RobDog888]

Hes asking for a response from Brad or Joe.

Yes they wil help but specifying "Office xxxx" really is only part of the issue.
So if someone is using Office 2007 in their thread title prefix but you still have no idea what aplication(s) they are using.

Too many options with Office...

Access 97
Access 2000
Access 2002
Access 2003
Access 2007
Access 2010
Excel 97
Excel........etc

I think we didnt do the prefix after the upgrade because of this.
There is a "before you post" thread to help this but its bascally telling them to add as much identifiable info int he titlelike I just posted.

Too bad we cant have multiple prefixes lol

[Nightwalker83]

Hes asking for a response from Brad or Joe.

Ah ok! I don't think very many people pay attention to the "Before you post threads" considering how many threads end up in the wrong section, etc.

[RobDog888]

Yea I know. Ive been thinking about this again and hmm...

What if we just had the year?

2010
2007
2003
2002
2000
1997

Then at least its a smaller prefix list and they only have to specify which app or apps are of concern to the thread. Only other issue is if there is an odd year version like Outlook 98 which no other main application has.

[Siddharth Rout]

Yes they wil help but specifying "Office xxxx" really is only part of the issue.
So if someone is using Office 2007 in their thread title prefix but you still have no idea what aplication(s) they are using.

Till the time they are mentioning the office version, I think it should be okay...

Most of the times the user does specify that he or she wants it in excel or PP or Access without specifying the office version...

So all that we need is just 3 options...

Office Vintage
Office 2003
Office 2007

This is just my opinion... I am sure that this will definitely help people like me,Rob, Pete, Pradeep etc... who 'haunt' the Office forum

[RobDog888]

Well by putting "Office" in the prefix it makes it limited to only MS Office. We may have other questions for Open Office or whatnot so perhaps just the year is best?

Ps, what happened to Office 2010 koolsid?

[Siddharth Rout]

yeah and that too

[Siddharth Rout]

Bump - 01

@JP/Brad: I tried sending you private messages but seems like it is turned off.

Is it really possible to have this option?

[Siddharth Rout]

Since Brad/JP are not interested in answering this which could have helped me and other forum members to answer threads in Office Development with much more ease, I guess I'll close this thread....

But yes... I am disappointed....

[Nightwalker83]

Since Brad/JP are not interested in answering this which could have helped me and other forum members to answer threads in Office Development with much more ease, I guess I'll close this thread....

But yes... I am disappointed....

Hang on! Give them a chance to read the thread before you come to that conclusion.

[Siddharth Rout]

And hence my request is valid...

http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.php?t=585848

<<Text removed by me. Not required anymore...>>

Edit:

Brad/JP: I am curious as to why this thread was ignored? I wasn't asking something for myself... It was for VBF

I literally 'live' in VBF so I thought that at least my suggestion would draw some comments from either one of you....

[JPnyc]

It wasn't ignored, once in a while we just miss one. Rob brings up a valid point though, what about the various versions of open office? Seems like we would be talking about an awful lot of prefixes. What do we estimate the total number would be? I suppose just putting the year would be one solution provided what works for that years MS office version also works for open office...

[Siddharth Rout]

It wasn't ignored, once in a while we just miss one.

Point Taken.

What do we estimate the total number would be?

7 (open for discussions)

MS Office Vintage
MS Office 2003
MS Office 2007
MS Office 2010
OpenOffice Ver 1.X
OpenOffice Ver 2.X
OpenOffice Ver 3.X

[JPnyc]

well those are too long. We would need to shorten them up or too much of the actual thread title will not be visible when viewed at various levels of the forum.

[Siddharth Rout]

I agree...

How About?

MsOffVint
MsOff03
MsOff07
MsOff10
OOff-1.X
OOff-2.X
OOff-3.X

or

MsOffVint
MsOff03
MsOff07
MsOff10
OOff1.X
OOff2.X
OOff3.X

[JPnyc]

MsOfVint
MsOf03
MsOf07
MsOf10
OpOf1
OpOf2
OpOf3

[Siddharth Rout]

Good to Go!

[JPnyc]

just to clarify, why isn't this going in the office development forum instead of.net?

[Siddharth Rout]

Jp this suggestion is for OD and not for .Net

[JPnyc]

ha ha! That makes sense. OK I'm on it

[brad jones]

I didn't ignore this, I simply left it for the mods and Joe to address since it is for them to decide and implement.

Brad!

[Siddharth Rout]

JP You Rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Simply Amazing

[JPnyc]

I do. I rock. Its even mentioned on my wiki page.

[Siddharth Rout]

JP

Do you want me to write a small FAQ which explains what those prefixes mean?

Edit
OR... I just had a brain storm... What if the Drop Down Shows

MS Office Vintage
MS Office 2003
MS Office 2007
MS Office 2010
OpenOffice Ver 1.X
OpenOffice Ver 2.X
OpenOffice Ver 3.X

while creating a thread But

MsOfVint
MsOf03
MsOf07
MsOf10
OpOf1
OpOf2
OpOf3

is appended on the thread?

Well... just a thought....

[JPnyc]

I know this is a developer forum so the first inclination is to change the software, but we have to avoid changing the software whenever possible. What you have there would require added fields in the database, or, a string manipulation function added to the template. These things impede the upgrade process and in some cases, particularly those alterations involving changes to database tables, can break upgrade scripts.

I think a sticky in that forum wouldn't be a bad idea, explaining what the prefixes are for. Ideally they should have been self-explanatory.

[Siddharth Rout]

These things impede the upgrade process and in some cases, particularly those alterations involving changes to database tables, can break upgrade scripts.

hmmm, you are right...

I think a sticky would be just fine...

[RobDog888]

I think a sticky in that forum wouldn't be a bad idea, explaining what the prefixes are for.

We have a "Before you post" sticky already. Perhaps when the prefixes are solidified we can add to it as they are both needed.

Ideally they should have been self-explanatory.

Yes, this was my point that there still needs some clearer prefixes.

Sorry Sidz, but I think the "Vintage" prefix is just too vague and many people are still on 2000 and 2002 and dont associate that term with them.

[Siddharth Rout]

I agree Rob. What would you suggest Rob instead of that?

Something like

MsOfOLD

[RobDog888]

Not quite, something that lumps several versions that are still in use by many is self defeating of the purpose of prefixes. What if someone was using Office XP and asked a question. We would still need to ask them what version they are using as 2000 didnt have many features that xp has.

Thre hasnt been many 97 or earlier questions lately so perhaps we can drop that. What about having 2000+ for MS and OO only have a couple so we can have those too or just one for OO as there is almost no OO questions (yet anyways).

[Siddharth Rout]

I am good to go with whatever you suggest till the time it solves the major purpose

[RobDog888]

Ok then, "Ford" prefixes


Seriously, as long as it helps reduce the quesions on trying to identify what they are using, its all good.

I think if we include 2002 as a separate version we are ok but 2000 is borderline perhaps.