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Finally... => General Discussion => Topic started by: The Architect on May 05, 2010, 03:55:05 pm

Title: Need help selecting a word processor application for specific purpose
Post by: The Architect on May 05, 2010, 03:55:05 pm
Alright, I need to make an interactive list of clients for my family's small business. I have MS Office, but I'll be @!#$ed if I can figure out how to do it with that. So, alternative programs or an explanation would be appreciated. I basically need it to function like this:

Heading
Client name
Contact info (collapsible text with a link that would pop it up to display on screen as in a website menu, somewhat like a Spoiler tag in these forums. Need to be able to close it again as well. So, I guess, almost exactly like a Spoiler script.)
Various other links/tabs with the same function

Next client
Same thing.

Is there an equivalent of a text editor or readily available program with which I can do this? Even a homemade script that I can run or a function within MS Word? I am quite sure MS Word should have something like this, but the !!@#* 2007 abomination is rather difficult to navigate and explore, as I'm sure anyone who has used it knows.
Title: Re: Need help selecting a word processor application for specific purpose
Post by: RedKing on May 05, 2010, 04:00:26 pm
Sounds like you're looking for a database more than a word processor. Something like Access with a VB script to do the collapsible bit.
Title: Re: Need help selecting a word processor application for specific purpose
Post by: The Architect on May 05, 2010, 04:06:36 pm
That would be fine. If I knew what I were looking for, I wouldn't need help :)

Access isn't exactly free, though. I also don't need anything so professional as a full-on database; something simple and possibly even hackneyed would be fine. A webpage editor that doesn't need a webpage to be accessed/read would be fine.
Title: Re: Need help selecting a word processor application for specific purpose
Post by: Heron TSG on May 05, 2010, 06:57:13 pm
OpenOffice Calc is a good (and free) spreadsheet program. I'm not sure how to make it interactive, but you could set each column as a data type (phone number, etc) and each row as a name. You could fairly easily find information there, but after 30+ clients, it could get clogged.
Title: Re: Need help selecting a word processor application for specific purpose
Post by: The Architect on May 05, 2010, 07:01:20 pm
Thank you, as stated I have MS Office and I could just use Excel. Rather than a spreadsheet, I need an interactive database.
Title: Re: Need help selecting a word processor application for specific purpose
Post by: SolarShado on May 05, 2010, 08:12:21 pm
Do you have a version of Office that doesn't include Access? Access has it's flaws but it should do what you need, like RedKing said.
Title: Re: Need help selecting a word processor application for specific purpose
Post by: The Architect on May 05, 2010, 09:34:54 pm
Oh, thanks. I didn't realize it was included in MS Office, and all I got from Googling was a pile of promos trying to get me to purchase it. I'll learn the ins and outs, and go with it!